Banged Up in Boulder

Our evening in Boulder deserves to be documented.

We left the house around 5:45 after debating if we should go because there was a possibility of rain. We were planning to walk around a shopping and food district to check out some shops and eat dinner.

When we got there Erica was going to park in a parking lot, but decided she didn't like it and picked a parking garage.

We pulled in and she started to panic. Why? Because before my brother-in-law left for his trip he forgot to take the car top carrier off the van, so she's just been driving around with it on. I asked what was wrong and she said, "I don't think I'm going to fit!" I told her she was probably fine to which she replied, "Rachel, I just hit the sign hanging from the ceiling!" We try backing up and a car was actually leaving so we nabbed the spot right near the entrance/exit.

She put Leo in the stroller and decided to let Katie walk. We started heading into the shopping and eating district. She figured we'd just walk down a few blocks and see what there was for food and then loop back around and go the other way. 

The sidewalk narrowed a little and I let Katie and Erica go ahead of me. I was pushing the stroller still and I happened to notice there were 2 homeless women up ahead. I really didn't think much of it. I didn't make eye contact. I was looking at Leo. I never even spoke. I passed the first woman who had been standing up against the building. 

"WHACK!"

Something had just hit me hard on the top of my shoulder and part of my head! It felt like someone had pelted a dodgeball at me. I really thought I was hit by a ball.

I yelled out and turned around just as the 2nd lady yelled at the one that hit me, "What did you do that for?!" She was backing up at this point and holding the mat all rolled up and glaring at me.

We walked away and Erica and I were just baffled. She thought the lady just kinda hit me slightly on my leg or something. We stopped after a half a block and we were laughing, but the more I thought about it the more stressed out I felt. Why would she do that to me?! About then a woman approached me and asked if I was okay? She she 4 other people saw it happen and were just as shocked about what they had just seen.

We realized there were 2 police cars another block down and I decided I needed to at least report the incident. The lady actually flagged one down for me and she gave her account as well. I said I didn't really want to press charges because I wasn't hurt. I was startled, but not injured. He did say he would try to locate and speak with her. He needed to do something in his vehicle first so he took my number and we headed back down the street but on the opposite side. (Side note…I'm glad the lady came with me because she was able to supply more of a description of the woman than I could)

Halfway down the block I realized she crossed over and was walking towards us. She was staring directly at me and spinning her hat around. I'm not totally proud of this, but I abandoned my sister and the kids ( it was clear she didn't care at all about them) and I hightailed it back to the officer. Thankfully after that he went to find her and was successful.

He called me and told me he located her and she denied it, but he said she had the yoga mat and the more she talked the more sure he was that it was her. 

He said she is definitely mentally unstable. If I had to guess, she was probably high as well. He told her to collect her stuff and get out of there. He gave her a warning that way if there was another incident he would arrest her. He said I could press harassment charges too but I didn't want the hassle of going to the police station. Honestly I just didn't want her to haul off and hit someone else!

I'm thankful it was just a yoga mat and not a baseball bat. I'd be in the hospital. You wouldn't think a yoga mat would hurt but home girl had a strong arm. And I'm glad she didn't go after the kids!

We finally decided to eat. We should have just left the area, but we decided to torture ourselves more. We ordered our food and Katie was melting down. I was still half shaken and not the most helpful aunt on the planet because the constant sound of whining was stressing me out. And of course Leo wanted his bottle during this time too.

As we had been looking for a place to eat I saw a Ben and Jerry's and declared that we were getting that after we ate. After that fiasco I decided we could just grab something from a drive thru because we just needed to get back to the van which was several blocks away. 

Katie would stop every few feet and start crying and whining. (She didn't want carried though) By this point I'm turning around going, "Katie! What is wrong? Walk and stop whining girl!" Erica finally scooped her up and carried her couple blocks while she kicked and screamed. Then a block from the parking garage she let her walk again, where she proceeded to whine and walk slowly, but we finally made it. Now all we had to contend with was 2 kids screaming in the backseat.

You'd think this would be the end, but oh no. Remember the panic because the van wouldn't fit up or down the ramps in the parking garage? Well, it was 1 way so that was the only way out. I told her to forget that. Back out and go the wrong way. The exit was very close. She backed up and I had to get out and make sure no one was coming down the ramp to exit. I motioned her on but the turn was REALLY tight so she has to keep backing up and pulling forward to not hit the pole (in their brand new van) . I'm standing there HYSTERICALLY laughing because every time she backed up she was hitting a hanging sign.

She finally gave me the ticket because she couldn't line up with the machine to pay. I walked to that side of the van and had to wedge myself between the van and the machine. Meanwhile, in the van Erica couldn't find her credit card. She passed another out the window and I told her, "Whatever you do, do NOT pull forward. You'll run me over" I finally get the dumb machine to take the card and I feel the van start to move forward. Please note again that I am wedged in there. I hit the van with my fist and she braked and then started moving again. I panicked and started hitting the van harder and yelling at her to stop. She's yelling back, "I have to go!" She was afraid the barricade arm was going to close. I got out of my predicament and finally got in the van (all the while a car was behind us this entire time waiting to exit, so I'm sure they enjoyed the show.

I told her to get out of Boulder now! She kept saying, "Sorry. I had to pull forward so the gate wouldn't close and then we'd be stuck and have to pay again." I'm going, "You didn't want to pay another $3, but you were cool with RUNNING MY FEET OVER with your van?!?!" At this point we were hysterical. We laughed so hard we cried.

We drove through DQ when we got back to Longmont and I said, "Here's what's happening when we get home. I'm going to put my ice cream in the freezer. Then I'm taking a hot shower and I'm going to enjoy this ice cream in silence when the kids are asleep and we watch a movie. That's exactly what I did. Let's hope Rocky Mountain National Park is less exciting today.