An Impromptu Outing

About mid-morning yesterday at snack time, I found myself looking at half a loaf of stale banana bread and sighing deeply. I didn’t know what I wanted, but I knew it was not stale banana bread. I felt bearably yucky but as usual, nothing sounded good. Then I had a revelation: GO GET SOME FOOD! Ha, that sounds so obvious, but I have been extremely nervous about leaving Grandview because:

1. the nearest place with the good stuff is 40 minutes away
and
2. last time I made that trip I wore myself out too much and a few days later I was puking my eyeballs out and getting stuck full of needles.

I have been very careful since that last “episode” and not overstretched myself at all. Rest between chores. Take a nap. Take the medicine. Etc. But our pantry was suffering. It had been over 3 months since our last trip to Costco, and most of my carefully stocked reserves were severely depleted. We have Safeway and El Mercado here in town, but they’re no Costco. While no food really tastes good right now, I do still need to eat. Since I wasn’t feeling dangerously queasy, I snacked down a few pieces of that stale banana bread, packed up the kids, and we drove to the Tri Cities!

It was liberating! I didn’t over-think it and talk myself out of it. We got there right at lunchtime and got the kids to a rare treat—McDonald’s cheeseburgers and yogurt parfaits. We took those over to the new Five Guys burger place where I got a juicy well-pickled, mushroom-layered burger with a pile of signature fries. It wasn’t exactly nirvana to my pregotongue, but it was a far cry better than anything else I’d eaten this week! I ate the whole burger. [Side note—why do they call the single patty burger a “little burger” while the double patty is a regular? I had to ask, and I’m glad I did because there’s no way my baby would have been ok with a double dose of beef. The “little” was grande enough for us.] Jay and Rose adored their yogurt. It had strawberries and blueberries in it!

I did feel kind of guilty for bringing McDonald’s into Five Guys—it seemed like treachery—but oh well. They didn’t throw us out, even when I shared my pile ‘o fries with Rose.

After that filling, useful lunch, we headed over to Costco. On the way we saw the angel Moroni peeking up over the housetops and decided to take a detour to see the temple. It was a good choice. I have to ration my energy carefully, but this expenditure was worthwhile. We walked around the outside of the temple and admired the white walls and gorgeous flowerbeds. We paused at the stair-step waterfall fountain on the far side and listened to it rushing along. Then Rose had to go potty so we left.

I love how we can feel the peace of the temple even by walking around it on the outside. I have been craving that feeling. Aha! A craving! At last!

Costco was heavy going with that double wide cart loaded with everything, but we made it out in one piece and somehow I loaded those heavy things into the trunk (I love van trunks) and we drove home to the Piano Guys and some spunky David Archuletta (a guilty pleasure, hee hee). Oh, and good news! Our Costco carries Jif peanut butter again! It’s been 2 years of small grocery store jars for us, (because we’re 100% devoted to Jif) but now we’re back to the massive 3 pounders. I can’t wait to like peanut butter again.

I loved going on an outing with my sweet kids! I find myself cherishing everything that just the three of us do together these days because I know that in a few months everything will change when Jay starts school and then again when I have a baby. So yesterday was golden. We didn’t do the million other errands that need to be done “in town,” but we had such a nice time together.

There’s something to be said for taking it slow and easy.