Adventures with mom

So for my first post, I had originally planned on detailing the effects of being snowed in for days with your family. However, after yet another bizarre/hilarious shopping trip with my mother, I decided that would be better to write about. To give her a proper introduction, I would need much more room and a more extensive vocabulary (not to mention some sort of psychologist). So I will try to be brief, but this is a woman unlike any other. Eccentric to say the least, she has the wonderful trait of sacrificing herself in order to make me laugh.
She once again proved this to me Saturday.
We started out the day with what appeared to be one of the most routine shopping trips; Wal-Mart, then Hy-Vee and JC Penney's. Snooze. Well, our first stop at Penney's was... entertaining. After about an hour of following her around the store holding all her clothes, I was ready to leave. I finally coaxed her into the check-out line and, of course, the employee at the register takes her time ringing everything up and bagging it. She finishes and tells my mom the total. My mother digs around in her wallet for her JC Penney card, taking so long that I honestly believe my head will explode. I have to keep reminding myself that I don't get to see her that often and to keep my cool.
I close my eyes and when I open them, the receipt is printing! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! I grab the bag and start to make my way towards the door when the saleslady asks my mother, "Have you heard about our online survey?" My mother, oblivious to my ever-growing irritation looks her dead in the eye and says, "No, I haven't." Oh. My. God. The sales lady's face lights up as she starts to explain the wonders of the survey and the 15 percent discount you receive by taking it. At the end of the spiel, my mother, with complete sincerity, looks up and exclaims, "Wow!"
Needless to say, this was too much for me to pass up. I mean, this was the sort of excitement that people reserve for weddings and birthdays. The way she said it, you would have thought the lady had told my mother that she won the lottery. So in my agitation and, frankly, out of habit, I pounced. I don't even attempt to hold back the laughter. "Wow!" I say over and over on our way out of the store. She smiles, used to me making fun of her and realizing that she might have exaggerated a little with her response. When we get to the doors, I turn around to look at the employees standing at the register. They are all laughing hysterically.
Now, as I write this, I realize it sounds mean. I didn't mean for the store to hear me. At the same time, we were two out of probably seven people in the entire store on a very slow Saturday and I am glad we gave them a little entertainment. Also- that is the beauty of my mother. She can recognize these moments in life when you do something stupid and you just have to laugh. I hope I inherited this trait.