Meijer and the date night

back in the day, B.M. (before marriage), I had a favorite first date-- the airport. this was when you could casually walk to any gate and wait for your someone as they got off the plane. *sigh* #1990muchsimplertimes 

we drove for an hour from Provo to Salt Lake City airport; parked, walked the terminals, watched family/loved ones greet each other, then sat at a dimly-lit, empty gate and watched planes make night-landings. tbh, it was a perfect first date. 

so, I married him. 

my man's auto industry career from January to March is a whirlwind of "Winter Test." this means that he is often gone for weeks at a time, visiting proving grounds and vehicle test facilities in the US and Scandinavia. if we're lucky, we get him for a weekend.

usually, I get all errands/chores done before he gets home, so we can really enjoy the time together. a few weeks ago, that just didn't work out. so my planned late evening solo trip to Meijer became, date night. 

if you've read all 88 previous posts, you know that the whooshing of the glass doors triggers something in me. it's as if a strange Gregorian chant begins in my head, "🎶ge-eee-t ou-uuuu-t as sooooon as poooo-sssss-ible. aaaahhh-meeeeen.🎶"

I had a list, and the route mapped out in my head. when the doors whooshed open, it suddenly occurred to me that if we separated, we could be done faster and possibly have time to go on a real date.

"you grab produce, and meat. I'll grab dairy, eggs, bread, and we'll meet back at--"

my guy slipped his hand into mine, leaned into my jawline, nuzzled my neck and whispered, "let's stay together."

I have had some pretty wacky experiences at Meijer, but never(!) have I gone weak in the knees in front of Greeter Lady. 

suddenly, Meijer became this crazy-fun-interesting-hilarious store/museum to explore. we slowly walked hand in hand, lazily placing items in the cart, reading nutrition labels cheek-to-cheek. we talked about our week apart as we chose chips, and debated over frozen or fresh shrimps. 

if I absently slipped into rush mode and got more than an arms length away, my lover's hand gently pulled me back to him. we meandered down aisle 12, it felt like we were strolling down a Roman strada (spaghetti sauce and pasta section) that transformed into a Mexican calle (salsa, refried beans, tortilla section).

later, we stood in front of the refrigerated wall of international sodas, protein smoothies, herbal teas, and unusual fruit combination beverages, taking a ridiculous amount of time comparing, rejecting and finally choosing 2 never-before-tasted beverages for the road.

I'm positive I've never strung the following words together in any of The Meijer Chronicles:  that night, the superstore was... fabulous.