MEMBERconnection
Finding a real treasure
MOST MEMBERS
KNOW the concept of
the Costco treasure
hunt. Costco member
Irene Muster, 76,
found her treasure on
Valentine’s Day in 2007
at Costco’s Stockton,
California, deli.
“I walked up to the
salami counter and saw
an older man holding a
package of sliced salami
and reading it intently,” The Muster-Whittingtons revisit
she recalls. the deli counter where the salami
A conversation spiced up their lives.
ensued about the merits—or lack thereof—of fat-free salami. She left and continued
her shopping. When checking out, she happened to end up
behind the same gentleman.
They began another conversation and discovered both had
been widowed years earlier. The gentleman asked for her phone
number, inquiring if they could meet for coffee or lunch, but
Muster demurred, saying, “I don’t know you.”
After the cashier accidentally rang up some of her items on
his tab, the gentleman said, “You won’t give me your phone
number, but you’ll let me pay for your purchases.” As Muster
tells it, “That was the beginning of a whirlwind courtship.”
In May 2007, Adron Whittington, 81, said to her, “I have a
ring for you.” Muster’s response was, “You haven’t even asked me
to marry you yet.” As she recalls, “He put his arm around me
and, with the other arm dramatically held high in front of us, in
a very deep, Shakespearean voice said, ‘My darling, will you do
me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Muster became Muster-Whittington on June 10, 2007. At
the wedding, Whittington’s nephew told him, “Unc, you sure get
full value from your Costco card.”—Steve Fisher
(Left to right)
Kaja Jensen,
Rosemary
Boothe, Peggy
Strang, Elena
DeAnna and
Sandy Katcher
knit for social
causes, or just
to be social.
JOYCE PORTER
A close-knit
community
THE SIT ’N STITCH knitting
group, which has been meeting
Fridays for the past two years at
the French Creek Fiber Arts
shop in Avon, Ohio, spins a web
of goodwill among its members
by donating finished knitting
projects to Warm Up America!
(
www.warmupamerica.com) and
similar helping-hand groups.
“Items we give to charity
usually consist of small projects
that don’t have to be a certain
size—hats, mittens, scarves,
prayer shawls and things like
that,” explains Costco member
Peggy Strang, shop owner.
Members of Sit ’N Stitch
often find what’s needed at the
nearby Avon Costco. In addition
to snacks, they purchase page
protectors for knitting patterns,
totes for portable projects and
see-through boxes from Costco to
store yarn and works in process.
“With my Executive
Membership cash-back bonus, I
bought three folding chairs at
Costco,” says Strang. “
Sometimes it gets pretty crowded at
Sit ’N Stitch.”
—Michael Keating
DID YOU FIND the love of your life at Costco? Tell us about
it. You could be featured in the February 2009 Connection.
Send your tale per the information under “We want to hear
from you” below and add “Love Tales” to the subject line.
Adam@Home by Brian Basset
KATHY SMITH
SPECIAL TO THE CONNECTION. ADAM IS © B Y BRIAN BASSE T, UNIVERSAL PRESS S YNDICATE
Albuquerque, New Mexico, the
“Balloon Capital of the World,” is host
to the annual International Balloon
Fiestain October, whichattracts700 hot-
air balloons for a jaw-dropping spectacle.
Costco member Kathy Smith, who has been
pilotingballoonssince 1997, andher teamtake
one- totwo-hourflights, soaringashigh as10,000
feet. Smith says, “All flights feature a tailgate party,
populated with treats from Costco.” t-
le.
een
am take
as 10,000
ilgate party,
ARLINE WESTLUND
We want to hear from you
IF YOU HAVE a note, photo or story to share (it should be about
Costco or Costco members in some way), you can send it to
“The Member Connection,” The Costco Connection, P.O. Box
34088, Seattle, WA 98124-1088, or e-mail to connection@
costco.com with “The Member Connection” in the subject
line. Submissions cannot be acknowledged or returned.
