Subs and smoothies

As a busy mom, I am usually running on a pretty tight time frame most days.

With three girls' schedules and a full-time job, I have to "try" and make sure I'm organizing my time in an efficient and effective manner.

Last week, I promised my oldest I'd get her a sub sandwich before she left town for her track meet by 10:30 a.m. So I planned to leave my office at 10am, run to the sub shop, get the 6" sub and drop it by the school. Easy peasy. I had a meeting at 11:00, so 30 minutes was plenty of time. Plus, when I was deciding what time I should go, I took into account the sub shop would most likely be pretty empty at 10am so I should be able to slip in and slip out.

Wrong! As I pulled into the parking stall, I saw two young gals jump out of a pickup in construction get ups and saunter into the sub shop before me. "Dang, they beat me," I thought. I didn't think there'd be anyone in the store. But I told myself, there's only two of them, I'll be alright. However, I was still a tad miffed that they just had to decide to go to the sub sandwich EXACTLY the same time I did, nowhere even close to the lunch hour.

As I stood behind them, still not worried about my timing, I hear the girls start their order. But instead of coming in prepared, with a quick and easy order like me, they hesitate, trying to decide exactly what it was they wanted. They scan the menu boards above them, discussing their options while I stare at the sides of their confused faces in disbelief. Seriously? Just order or let me go first, for Pete's sakes. What seemed like a half hour later, they finally settled on some foot-long with a lot of meat.

Okay, now we're moving finally. But then they can't decide what kind of cheese and change their minds 50 times while I feel my blood begin to boil as I see the time ticking away. I'm trying to be patient because I know that if you go with provolone but really crave pepper jack, you'll regret it forevermore. Not! Just pick a stupid cheese and get moving, would ya?!

Finally, they agreed on the best cheese and moved on which allowed me to at least move my feet forward but only to make me wait again when they drop the bomb that not only do they want their foot-longs toasted, but they want EVERY fixin' the store offers behind the glass on it. Everything! I've never heard anyone get everything on their sandwich.

The poor employee couldn't even shut the two pieces of bread together, on top of the fact that this took another 5 minutes of my time placing 28 things on each sandwich. Basically, it looked like a salad burying a long piece of bread. You couldn't even see the meat.

All the while, I'm trying my best to remain calm and patient thinking all I wanted was a simple 6" turkey sandwich with American cheese, lettuce and tomato for my daughter, who is LEAVING in 10 minutes! Not toasted, no fixin's, no nothing! But I have to wait behind the gals with nothing else to do than order the biggest, fattest subs ever. Then....came the sauce question. They couldn't decide, mayo vs mustard, oil vs chipotle. Hmmm??? Decisions, decisions! I wanted to slap my hand on the counter and ask them, "Why don't you put ALL the sauces on since you got everything else?" Just hurry up and get out of my way, for crying out loud! I have to go!!!

Well, after choosing two sauces on each sandwich, they wrap up their subs and get out their cash. Finally, I can pay and get out just in the nick of time. I can see my baby sandwich already bagged at the end and waiting for me to pay for it when she says it ... " Ya know what, I think I'll get a smoothie." Oh my gosh, somebody slap me! Are you kidding me? A smoothie? At 10 a.m. along with your gigantor sub sandwich with every veggie and condiment known to man hanging out of it? SURE! Why not! Smoothies only take 10 minutes to make, so please, by all means, order a smoothie last minute! That just tops off my experience this morning!

Needless to say, I was late and almost missed giving my daughter her sandwich but I did learn that for $6, you can get a sandwich that is the size of a small dog when you order everything on it and that smoothies do take over five minutes to make.