“Guess what Lenz!” Lisa Ilene didn’t wait for him to literally guess.
“I figured out what our business should be!”
“You did? What’s your idea?” He asked, trying to match her excitement.
“A FOOD TRUCK!” She shouted with a grin exploding off her face. Lenz smiled and nodded his head.
“That sounds expensive.” He managed to make this statement sound positive as he tried to figure out how in the world they were going to get an actual truck. His less than enthused reaction didn’t slow her down. Lisa Ilene had a plan!
“No silly! I’ve been saving money. I already have $2,000 saved. If you put in $2,000 and we were to raise another $2,000 on gofundme, then I’m sure we could get a loan for the rest!”
Lenz nodded as he listened. He was surprised when he actually thought this idea could work and let himself get excited about it. “This sounds like it might actually work! But I don’t have $2,000.”
“But I thought you had been saving up...”
“Well, yes, but that’s for our wedding and honeymoon,” he explained.
She just looked at him. Blinked once. Twice.
“Don’t you see, if we invest our money in this, we’ll triple it in no time.” Persuasive enough - she got her way.
They continued to brainstorm what their food truck would sell. He imagined a soda shop of sorts. He'd always been a fan of mocktails and liked the idea that he could have yummy drinks anytime for free. She turned down this idea, simply because it wouldn’t allow her to show off her cooking skills. She also wanted to stay health conscious and offer food choices that were nutritious. Lenz frowned at that idea knowing that if they were actually going to see a return in their money they would need food that tasted good. Taking as little offense at this implication as possible, Lisa Ilene insisted that she could make wholesome food that both nourished the body and tasted good.
A compromise was struck. They planned to offer delicious, healthy food, like sandwiches on homemade bread; with yummy, indulgent dessert options, like mixed drinks and ice cream.
After class one day, they were chatting with their classmate, Harry. When Lorenzo told him their plan Harry's eyes glazed over.
"That sounds ambitious. Dude, that's so much work."
Lisa Ilene didn't appreciate his tone. She stopped listening to him and focused on the way he held his eyes half open, as if he was too lazy to fully open them. She interrupted, "I'm sorry, did you say you're going to be selling pillow cases?"
"Yeah. I love sleeping so it just makes sense, you know?"
She smiled without her eyes and tugged on Lorenzo's elbow. "Well, we obviously have a lot to do, so we'll see you around." With that she turned and walked away, while keeping her grip on her fiancée's arm.
“What kind of business is selling pillow cases anyway? I mean --”
“What do you think we should name our food truck?” Lenz interrupted, successfully redirecting her focus.
“Ooh, I actually hadn’t even thought about that!” Lisa Ilene got excited all over again. “What about, Healthy Homemade Helpings?” She suggested.
“I like the alliteration. What about, Wholesome Food from a Total Babe?” Lenz said with a wink. Lisa Ilene giggled as she felt her cheeks warm.
“Well, what do you think of, Good Food for Gluttons?” They both laughed at this one.
“How about Bread to My Butter?” He suggested and lifted her hand to his lips to give it a gentle kiss.
She thought about this one for a moment. It felt good in her soul. She felt like it represented both of them in a subtle way. It made her even more excited to marry him.
“I like that one.”
Over the next few weeks there was no work done whatsoever by these two lovebirds when it came to wedding planning. Food trucks, on the other hand, were underway! Their gofundme had gained momentum and they had borrowed money from both sets of parents. Lisa Ilene got a great deal on a food truck from one of her 4-H families. Sure, it was a bit rough looking, but it would get the job done. They took time to sand it down and paint fresh primer on it. It sat like this in Lorenzo’s parents' side yard for ten days waiting to be painted as they brainstormed and sketched and re-sketched the perfect logo and branding. When it was finally ready to be painted they took a whole weekend to get it done.
