Sweet Shot: The Drive-Thru

We still have 2 feet of snow on the ground because the temps haven't pushed above 32. There are 4-5 inches expected tonight followed by a pretty bad ice storm.

Remember how I was wondering if the white stuff would ever begin to fall up here in the Artic?

Dear Mother Nature ~ Enough already. I GET IT NOW!!

Anyway, since I will likely be snowed/iced in for the next couple of days, I thought I would see the outside world if but for the few minutes it takes to drive down to McDonald's to purchase a really nutritious lunch. (Would you be surprised if I mentioned the fact that IF WE HAD A CHICK-FIL-A HERE, WE WOULD ALL BE EATING HEALTHIER???)

Thankfully, I just had Audrey in the car because she did not roll her eyes and make a snide comment about me taking way too many pictures when I whipped out my iPhone and took a quick picture of the dead grass growing beside the drive-thru lane.

I think it's lovely, especially after I touched it up with Coffeeshop's Chocolate Truffle action (LOVE The Coffeeshop Blog!!).

Maybe we should part ways.

When I say Chick-fil-A and I have had a long relationship, I'm not kidding. During college, Chick-fil-A was my second job ever. And over the years, I have been a faithful customer and promoter of their chicken and good manners. At this juncture in my life, though, our relationship may be over. It soured a little this weekend anyway.

Perhaps I've mentioned this already, but when I received the Big News of our move, one of the very first things I did was write Chick-fil-A a very kind letter explaining that their absence in the state of Connecticut was causing much angst in my life. I received a very kind response in which I was informed that the state of Connecticut was not even a scribbled note on their plans for future expansion.

And so the days have passed with no sweet little Chicken Minis for breakfast, no Spicy Chicken Sandwich for lunch. All the while, I have kept my eye on the Chick-fil-A that is closest to my new home. In Paramus, New Jersey. 92.78 miles from here to be exact. But...only 11 miles from the hotel where we spent the beginning of this week.

You can imagine my excitement. The plan was to enjoy a delicious, hot breakfast at my beloved Chick-fil-A, then drive back beyond our hotel to the theater for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, then head back to Chick-fil-A for lunch. Honestly, I could barely contain my enthusiasm as we got in the car in the early morning hours. But my enthusiasm waned a bit as we drew near because it seemed the GPS was leading us directly to a mall. No, I thought, this can't be. Surely it is a free-standing building we can enter and partake in a sit-down breakfast.

It was indeed in the mall. We went in anyway because people in malls like to eat breakfast, right? Apparently in New Jersey they do like to eat breakfast, just not Chick-fil-A. It was closed for breakfast. I had to eat breakfast at the McDonald's 2 restaurants down from Chick-fil-A.

So we went to the movie and returned. At least it was open for lunch. And I ordered, but here's the real stinker. No one was friendly. Or polite. I mean the guy who served me did give me the obligatory "My pleasure" when I thanked him, but it was clearly not his pleasure as he issued the response with a growl, dare I say, a snarl.

And so it is that I am at this turning point in my relationship with the wonderful franchise with the ridiculously fun and creative cow ads, the yummy nuggets (made with real chicken), and the delicious sweet tea. I know a relationship should not be broken based on one disappointment.

Perhaps I should just avoid New Jersey.

I'm dating again...

Shhh!! Don't tell Mark, but I went on a date tonight with two men. At the same time. One ordered chocolate milk and put ketchup on everything. A lot of ketchup. And he passed the waiting time zooming a cow over a centerpiece carnation which he dubbed "the moon." The other man has a quieter personality and didn't say a whole lot but did at one point engage me in a conversation about his Silly Bandz.

The two men took me to Chick-fil-A* which had been especially set up for the occasion. The tables were prettied up with doilies, pink napkins, and balloons, and the register lines were replaced with waiters. At one point during our meal, the waiter asked my two dates to follow him. They excused themselves from the table and returned a few moments later, each bearing a beautiful red rose to present to me. A photographer captured the evening and gave me a photo souvenir.

There were conversation starters on the table, but my two men and me? We quickly got beyond our favorite colors and TV shows and focused on the important stuff like Legos and our favorite rides at Disney World.

I couldn't have chosen a better setting, more delightful conversation, or two better men with whom I would like to spend an evening!



*This special Mother/Son event further solidifies the fact that Chick-fil-A is my favorite establishment in the world. They are the only ones who consistently offer friendly, quality service to their customers. They think outside the box to go above and beyond what is expected of a fast-food establishment. I won't ever forget the evening I showed up at the drive-thru a few years ago. I had switched diaper bags and had forgotten to put my wallet in the new bag. I realized this when I pulled up to pay. "Just hold the food for me," I said. "I'll run home and get my wallet." "Oh, no! Don't worry about it. Meal's on us!" Seriously. You can't beat that!