Vigilante by night. It's all in a day's work.

This month feels busier than any December that I can remember in past years. Why? What's different, you ask? Let me tell you.

It all started with Thanksgiving. That was busy. Now it's time to get ready for some pretty big birthdays, obviously JESUS' being the biggest. Ella will be 3 tomorrow. Shepherd will be 1 on the 19th. My dad will be 53 on the 20th. And Jesus will be....well, you get the idea. Advent, addressing Christmas cards, attending Christmas programs, cookie exchanges, Christmas shopping, holiday parties, and birthday parties. You know what? I wouldn't change a thing. Not a thing.

What I am going to pray for help with? Just relaxing and taking one beautiful day at a time. Just relaxing. Just relaxing. Just relaxing. I am already feeling more relaxed. Ahh....that's better.

So, Ella's birthday is tomorrow. I asked her what sort of fun party she wanted. She informed me that she would like a Dora Princess party. Not Dora. Not Princess. A Dora Princess. So, I had Safeway help me cheat a bit by making a two tiered cake as a starter so that tomorrow morning, I can pretend that I know how to make a castle cake. We'll see how that one works out for me. Especially since, while pulling out of the Safeway parking lot I had to briefly take off my stay-at-home-mom hat and put on my Vigilante hat which, as you will read in a moment, wreaked a little havoc on our castle cake.

As I was walking into Safeway this evening I witnessed two men trying to steal a cart full of groceries, mostly what looked like beer and chips. I wouldn't have known that they were trying to steal if I hadn't witnessed the manager grabbing their cart while they were trying to walk away and telling them that they needed to get back inside. Now, mind you, it's about 12 degrees here with ice and snow on the ground everywhere. The manager had no coat on. The men had no coats on. But, as you might have guessed, they ran anyway. The manager tried to CHASE THEM. One of the thieves was a quite heavy Hispanic man. The other, a 17 year old skinny white guy. Interesting couple. More interesting, watching a very heavy person trying to run, quickly, on ice. Somehow though, they both got away. They should have stayed away. They were not smart.

As the manager was starting to chase after one of the men he yelled back at a young bagger girl to call the police. She was going in right as I was. She went up the counter and told them to call the police. They asked why. She said, " I have no idea". She didn't. But, I did. I yelled from about 20 feet way, " Because two men just tried to steal some groceries and are now on the run". Such high drama in this small town. Then, I continued on to the bakery to pick up the cake I had come for.

I paid. I walked to the van, noticing that the manager was now back standing outside on the curb. Just looking around. I am sure he was waiting for the police to come. I got in, handed the cake to Steve who was in the passenger's seat, and told him the little story. We turned out of the parking lot and headed home. Strange. I think I see one of the guys! Just walking along the sidewalk, TOWARDS Safeway. Yes! That's him! As far as I knew, the police still hadn't shown yet. So, I flip a u-turn. A dramatic, Dukes of hazard, sort of u-turn. Yeah, that's right, in the mini-van.

I speed past him so that I can turn into the parking lot and let the manager know he's coming. The guy was fast. While I was turning the van around to leave again, he snuck around me, got into his car and began spinning out, attempting to leave. The manager had caught up to him now. He tried to run the manager down with his car. A) This manager takes his job very seriously. B) This stupid criminal just upped the ante from a misdemeanor to a felony, vehicular assault. Whoa. It all unfolded right in front of us. I laid on the horn. And flashed my brights over and over trying to get the attention of any other passing vehicles. Out of nowhere, in Chuck Norris style, a big suped up truck with yellow flashers and a CB antenna pulls right in front of the criminal, blocking him in ( since I am right behind him) and jumps out of the car, yelling at the guy to stay in the car. Now Chuck Norris and the manager are yelling at him to stay in the car, trying to force his door closed. Steve throws the cake at me and tells me to stay here, these guys might need some help. Wow. It's exciting isn't it?

Finally, after we have him apprehended on our own, the police show up to finish the work, arrest him for trying to kill someone with his silver subaru, and take our statements. I even brought a lovely piece of paper home to fill out, noting as many details as I can recall of the events that transpired.

Oh, the cake. So, In that whole "tossing" commotion, the cake got a little...damaged. Nothing that a little Red #4 and some Dora figurines can't hide, I suppose. But, it'll be tricky. I am hoping my mom will get here early enough tomorrow to help me do some damage control. It was all in the name of justice though. One more dangerous grocery stealing criminal off the streets. Now I can sleep at night.

Ahh....it's all in a day's work.

Lesson learned? If you are going to commit a crime like that in the dead of winter, dress warmly and don't leave your car at the scene. If you do choose to leave your car at the scene, don't be a wimp. Wait it out. Don't come back for your car for at LEAST an hour. Silly, silly man.