Home Sweet Home (8/19/2018)

This trip home ended the longest stretch I’d ever been away. Even during college in California I made it home more often than I did during these first four months of parenthood and the month plus leading up to it. This trip also marks the first time in years that I’ve been home for more than a weekend— and that means long overdue visits with friends and family.

Today, we planned to do a pool day with my high school friends. My one friend’s parents have a pool and they graciously invited us over. His mom even cooked for us just like the good old days. I think it had literally been fifteen years since our crew did a pool day like this— and oh boy has our group grown! Today we had spouses and a total of six kids in tow. The fact that we are still friends all these years later is so special. And the fact that our spouses get along so well makes it even more special. (I have no doubt our kids will get along too, but their ages are across the board at the moment). Also, don’t mind the altered group photo– one of our crew has a no social media policy… this was me following orders. 😊

Speaking of spouses, I forgot to tell mine that we might be doing a pool day so he didn’t bring swim trunks. Oops. I figured picking some up at Walmart wouldn’t be a problem and waited to do so until about an hour before we were supposed to leave. (In my defense, Targets in Chicago still have fully stocked swimwear departments so this shouldn’t have been a problem). Walmart, however, only had two pairs of trunks— both a few sizes too big and a few inches too short for my husband. I decided to grab a pair of athletic shorts (for $7) in case I couldn’t find anything else. (I also scooped up a $5 workout shirt off the clearance rack for myself). The fact that Walmart did *not* have swim trunks was baffling. But what they *did* have was even more baffling. Racks (several of them) fully stocked with adult onesies. Some brightly colored, others neutral. Some furry, some not. I have absolutely no idea what one would wear these for- I’m reasonably certain they’re not Halloween costumes- but my hometown Walmart seems to have determined that there is a need.

My next (attempted) stop was the liquor store for a bottle of wine. As we approached, the parking lot seemed bizarrely empty. Why was no one else buying wine? Surely the store was open? Nope. The PA state store in Mt Pleasant is closed on Sundays. I started to go on about not being able to buy wine in Mt Pleasant on a Sunday when DD informed me that Get Go now sells beer and wine. Game changer!

Before heading to Get Go, I made a quick stop at Peebles— the only other place in town that could potentially have swim trunks. They had about ten pairs in the store— all on clearance and two in my husband’s size. The Nike pair was navy with kelly green trim. The other pair were blue board shorts with a subtle pattern. My initial reaction was to take the board shorts— until closer inspection revealed that the subtle pattern was actually a form of camo.

Nike it would be— for a grand total of $15. Not too shabby!

With my bargain swim trunks in hand, I headed to Get Go, where I was pleasantly surprised by the wine selection. A small but drinkable collection of wines, priced high by fair. Same with the beer. A huge stride forward for Mt Pleasant.

I selected a bottle of Darkhorse Sauvignon Blanc and a 12-pack of Yuengling and made my way to the register. That’s when the cashier asked if I wanted a bag. My immediate thought was this: Are you kidding me? Mt Pleasant charges for bags now too?? I declined. Then out of curiosity asked the cashier if they charged for bags. The way he laughed you would have thought I had asked for directions to Mars. He was dumbfounded that other places DO charge. And even more dumbfounded when I told him how much. Feeling pleasantly reassured that my hometown’s values were intact, I made my way back to the car where DD was filling the tank. And that’s when I saw it.

The General Tso’s Chicken Sandwich. A piece of chicken with General Tso’s sauce and not one but two egg rolls on top (all smushed between the two sides of a white sandwich roll). I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t the slightest bit curious, but I won’t be trying it. I think the General Tso’s sandwich might best be saved for the late night crowd… perhaps those who are now able to make beer runs at Get Go.