Run in with a psycho at the Hogle Zoo and venting

-Quick version-

This week has been insane. I am grateful for happy, almost healthy children, a warm place to live, yummy food to eat and fabulous family and friends. Pardon my selfish rant, novel more or less, but I am ready to explode.
Max has been to the doctor for a sinus infection, we have been up countless hours with him. The antibiotics have made his poop...you know. Gav has been going through some pattern of nightmares, so I have been up with him too. Grandpa passed away Tuesday, bless his heart. Family is in town. While playing outside my boys managed to find a huge mud puddle to fall in and get, well, muddy. Max peed on the bathroom floor as he was getting in the tub, I wouldn't care but I had just cleaned it after Gav's miss guided launch on the potty. As well as Gav going through two rolls of toilet paper in less than 48 hours. We are working on the "how many squares are necessary" and I have given in to my ocd about which way the roll faces. Supposedly the roll doesn't unravel as easily when upside down...I am going nuts but we still have a fairly fresh roll and it's day number two. Yesterday was Andy's grandpa's funeral and it was a beautiful but a very long day. I am still not comfortable with funerals. My emotions are so raw and fresh still. I don't think anyone gets used to funerals, I'm not going to try. Anyway, I am happy that all is calming down and getting back to what I delude myself into believing is normal.
We made plans to go to the zoo a while back for the special trick-or-treat day. Gav has been anxiously waiting. I was surprised he wanted to dress up. We were up early and ready for a great day but that didn't happen. Details below.
It was an exhausting excursion with a zoo packed full of crazy impatient unhappy adults,screaming children, grumpy teenagers, long miserable lines. I like to see the glass half full but seriously, we had bad timing today. Parking was a nightmare. I was nearly rundown by an impatient aggressive mother, who didn't care that I had my 86 year old grandma with me, for a stupid parking spot. Some people????
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Long version, I really don't expect you to read. I'm just mad.

We woke up early and went to the Boo at the Zoo. Both grandma Karla and grandma Great came along, Andy had a wedding shoot(surprise surprise). Gav even let me paint his face a little and he ran around the house practicing his "rooooooar" on Andy and Max. The entire drive to the zoo he would not stop roaring. The boys and grandmas were excited until we got to Sunnyside Ave. it was lined with cars and packed. I thought we would get there early enough that it wouldn't be a problem. Well,it was. The line was sure to die down as people start to leave, so we tried to find a spot in the lot so Grandma wouldn't have to walk very far. Apparently a million other people were trying the same strategy.
We drove around the parking lot and had several spots stolen(not sure if stolen is the correct term since they are not assigned),spots we were signaling for and other cars snuck in, used gestures to claim it or physically stood in the open spot for someone else. Considering we were at a family function one would think some common courtesy and patience might be found. It was ridiculous! I saw a family heading to their car further away so I hopped out and went to wait in it while my mom came back around. I normally think this is dumb when people do it but if you drove around for an hour you'd probably resort to it too. We were testing Max and grandma great's patience already. As my mom comes around the corner a woman in her big SUV starts to turn into the spot-right where I am standing! She started yelling at me from her window telling me she was parking here no matter what. She pulled forward. I'm not an idiot, and really didn't feel like being run over, you may think "ya right...she wouldn't really hit you". Well she did! As I was moving so I could share a kind word with her she continued to pull in and managed to hit me with her mirror and front tire. She really wasn't going to stop/swerve or anything. Pretty aggressive and pathetic. It happened pretty fast but I was ticked! She rolled her window down and was yelling. Not sure what made her think she had the right to yell when I was the one being run over?
If she would have said something to the extent of "I'm sorry but you can't save spots, would you mind moving?"...(not that there is a written rule anyway) or maybe..."do you mind moving, I am going to park here" or I have a disability and can't help my aggression, I also have no patience or the desire to walk and burn off some of my excess fat today. Maybe even just asking me why this spot was being saved? No, she didn't she just had to chew me out...for standing in a parking stall and run me out of the way. When I kindly told her about my grandma being 86 and just hoping she'd have enough energy to walk through the zoo, that I didn't want to push my grandma too much when we haven't even gone in yet...she didn't care. I really was still calm when I first spoke to her-surprisingly. She continued to yell, and call names. I so badly wanted to call her a moron or something worse but I refrained and started to walk away, she kept talking/yelling, I was livid-she got her spot by aggression so I think she should shut up and go get her free candy. I didn't look back but did something my impulsive spit-fire side has done a few times and showed her a special finger. I feel dumb now, because I stooped to her level, and her kids saw it, at the same time her kids also saw their mother try and run over an innocent stranger(I'm sure they have learned to use their own fingers by the characteristics their mommy has anyway). I don't know the last time I did that, I advanced to giving thumbs up when people are idiots instead. I was still shaking, I was so upset and startled from her hitting me. I walked back to our car and was trying to relax and forget about it. I saw a guy walking with his kids and asked if they were parked nearby, he let us follow him and have his spot. So both grandma's with arthritis were content and both boys were hungry and sick of the car. * My grandma got out and waited in this spot while we pulled in...no one messes with her!
As we were walking in the parking lot the same moron had the nerve to come up to me and spout off some more. Technically I could call it aggravated assault, she hit me...but I really don't care, I just wanted to have a fun time with my family at the zoo. I can get over the fact that some people are just senesless idiots but she was ready to duke it out. I wanted to laugh but I was mad. I just kept walking, I probably rolled my eyes, and told her to grow up, again. Seriously? I am more so upset at the fact that she was relentless in running me over, didn't care that she hit me, and had the audacity to come after me again as if she had something to prove. Since when do you have the right to run someone over? Another note. Her kids were out of diapers and probably ten or so...fully capable of walking and she was as larger than I thought. Maybe she missed her morning nap too.

I have really struggled most of my life with a specific female personality. I was bullied in junior high different girls I was shoved into lockers( not inside), rumors spread, hair pulled, had items stolen and even my back pack thrown in the dumpster. Now if I was loud, obnoxious,or bratty I would be more understanding. But I am really shy and quiet, unless I am really comfortable. I am overly tolerant. Being treated by a stereotypical judgment really bugs me, always has. If you have a problem get the facts and reassess your thoughts before you overreact.
My point is I am still upset about the situation and feel like if I were larger, I would have been more intimidating and this woman wouldn't have done this to me. There were several other people holding spots, most of the spots were closer than where I was...they were all of larger stature and probably more intimidating than me. I know I am short, if Andy had been standing there she would have passed by and looked elsewhere.
I will not be attempting to take the kids to the Boo at the Zoo event ever again...so not worth it. It was waaaaaay too crowded and no one was smiling. Everyone there was lacking patience. If I want to endure crowds I will go to Disneyland, at least people are smiling there and those lines have more to offer...like a ride. Halloween is supposed to be fun, kids events are supposed to be fun, and when trick-or-treating, you shouldn't have to stand in line for ten minutes to get a dum dum. At least we didn't go for the candy, all the more reason to go any other day of the year but the zoo event days. In the end Gavin got to pet a turtle and an owl, he wore his costume and roared the cutest roar. Max sure made the cutest monkey at the zoo too. My kids had smiles and that made my day.

My monkey!

The Golden Lion Tamarin monkeys must have thought Gav was one of them. They came right down and played infront of him until we left.

The turtle. I couldn't get a picture of the boys with him because Max was done with the zoo for today and Gav wouldn't cooperate, he just wanted to follow the turtle.