In the scrubbiest clothes they had, which was easy for Lisa Ilene to find considering she used to be an Art major, they carefully laid out their design and started painting. Sposh! A giant drip from Lorenzo’s paintbrush landed on top of Lisa Ilene's head like a dollop of bird poop. It smeared down the side of her face and Lenz grimaced. He was frozen on the step stool, holding in his laughter until Lisa Ilene reacted.
“Whaaat?” She gasped and then began laughing. Lenz laughed too, until-
“Hey!” He looked down to see a paint stroke across his torso. She raised her brush to him as though they were fencing. He leaped off the step stool at her with his saturated brush ready for victory! Somehow he grabbed her and they rolled onto the grass. They were covered with paint and shrieking with laughter.
The next day was Sunday and she still had paint in her hair. Oh well, the Sunday school lesson must go on. She had spent the week studying it between classes and after her morning runs because she knew she wouldn’t have time that weekend. Her lesson was from Matthew. She focused on her favorite passage of scripture. 11:28-30.
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
“I have been extra busy this year, but I take time everyday to reconnect with God. I study scripture, pray, and then I write in my journal the thoughts and impressions I have. It may sound like this takes up too much time from my busy schedule, but truthfully, it’s the only way I am able to get everything else done. It both brings me peace and energizes me the way sleep or running can. Does anyone want to share an experience they have had with feeling overwhelmed, but then found reprieve in the Lord? Or what do you do to find rest and spiritual rejuvenation?”
There was a thoughtful pause in the room, and then a few hands meekly lifted.
“I try to spend time in nature on Wednesday mornings before class. It’s the perfect mid-week boost that I need.”
“Thank you, Patrick! Such a good reminder. I need to get back into the habit of going on my nature walks every Sunday,” Lisa Ilene validated, even though she felt a pang of guilt for letting that get pushed out of her routine.
“I try not to dwell on how tired I am from all my school work. I listen to uplifting songs on my walk to campus. It centers me and it brings me peace.”
“Megan, I love that. Music is so powerful.”
Lisa Ilene was relieved her lesson went so well, and that no one mentioned anything about the dried paint in her hair.
After church she started experimenting more with different kinds of bread, flavor profiles, and pairings with different toppings. The menu was finally planned, complete with cute and clever names for each item. Two of their favorites were the LOVE Bird and the Sweety Pie. The LOVE Bird consisted of Lemon roasted chicken, Oregano aioli, fresh Vegetable slaw, on a homemade extra large English muffin. The Sweety Pie was Sprite with strawberry puree and cupcake syrup, topped with whipped cream and pie crust crumbs.
“I didn’t know there was so much research to do when I initially thought of this business,” Lisa Ilene said before she tilted her head sideways and crammed half a taco into her mouth.
“I didn’t know how much of our research would taste this good!” Lenz mumbled with his mouth full as he juggled his boba tea and boat-shaped plate of tacos with one hand so that he could wipe the taco drippings from his forearm.
Fliers were printed and distributed.
Utensils, napkins, and straws were purchased.
The truck was freshly painted and stocked.
It was time to open!
Opening day was a huge success!
Their line was longer than any other food truck at the round up. They came prepared with QR codes to leave five star reviews and follow them on instagram. Lisa Ilene and Lorenzo traded off taking orders and preparing food while Trina helped as the cashier. She was better at math than either of them, plus they offered to pay her in food from their truck. It was a win win.
“Oh hey guys.”
Lisa Ilene's lip curled with disgust when she heard the slur of the familiar voice.
“Hi Harry. What can I get for you?” She sighed drily.
“Oh yeah, hey I guess I’ll go with Must be Magic.”
“Good choice. My homemade Mint Mudslide ice cream is the perfect blend of dark chocolate fudge ribbon with the most delicious mini mint chocolate cups.
“Awesome, Dude. Thanks.”
Harry may annoy Lisa Ilene, but after he left a five dollar bill in the tip jar she softened toward him a little bit.
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