Mom still knows how to spoil us

Last week’s train ride to my mom’s was fun, but having time together with her and my sister (and my stepdad, Bill) is always a blast.

It was raining when Meredith and I arrived in Delray which meant the pavement was slick. We have a thing for dangerous footwear which means we were both wearing our favorite flip flops. Hers had a small amount of tread, but mine were good for nothing more than killing spiders and slipping on the most perilous areas of flat ground: painted pavement, ceramic tile, and grocery store linoleum.

The first stop was Publix to pick up snacks for our two and a half hour ride home the next day as well as any personalized breakfast that may include a non-soy milk beverage and the option of cheese. Mom has some unfortunate allergies.

I carefully waddled into the store so I wouldn’t fall on my face and have the video posted on a public forum where my Facebook friends could tag me with hurtful comments. Lucky for me, I made it with no adverse events and wiped my poor shoe choice on the thin mat until they almost felt dry.
Looking around the store, this appeared to be the most people packed into the smallest Publix I had ever seen. I was instantly reminded why I didn’t want to live in a metropolitan area as if the car ride didn’t already seal that certainty in my mind.

Meredith and I followed my mom through the store just like we did as children. We each picked our favorite item and begged mom to get it or we’d all three unanimously agree on something as a necessity like the salted caramel chocolate squares.

I raised a concerned in one of the aisles when I found an issue with product placement. I took a picture with my phone of the soda next to bags of charcoal with a bin of canned cat food placed in front. I asked aloud what these items had in common, but no one seemed to care, especially my sister, so we finished our shopping and left.

Dinner that evening was at Bonefish Grill which has become one of my favorite places to eat. Our reservation was at 7:40 pm and the place was busting at the seams. It was a Wednesday night so Bang Bang shrimp was five dollars a serving. If you’ve never had it and you like spicy food, I highly recommend it. I washed it down with some sashimi smothered in wasabi and soy sauce then slept until 9 the next morning; pure Heaven.

Because I liked my sister’s jeweled flip flops so much, my mom decided we needed to hit the shoe store and Kohl’s before we left town on Thursday. I ended up with two more pair of unsafe shoes and a necklace to match. Mom did buy one pair so I didn’t go too nuts.

The ride home was great company, but not so great for someone who is about six foot tall and not the right size for a Mustang. I bruised my arm loading the back seat and, even when Meredith relinquished the front seat to me, I felt smooshed into the dash board. The chocolate squares did ease my pain a bit.

It was such a nice treat to steal away with Mom and Meredith for a little while and be spoiled a bit without the rest of the family around. I guess some things never get old.