Things that make me happy

Scott surprised me with these flowers over the weekend as a congratulations for being featured as a soloist in the local community choir concert on Sunday. In that sentence there are five things that make me happy: Scott, flowers, singing, choirs and Sunday. But really, the thing that I want to blog about today is the most surprising thing that has made me happy lately--Costco. You see, that beautiful bouquet of two dozen roses came from Costco. They always have the most beautiful roses at dirt cheap prices! They always last longer and open more fully than roses we've gotten from any other source. I love them.

Here are some other things I love from Costco:

1. Quality Frozen Food Variety. There are a few things we always get from the freezer section: Broccoli, Strawberries and Chicken nuggets. Sometimes we get fish and chicken breasts, too, and occasionally we experiment with various other convenience foods.

2. PRODUCE! For those who've never witnessed it, I cannot explain the luxury it is to see so much really good quality produce all at once, especially when it's locally out of season. How could a huge bin of ripe raspberries in the middle of winter not brighten your spirit? We got a big bag of Cara Cara oranges a while ago and they were delicious. Grace requests them by asking for the "pink" oranges.

3. Cheese. They have amazing and quality cheese. Our kids devour Parmesan Cheese like it's nobody's business. It's not cheap, but the big 1.5 lb wedge of ripe Parmesan Cheese is a big hit all around at our house.

4. Little girl dresses. Costco has beautiful and well-made girl dresses at really great deals. We have several in Grace's closet right now. She loves them and so do I. I also like the kid's pajamas at Costco, but they're not always the best deal. 

5. Snacks. I could write a whole post about the delicious snack options at Costco that we love. Right now our current favorite is called Cashew Clusters with Almonds and Pumpkin Seeds. They are seriously addicting. I also love their signature trail mix, Chicago mix popcorn, and their fruit leather, but I haven't seen the fruit leather in a couple years :(

6. The Bakery Goods. The only standard bakery thing we get are the bagels, but in the past we've purchased cakes, breads and other baked goods. They have always been phenomenal. Especially their sheet cake. It's basically amazing, even if you don't like cake.

7. Meat. We don't get meat from Costco very often, but they really have a fabulous selection and quality. Costco is the only place I trust to buy fresh salmon while in landlocked states. It's always fresh. I don't know how they do it.

8. Free samples. I love walking around Costco, especially during the lunch hour on weekends, for the abundant samples. It's essentially a free meal. On Friday while we were there we tasted ripe nectarines, plums, herbed salmon, turkey and cheese croissants, flavored electrolyte drinks, and chocolate covered blueberries. Yum.

9. So much more. We have two large rugs we love from Costco. Our 6 foot folding table and four chairs are from Costco. We got a really good (and mandatory last summer) air-conditioning unit from Costco. Toys for the kids. Christmas Cards and decorations. Summer water toys. My crock pot. We love them all.

We live well over an hour from the nearest Costco now, which is sad but okay because I might spend way too much money there if it was much closer. Luckily, they also have discounted gas so I can fill up there and feel a little less guilty for using so much gas for my trip. I've never been into retail therapy. I've never really liked shopping for clothes or shoes for myself. But a few weeks ago, when I walked through Costco for the first time in months, I felt like I was home. I felt so silly being so happy in a store! I didn't even have to buy anything! Perhaps Costco is a reminder of big city life that I miss, but I'll take it.