The day the lights went out in Walmart

Just a simple trip to Walmart to pick up milk and a prescription turned into a royal pain in the rear! This morning we awoke to some pretty noisy storms, but they parted quickly and the sun was shining most of the day. About 3:45 I decided to venture out to Walmart with Lucas in tow. As I was leaving the neighborhood I noticed some dark clouds were moving in. I called Brian and had him check the weather radar for me. He said a cell was approaching but shouldn't be to Bloomington for awhile. I figured as long as I could get into the store before the rain came, we could wait out the storm as we shopped. About 5 minutes into our shopping I heard the rain come pouring down on the roof of the store. I continued my shopping at a slower pace knowing we wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. About 5 minutes later the lights flickered twice then they were out. The fun starts now! I hear someone come over the intercom announcing a muffled bunch of jargon so I proceed with my browsing in the dark. A few minutes later the same voice came over and I heard her ask all shoppers to proceed to the dressing rooms in the middle of the store. At this point I am a little nervous, I have never been a fan of thunderstorms! I am usually the girl hanging out in the basement closet until the storm passes. So Lucas and I reach the dressing rooms and I am not feeling very secure as I see the dressing rooms are just stalls with no ceilings! In my personal opinion I think the freezer or the restrooms would be more safe in the event of a tornado. But, I was just following the rules. They did not allow anyone to leave the store or the fitting room area for about 40 minutes!!! Lucas was a trooper for about 30 minutes, but then he started to get tired and it was getting warm. After the 40 minutes or so we were given the all clear and people could leave the store if they wanted. At this point the electricity was still out so we were forced to abandon our cart and leave empty handed! The storm left a few roads flooded, several traffic lights out and I imagine some limbs/trees down. What is usually a 7 minute drive home turned into a 45 minute drive! Not only were we dealing with the aftermath of the storm, it was also rush hour!!! As much of an inconvenience as it was, I have to count my blessings that we were all safe and sound. I know things could have been a lot worse.