Woohoo we got to sleep in! Instead of the usual 7:15 a.m., departure we did not have to catch the bus until 9:30 a.m. Before heading to the airport to catch our flight to Chicago we toured the Safeway Lifes Styles grocery store located in Littleton, Colo., just south of Denver. For anyone who knows me grocery shopping falls into my least favorite things to do category so you can understand my lack of enthusiasm for the tour. What an eye opener! This particular store was known as the flagship store. I had never seen anything like it. The store was almost “boutique” like. This “grocery” store had a coffee bar, sushi bar, gelato bar (that’s Italian for ice cream), a sandwich bar, a nut bar, the largest selection of fruits and vegetables, a complete liquor store with everything from beer to $2,000 bottles of alcohol. No, you did not read that amount wrong I said $2,000! The best part of the store was the phenomenal meat and seafood department. It had fresh fish, pork, chicken and of course “BEEF.” What really impressed me was along the cooler they had pictures of cooked meat and even the nutrition values of each and the newest cuts of meat such as the flat iron and petite tender were actually in the meat case. On each package of meat there were even cooking instructions which is so helpful for consumers who often do not buy a particular cut of meat simply because they do not know how to cook it. If we had a grocery store like that in western Oklahoma maybe I wouldn’t hate grocery shopping so much!!
After the tour we headed to the airport to catch our flight to Chicago. And yes it was a little like herding cattle trying to get our entire group through security. A big “thank you” to Sara Konkel with NCBA for all the work she does in booking our flights, making our hotel arrangements, getting us the information we need for each day and basically helping to plan every step we take along the way. Hey Marvin, I think Sarah needs a raise!
As I am writing this our group is waiting on our flight I am listening to the conversations and laughter around me. These past five days have been wonderful and I have a feeling that I will not only be taking home a lot of knowledge but I will be adding a few more life long friends and happy memories!
More updates to come!!!
Tater and JR waiting on our flight to Chicago. (Photos by Ddee Haynes.)
Visiting with former President George Bush—actually our own YCC President Bush look alike, Shelmer Blackburn from North Carolina.
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