Shoppin' Trip

Have you ever had one of those days? You know the one.
Well, I’m at the end of one of those days.
As I drudged back to Smith’s Market Place for the second time today, and the fifth time in two days, I started reviewing how many times I go back to the store in one day.
At least an average of two. Two times a day, six days a week.
And it’s not for groceries, or rather major groceries, it’s for simple things, one or two items I forgot, when I went major grocery shopping a few days before.
Or it’s for the three items I need to complete a recipe I want to try out.
And it gets more and more expensive each time I go on one of these “quick trips”.
The real problem is I live 1.7 miles away from the grocery store.
I can’t help but wonder if I lived further away, would I drive there so much?
Yes, I probably still would.
So tonight I found myself wanting to try out a frosting recipe.
Of course, I can’t make a regular frosting. I can’t even buy a less expensive ready-made frosting. I have to try a recipe I saw on The Food Network. And of course, I don’t have the ingredients on hand to do this.
I jump in my car, for my quick, secondary, jaunt and hurry into the store.
I always hurry into the store, as if I am competing in a grocery-store Triathlon.
I have my strategy already planned by the time I park my car.
My goal is usually to the tune of, “In and out in ten minutes”.
I don’t know why I do any of this.
I usually get the extra small shopping cart, thinking this will save me money, but never pick up just the basket because I always over fill those and it hurts hanging off my arm.
I dodge other “Triathletes” bobbing and weaving in and out of aisles, hurdling over and under people in my way of the Gelatin.
When I have gathered all my necessities, I sprint to the check-out and then decide it would be much faster to go through the self-check-out line. I am a pro-self-check-out-er.
After a day of feeling under appreciated and over worked, I have to begrudgingly explain I love going through the self-check out and not because it’s faster. The sad truth is that I secretly get a rush when I pull out my “Fresh Values” card and scan it.
I smile, every time, at the computerized voice, “Welcome Valued customer”.
A Valued Customer! Me! I know, I know pathetic.
But alas I never savor the moment, I am in a hurry.
I pick up my bag, (which incidentally this little trip cost me, $18, FOR FROSTING FIXINGS) and dash outside to my car that has a strategically placed scratch going from the driver’s side door to the back passenger door roughly the height of a grocery cart handle, and it is the second one I have gotten within two days.
One might wonder why I would do this, day after day, a couple times a day, and six days a week. I can’t answer that.
I can however answer why it was worth it this trip and it is because I am making brownies with chocolate frosting and anything that is chocolate and smothered in more chocolate is worth all other aggravations, that is if the frosting recipe actually works out.