Sunday

He takes his fork and dives into the plate full of mashed potatoes.  Normally it would be french fries covered in melted cheese and gravy, but since it is Lent, and we both decided this year would be the year to give up fried food, mashed potatoes it is.  I take my fork and scoop off half his bite as it leaves the plate en route to his mouth.

"What!" I say as he looks at me, mouth open, desperately trying to disguise a smile, "You were taking the best bite!"

We both laugh at each other and he dives back into the plate; take two.  His bite doesn't look as good this time, so I let it be.  As we sit at our favorite booth in the corner, we talk.  I tell him about my 4 year old cousin's stories and he tells me about the newest slicer he wants to get for the shop.  I go on about the millionth crazy dream I had last night as he listens intently for the millionth time, soaking in every detail.  We talk about what we want to do next at Melt.  Where we want to go and how we want to get there.  What we can do this week, and where we want to be a year from now.  We bounce ideas off each other and throw in a joke or two keeping our lunch light hearted and full of love, just as a Sunday should be.  It's our day.

We stop in at the grocery store across the street.  As we weave through the aisles pushing our cart with one wheel that refuses to roll straight, I feel like a regular ol' couple for the first time in a long time.  The past few weeks have been crazy and insane, but full of amazing things for Melt.  Expanding our hours into the evening, toying with new menu items, growing our never ending list of made-from-scratch ingredients to almost 100%...  Sundays have came just as quickly as they have went, and Mondays have arrived pretty much without warning.

We stop for a milkshake on the way home.  Not because we're hungry, but because it's the perfect thing to do on a sunny afternoon.  And for the first time in a long time, it feels like a regular ol' Sunday.  Sure, Monday will be here before we realize we even slept a full nights sleep, but for now, this day is here to stay.

What Fits

I’m right handed, he’s left.  It was one of the first things my mother noticed about Bill the day she met him.  As he signed his name, with love, on my grandmother’s 90th birthday card, my mom looked at me with a smile and said, “He’s left handed.”  Almost my whole family writes with their right hand.  From my sister to my father to my grandparents.  My aunts, my uncles, my cousins; every one of us is right handed.  But my mom?  Well, my mom is left.

“Hmm.”  I remember thinking. “I guess he is left handed.” 

I had known Bill six months at the time and I’d never noticed.  It had either never occurred to me, or just never mattered.  But right then, in that moment, with my mom seeing someone else writing the same way she did, and knowing that this person would one day join our family, I knew… Bill fit.   

Now when Bill and I work together, I stand to his right side, he stands to my left.  And it fits.  We assemble each sandwich by him loading on the bacon as I toss on the cheese.  He lays out the tomatoes as I drizzle on the sauce.  I grab one thing on the right, and he grabs another on the left, and it fits.  Any other combination; two lefties, two righties, if I were a lefty and he were a righty, wouldn’t work.  We’d both be reaching for the lettuce with no one grabbing for the onions.  Our lines would be crossed and our sandwiches would be tangled.  Where would we be then? 

One day, when Melt Sandwich Shops line the streets like Starbucks’ (insert ™ or © or ®  here… don’t sue me, Starbucks :), Bill and I won’t be the only one’s assembling our intricate sandwiches.  We’ll have a team of highly trained professionals that know to grab the broccoli rabe with their left hand and the slow roasted tomatoes with their right.   Because for us, well... that’s just what fits.

Standing Up, Moving Forward

He's always standing, this husband of mine.  The whole day, he never sits.  On the rare occasion he does grab a chair, one foot will stay firmly planted on the ground with the other ready to spring up at a moments notice.  That's just how he does it.  To him, it's normal.  Why sit when there's so much to be standing for?

He's always moving, this husband of mine.  Moving forward even more towards a positive outlook on life, on his relationships with others, and on everything around him; he never slows down.  I consider myself an optimist, but Bill takes optimism to a whole new level.  Today after we finished putting together the daily soups I glanced over to the stove and saw something boiling away.

Wait, we already had our soups for the day.  I had seen him finishing them up earlier.  Our menu technically only calls for one daily soup and as it was he had made three.  Was he really adding one more?

"Well, one of our regulars called earlier.  He's super sick," he said, "So I'm making him chicken soup.  I have a little extra time right now and it should help him feel better."

Always moving.

From 5am to 11am Bill has already put in a full day of work before the lunch hour even starts, and he's still pushing to do more.  He never stops.  And this inspires me for everything in my own life.  His love of what he does makes me work harder and push myself further without even realizing it.  He has such a passion for not only his job but for his life, which motivates all of us here at Melt to constantly work harder.  To be better.  It is a goal most people, including myself, consciously strive for for on a daily basis.  With Bill, it just is who he is.  Living this adventure together with him is something I don't ever take for granted as I watch him stand up and move forward in this business and in this life. Every day.

Melt Has a Blog?!

...Geeze who doesn't have a blog these days!

Yes, we've started a blog. We have to admit, we're not writers. We make great food and that's about the extent of our talents. And talking. We love to talk. So, we'll to use this blog to talk to you guys about everything we have going on over here at 'the shop' (as Bill and I call it). We'll be starting some pretty cool contests, special menu items, and who knows, maybe one day there'll be updates on a new Melt opening near YOU!

Well, lets not get ahead of ourselves, I did say maybe.

Anyway, as most of you guys that stop in often know already, we love to hear everything about your lives, remember your names, and even your kids names if we can, so we'll probably be gettin' a little personal with us here on the blog too. Bill and I (Kristin) opened this shop together as a dating couple, then an engaged couple 3 months later, and now as a married couple, so needless to say it's a pretty personal business for us. We consider our staff family and our customers friends, which will never change as it's pretty much a part of who we are as Melt.

So hello blog world. Welcome to Melt.