I like spice with my chicken.

I hear today is Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day ... 

I've been to Chick-fil-A a few times recently and this is what I've seen every time: My boy is the one who likes to climb up the slide. My girl is the one running and climbing with a notebook and pen in her hand.

Yep, that about sums up my kids.

This past weekend we were at Chick-fil-A* after my kids endured hours of shopping for linens, towels and kitchen utensils for our new lake cabin.** They deserved a treat. They were troopers. So we all got dessert {Hello, delicious strawberry milkshake ...} and they burned some energy.

They were their typical selves. Ben chased the girls. He growled at the girls. And then he lifted his shirt to show his belly. {Don't ask. I have no idea.} Meanwhile, Cate rallied the stranger girls and periodically stopped to write something with her smells-like-grape marker in her notebook.

To show appreciation and, well, I can't really resist the spicy chicken sandwich, we ate there again yesterday, this time for lunch. This really is some kind of record because the closest Chick-fil-A is 45 minutes away. But, seriously, these are the perks of driving north to Paducah armed with a list that takes two separate trips in four days to conquer.

Yesterday at lunch time, the restaurant was packed. But even with the crowd waiting to order and the people claiming tables as they opened up, Chick-fil-A employees were taking care of customers were smiles and saying "My pleasure." to requests. It's that kind of service {Yes, and the aforementioned spicy chicken sandwich. OK, and the indoor playground ...} that keeps me coming back. The cashier said since the "national publicity" started, the restaurant has been busy, evident by the Tuesday lunchtime crowd. Good for Chick-fil-A and the Truitt Cathy family.

My kids ate their chicken nuggets, fruit and waffle fries and were off to play, leaving me with a few minutes to evaluate my list and finish my spicy chicken sandwich {with pepper jack cheese, please ...}. Even among the hustle and bustle of a restaurant that is supposedly being boycotted, I realize this season of motherhood was summed up on the playground behind the glass wall.

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* Yes, clearly, I like Chick-fil-A. Even better than the strawberry milkshake is the spicy chicken sandwich and customer service. Yes, I heard about how the owner gives money away to groups who lobby for traditional marriages. While I agree with his opinion, I really keep thinking about one thing when I continue to see online threads debating Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy and his personal opinion overflowing into the business world: Are you surprised? It aligns with other beliefs the Cathys have professed. Obviously not everyone agrees with the conservative opinions and traditional family values, but I don't understand why this opinion has become news. I'm guessing other business owners have opinions that influence how they spend money and run their companies.

** Soon we will have a two-bedroom, one-bathroom lake cabin available for vacation rentals. Like to hunt or fish? Want to getaway to Kentucky Lake for the weekend? This house may be for you, so stay tuned! {Perhaps you need a larger house to accommodate more people at Kentucky Lake? We have another place at which you may want to gather. That one has been rented and is ready to be rented some more!}
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