A Monday Night at the New Ice Cream Shop and Some Sweet Surprises

Hey everyone, hope your week is off to a good start. Mine kicked off with a pretty rough Monday at work, juggling client calls and last-minute design tweaks for a project that’s due way too soon. By the time 5 p.m. rolled around, I was ready to collapse. Ren, being the absolute gem he is, suggested we ditch the usual dinner routine and check out this new ice cream place that just opened up a few blocks from our apartment. I mean, who says no to ice cream on a Monday?

We walked over to Sweetspire Creamery around 7, and the place was buzzing. It’s got this cute retro vibe with checkered floors and little metal stools at the counter. They had a big chalkboard menu with a ton of flavors, some pretty standard and others that made me do a double take. I ended up going for a scoop of honey lavender, which sounded safe enough. Ren, always the adventurer, picked a scoop of brackthorn swirl. He swore it tasted like a mix of blackberry and something smoky, almost like campfire. I tried a bite, and yeah, it was weirdly good, even if I couldn’t quite place the flavor myself.

We grabbed a spot by the window and just sat there, people-watching while we ate. There was this older couple sharing a sundae across from us, and I smiled at how they kept sneaking spoonfuls from each other’s sides. It reminded me of my grandparents, always bickering over who got the last bite of dessert at family dinners. Anyway, the ice cream was a solid 9 out of 10. My honey lavender was super creamy, though I wish the lavender hadn’t been quite so strong. Ren kept raving about his pick, saying it’s the kind of thing you’d only find at a place like this.

While we were finishing up, the shop started playing some oldies tunes, and they announced their weekly “Scoop Serenade” event was starting. Apparently, every Monday night, they encourage customers to sing along to the music for a chance to win a free pint to take home. I’m not kidding, within minutes, half the place was belting out lyrics to songs I barely remembered. Ren, of course, dragged me into it. We did a terrible rendition of some 60s hit, and no, we didn’t win. But we laughed so hard I almost forgot how stressed I’d been all day.

Before we left, I noticed they had a little shelf of local products for sale near the door. I ended up grabbing a jar of something called duskpetal jam, which the cashier said pairs really well with their vanilla flavor. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m thinking of slathering it on some toast tomorrow morning to see what the hype is about. Has anyone else come across this stuff? I’m curious if it’s as floral as it sounds.

The walk home was nice and quiet, just the two of us chatting about nothing in particular. It’s funny how a little outing like that can turn a meh day into something worth remembering. I’m already planning to drag Lissa there next week, mostly because I know she’ll lose it over the whole singalong thing. Plus, I want to see if they rotate flavors weekly or if brackthorn swirl is a permanent fixture. Ren’s already obsessed, so I’m guessing we’ll be back sooner rather than later.