Sentiments

I consider myself a pretty sentimental person. I save cards and notes and attempt to scrapbook some of our family memories. One of my parents' favorite anecdotes of my childhood is that I cried when they gave away one of our couches. I can't visit Milwaukee without a tearful drive-by past my very first apartment that I shared with my roommate Hannah (and then later with my husband) in the coolest neighborhood anywhere, Milwaukee's East Side. I don't like to look at my neighbors' For Sale sign. I cringe to think of how hard it will be to move out of this house someday, or worse yet, part ways with our beloved 1996 Pontiac Sunfire.

One of our surprisingly hard moves was from that same apartment in Milwaukee (not just because we had to move in the middle of the night, that's a story for another posting). Even though we were only moving 40 minutes away to a Milwaukee suburb and a much nicer apartment, I hated the process of packing up our home. It was the first time that I had seen all of our wedding presents and items we had collected as our own family placed into boxes and stacked on top of each other. I still remember the feeling of confusion walking into the door one night and seeing everything that Jonathan had packed.

However, I didn't realize exactly how sentimental I was until I shopped for the last time at the East Village Shop 'n Save. Our local grocery store is closing after only have been opened two years. In general, it's sad that a local business in closing, especially since it's good for the neighborhood and good for Pittsburgh to have competition with the monopoly of Giant Eagle. Why everyone thinks it is worth it to spend $10 extra on groceries every week in order to save $2 on gas is beyond me. But now the store is closing and I took advantage of their closing sale.

Once again, that same confusing sentiment hit me. It was bizarre to see a grocery store in such disarray. All of a sudden, I had memories of "good times" at the grocery store. The kind pharmacist that sold me 9 months of prenatal vitamins. Introducing our friends Mike & Kellie Ryan to the store, and then seeing them there the next few times we shopped. The shopping trip when I was 40 weeks pregnant with massively swollen ankles, when I meant to buy a week's worth of food, but came home with only Crystal Light, iced tea, diet cola with lime, Gatorade, and sparkling mineral water. Ahh..the memories.

So now I'm on to the next nearest Shop 'N Save. Not nearly as nice, but at least it's avoiding Giant Eagle. Wish us luck in this newest transition. I should have at least taken some pictures for the scrapbook.