this is why I never to go the mall

Since my big event is only two days away I ventured to the mall.  My grand hopes were the perfect dress, for less than $50.00.  But I would settle for some bling to wear with my back-up dress.

Cameron was at preschool so I just had Eli and Miriam.  I do not have a double stroller, and I will never take these two children to the mall again without one.  Have I mentioned that Eli is our tortoise child?  Our last trip to the mall was to see Santa, and it didn't help Eli's pace that he was turning every corner asking if this is where Santa lived, and where was he?

First stop: Dress Barn.  Waste of time.  But an entire store of dresses statistically seemed like my best option.  The two kind ladies old enough to be my grand-mother were so disappointed to see me walk out without so much as trying on a skirt-suit.

So I went for the other extreme: Forever 21.  The youngish girl assisting me showed me a few black dresses. 

"I'm looking for something a little bit longer..."

From behind the counter another 21 year old informed me that none of the black dresses in that store went below the knee.  I was starting to feel very uncomfortable.

Sales people make me very uncomfortable.  I am the type of person who would look at, try on, and even buy something when compelled to do so by a salesperson.  You know how they flatter you, pressure you, guilt you.  I just can't handle it.  And when you go to the mall at 10:00 in the morning you get 100% of the attention of the employees.   In fact the only other people in the mall are the mall-walkers, with their pleasant smiles and bright white shoes. 

With no success, except the "bling" I bought from Claire's I headed to the nearest department store to use the elevator.  I needed to leave the mall in approximately two minutes to be on time picking up Cameron from preschool but I thought I'd pass through the "special occasion" area just in case.  I had avoided the mall anchor stores because I was sure I wouldn't find a dress for the money I was willing to spend. But because I wasn't planning to, nor did I have the time to, I did.  I tried it on in a hurry, paid for the dress and frantically carried Eli back to the car, while pushing the stroller. 

I was thrilled.  As soon as I got home I tried it on again and realized two things.  Either I should have started dieting three months ago to fit into this dress, or I was going to need to return to the mall (with all three children this time) to exchange it. 

Sigh.