KFC, Fast Stop and Some Other Stuff

One of the reasons I chose Friday for our family to say good-bye to Peanut was because we had plans to go to Worlds of Fun on Saturday. Sadness can only linger for so long at an amusement park. So, on Friday, we shed lots of tears, read a great book called Dog Heaven, and buried our old friend next to our other dear old friend, Brandy.

I should probably clarify at this point that Brandy was our beloved dog and Peanut's partner in crime for many years, not Brandi, my BFF from Wichita. When Brandy and I used to work together at Koch Industries in Wichita, I would come in and tell stories about "Brandy" and people who didn't know I had a dog with that name would get a funny look on their face, which would remind me that I needed to clarify I was talking about a canine and not my co-worker!

Brandi (the friend) with Kadyn & Kamden

Brandy (the dog) with Jacob. She looked a lot like Peanut.

So, back to my story. On Saturday, we woke up, put our sadness behind us and prepared for a great day at Worlds of Fun. My Mom's company provides discounted tickets for their employees once a year. It just so happens that they do it during the "Halloween Haunt", which is very cool and if you live in or near Kansas City, I highly recommend that you immediately make plans to take your family. I'll be posting highlights of it later.

We decided to make a quick fast food run on the way to save some money and time. We graciously allowed Adam to decide for all of us that we would go to KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken). Not my favorite place, but whatever, let's just eat and get there already.

I should tell you that my last few experiences at KFC have been anything but fulfilling. Two years ago, on the 4th of July, I waited for almost an hour to get a couple buckets of chicken and the last time I went, they were out of original recipe drumsticks AND macaroni & cheese, which are pretty much the only reasons for going there in the first place. This trip to KFC proved to be no exception to the general "KFC sucks" rule.

We placed our order with a clerk who told us they didn't have Dr. Pepper, despite the fact that the menu listed Dr. Pepper (note, he didn't say they were out of it, he said they didn't have it), next the clerk told us to slow down because we were ordering too fast (we weren't), next came a verrrrry long wait for our food and lastly, we had to ask for napkins and one of our drinks because they forgot to give them to us. Whatever... let's just get there already.

While my family waited in the drive-thru line, I decided to jump out and run next door to the Fast Stop convenience market (not the one pictured below). I need to tell you that my boys are currently obsessed with convenience markets and all the cool stuff they have to offer so it was no surprise that Jacob wanted to go with me. Since he was sitting in the middle and Grandma would have to get out, not to mention that we were sitting in a drive-thru line, I told him no. This disappointed Jacob because as he said, he "just wanted to see it". He is so easily entertained. I love that about him.

I returned to the truck to find my family STILL WAITING in the drive-thru line. I proceeded to joke with Jacob by telling him that it had been the coolest convenience market I had ever seen. He was bummed until I told him I was kidding. I then told my family about the man who entered Fast Stop while I was there and asked, "What's that smell?". The clerk asked what it smelled like, to which he replied, "a bad perm". Hmmm, I didn't know bad perms had a distinctive smell, but apparently they do.

So, after I relayed the bad perm story, sucked down half my Dr. Pepper (purchased at Fast Stop) and we finally got our food, we hit the road again, munching on our hard-earned KFC. A few minutes later, we pass this billboard on the side of the road.

Oh yeah, we were definitely cracking up now. How do you explain THAT while your kids are chowing away on their chicken? And, trust me, they wanted to know what were we laughing at. I mean, if Pam says it, there must be some truth, right? Live scalding, painful debeaking and crippled chickens aside, I'm pretty sure we are done with KFC. My boys will just have to suffer with Mac & Cheese made from a box and fried chicken from the grocery store deli counter.