Shopping up a Storm

Just as predicted, the cold weather swooped in last weekend and Nashville got a whopping THREE INCHES of snow. You’d have thought it was a full-on blizzard with the way everyone was acting around here. The grocery stores were packed with families stocking up on canned goods and water. Some schools and offices closed early on Friday in anticipation of the snow, which didn’t start falling until 7:30 p.m. Seriously, people…get a grip! I’d hate to see what would happen if there was an actual disaster. I can’t really blame anyone for overreacting. The Nashville weather people and newscasters blow the slightest chance of snow way out of proportion.

I was at my mom’s house Friday night where my sister hosted a Premier Jewelry party for some neighborhood friends. We looked outside to see big snow flakes falling and accumulating. (“Accumulating” being the operative word here since it doesn’t happen that often.) I left the party around 8:00 with plans to buy a pair of boots at Kohl’s (clearance sale – yay!) Soon after I started my journey to the other side of town, I realized that this snow thing was a bit more challenging than I anticipated. I couldn’t see lines in the road! You see, the entire town had shut down by 6 p.m. leaving a solid blanket of snow on the roads, and I was one of only a handful of brave people trekking through the treacherous weather. Thankfully, my 20 years of residency made driving by memory a bit easier, but I was still a little nervous about my car sliding. Driving very cautiously I made it to Kohl’s and slid my way through the super-slick parking lot. Again, not being able to see any lines, I made up a parking space and went in to shop. Much to my surprise, I was not the only person in Kohl’s that night as there were a few families browsing the aisles with me. I’m glad I braved the storm because I got the last pair of boots in my size. Shopping success!

Getting from Franklin to my house in Nashville normally takes 30 minutes, but the BIG SNOW STORM turned my trip into an hour and a half. I opted for the interstate knowing that the secondary and back roads would be completely untouched. (see also: scaredy cats) My thought was that the constant flow of cars on the interstate would’ve prevented a lot of accumulation, thus leaving the roads more passable. WRONG. Again, I was one of only a few drivers, and no one could make out any lines on the road. We played follow the leader as we headed into the city at a whopping speed of 15 miles an hour. I saw several cars spin out on the side of the road, and one guy ended up facing me in the center lane. Oops! Thankfully, I was completely safe and I managed to keep my car under control. It wasn’t that difficult after all. After 25 years, I can now add ‘Driving through a Snow Storm’ to my list of accomplishments.

The snow was completely gone by the following afternoon.

Saturday meant more shopping for me. Turns out, going to the gym 5 days a week means eventually buying a new wardrobe. I had been putting off shopping for several weeks because I absolutely dread spending the day trying on clothes. It was also a matter of timing for me. What if I continue to get smaller? Why should I spend hundreds of dollars on clothes if they will be too baggy in a couple of months? But it was time to bite the bullet -- my pants were unprofessionally baggy. So baggy, in fact, that my co-workers were making comments about them.

Hell, I was SAFETY PINNING my pants on the side because my belt was too big. It was bad. My saggy clothes had become an official “thing.” Like a monster living in my closet…A Fat Clothes Monster.

Sherri and Tiffany graciously spent the day with me picking clothes off racks, brining pants to my dressing room, and objectively critiquing my choices. I treated them to lunch as a thank you for all their hard work. Seriously, shopping can wear you out! Having their company made the experience much less painful for me. In fact, I actually enjoyed myself. I was so pooped after a day of shopping that I came home and took a 2 hour nap.