Ode to Dairy Queen…

Anyone who knows me, knows how close I was to my Aunt Jean and Uncle Jack.   Aunt Jean and Uncle Jack never had children and so my brothers and I became their “kids” too.  Aunt Jean was my mom’s older sister. They had a younger brother, Clarence Jr., who we all called Junior. They are both gone now, but in so many ways they are still touching our lives in special ways.

One thing that Aunt Jean and Uncle Jack loved was Dairy Queen. Every trip they ever made was planned and plotted around Dairy Queen locations. It was tradition!!  While on my mom’s birthday trip yesterday, I saw a sign for the Dairy Queen in Wickenburg. Lisa, Mom and I decided we would come back through Wickenburg on the way home and stop in at the Dairy Queen in honor of Aunt Jean’s birthday which was the day before, Monday, the 16th. I can tell you, I was excited about this bit of homage….remember my better eating habits??  I was very careful at lunch and had a salad with chicken salad and only about a zillion Sweet Potato Fries. (Notice the capital letters…one must show respect…I LOVE those Sweet Potato Fries!)

We made it to the Dairy Queen and Lisa and I went in to order for all three of us. Mom wanted a Heath Blizzard and Lisa decided on a Chocolate Waffle Cone Turtle Sundae….she mentioned she was PMSing and the chocolate was strictly medicinal. I wanted a simple vanilla cone so I could eat and drive. Lisa (the devil must have possessed her for awhile) chastised me for being “boring” and said I should just “go for it”….so I guess I can blame the Heath Blizzard I had instead of my saintly cone on her. But I must say, I’m glad I gave into the temptation…mmmm good stuff.
So here’s to you Aunt Jean and your love of Dairy Queen. We miss you terribly and think of you always. You have never left our hearts.

Someday soon, I’ll tell you about my Uncle Jack and gambling…