On wine + cheese

Questions from the Costco aisle.

There is no bigger fan of Costco than I am—and if you argue with me, all 4 feet and 10 inches of me will want to fight you.

Just kidding. I would probably cross my arms, pout, but then wholeheartedly insist because I have proof.

I proudly proclaim that I’m friends with my Costco stocking manager. Sure, we were friends outside of Costco, but I still claim his friendship because of Costco (by the way, he has the best daughters, and they’re incredible babysitters).

But I digress.

I’m basically trying to tell you that I know what’s what at Costco—I know what’s new, what hasn’t been stocked in a while, and what items to avoid (Here’s to the keto cereal regret of 2023).

I have a map of my favorite Costco emblazoned on my mind. I’m sure I could probably get around in the dark.

All that to say, nothing new really surprises me at Costco. So on this random Friday, I went after my doctor’s appointment with my husband. I wanted to scour what was new, grabbed my staples, and loaded up on a healthy supply of samples.

We traveled past the office supplies, looked at appliances we don’t need, checked to see if the avocados are either rock hard or much too soft, picked up Costco cookies, put down the cookies, walked past the meat aisle, and watched the spinning rotisserie chickens. Finally, I meandered to the cheese section.

I like the cheese section—sometimes, there’s a random chocolate mousse or a variety of brightly colored macaroon cookies. But mostly, I like this section because it’s always so different. And that’s when I saw this delightful Cabot habanero cheddar cheese block.

Because of how easily excitable I am, how Costco makes me feel, and my particular penchant for delicious cheeses, I squealed. My husband perked up to my squeal on the other end of the open refrigerator. He walked around the cart and took the block to inspect it.

“Oh, that’s interesting.”

He pointed to something I had never noticed on any blocks of cheese before—

Pairing

Beer                                     Wine
Barrel-Aged Stout             Riesling

I smiled and entertained a question while I placed the block of cheese in my cart—

Wouldn’t it be nice if we were all labeled with pairings?

I imagine I would go well with a cup of coffee and a new friend who wanted to discuss creativity.

I think I would go well with margaritas and a mom friend who wanted to tell me about the funny thing her toddler said.

I hope to go well with appetizers and my husband, who wanted to discuss our finances and how much we love our kids.

But then also—

Isn’t it funny how pairings aren’t other pieces of cheese but other things that bring out flavor?

So why is it that we do the same things to ourselves? Aren’t we made to be enjoyed by being paired with something that is unlike us?

I think that’s why I like my friendship with the Costco manager. And why I like being married to my husband, a white firefighter who grew up in the midwest. And why my favorite moments throughout my week are when I meet up with women who have walked lives that look different than mine.

Because it brings out the flavor of living.

“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” To him who lacks sense she says, “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭9‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

May we find the insight we find in the pairings that we make.

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Hi, friends! Happy March (and Women’s History Month)! Here’s my wonderfully eclectic list of other pairings that are meant to bring out a little more flavor in your life.

• Enjoy this lovely playlist of various female artists! I would love to know who your favorite female artists are—a bonus for female worship songs!
  

• PREORDER THIS BOOK. No, I’m not paid for this. And yes, she’s my “boss” (you should overhear our conversations about how she still thinks that’s weird). Ultimately, she did not pay me to put it here in my tiny newsletter. Am I an Ashlee Gadd stan? You bet. (Gen Z readers, I know there are a couple of you here—did I use that right? Haha.)

• This made me giggle a little too hard.

• Are you in a season of spiritual dryness? Preview the new Well-Watered Women’s new devotional! I’m beyond honored to be a part of the women who wrote in this collection. Launches March 7th.

• Here’s a poem I wrote for the Fallow House featured on Instagram. May it soothe your soul as your fight imposter syndrome.