Coffee Is My Friend

Last night I was doing what I do best, watching Friends, and I realized that I grew up watching a show completely immersed in coffee culture. My dad always drank coffee, and then I came into adulthood in the Pacific Northwest, where Starbucks was for people who liked coffee flavored like hot chocolate, Dunkin Donuts had gone extinct and the craft coffee places ruled all. It's no wonder I'm a coffee snob, and if anything messes with my caffeinated state, I want to harm people.

Don't get me wrong, I'm Starbucks' target audience for the Pumpkin Spice Latte, the frappaccino on a hot day, and perfect White Chocolate Mocha any old day. I try to try their new stuff but always end up disappointed and $10 doesn't even buy you two coffees anymore. I'm lucky that in our town we have a local Costa-Rican grown coffee shop with their own beans, flavor extracts and amazing people so I spent my fortune there.

Dunkin Donuts is NOT coffee. It's coffee water. It's watered down flavor with crappy coffee. McDonalds coffee is NOT coffee. Shall I continue? Yes, I am a coffee snob. If you are a Starbucks aficionado, good for you. If you go to Dunkin Donuts for something other than Donuts, good for you. If you love a McCafe Frappe, good for you. Not for me, no thanks, with the exception of a quick Starbucks visit for PSL season.

When my horrible thyroid medicine was making me ill, it ruined my coffee to the point where I had to sugar it up and make it easier on my body. I once worked with someone who summed up my coffee order perfectly, a male who once joked, "I like my coffee like I like my men, black and on the run." While completely inappropriate and not true about the men part, I drink BLACK coffee. Just plain. 

My husband likes to think I got too lazy to put stuff into it. The truth of it is this, after pregnancy and with a new baby, when I finally wanted coffee, putting all the creamer and stuff was not only a waste of calories, but would just make it cool down to fast. I could sip it slowly and savor every bit of brewed optimism I could get.  The whole point became that coffee was my morning luxury and the very point of quiet and calm to wake me up and remind me I could do it. Fluffing it up with extra crap does nothing but keep you bloated and get in the way of the caffeine.

If you ever want to convey to me that I'm important, you buy me coffee. To me, this is the ultimate gift. When we go to Oregon to visit and my brother in law makes my first cup, and he makes the best coffee in all the land by the way, that's when I know I'm home.

At our local coffee spot I add their natural flavor but no cream. They make natural extracts like, Lavender Vanilla, Marshmallow, White Chocolate, Violet and seasonal ones as well. I love them. To me that's worth the money and the calories.

Coffee is also one of the few things I do not have to share with my child. She will hog and steal my juice, she will want to have my ice cream, milkshake, and even iced tea. Sometimes she gets a taste of them but giving your child coffee gives the bad mom award right to me, so I always say, "You can't have mommy's coffee," and it sounds even better because I'm right.

When I studied in London, I was made fun of for my "filthy American" coffee habit. Most of the best coffee there was found in little deli-type places and definitely not Starbucks, however, they are definitely all about the tea over there.

This morning I finally enjoyed a completely epic dark roast of fresh coffee and just realized that it's one of my few luxuries. I don't mean to say I go out every day and buy coffee, I just mean that I allow myself that coffee every day. I make sure I have good coffee, every day. Hell my Mother's Day present was a coffee grinder!

I don't get massages often enough, maybe twice I year. I don't get my nails done more than twice a year either. I don't buy fancy clothes, purses, shoes or housewares. I pack my lunch every day. We rarely go out to dinner. I am NEVER without coffee. Never. Coffee has become quite the great friend to me, and I never ever want to be without it. 

So here is my ode to coffee and to our beautiful relationship. This blog does advertise diatribes so here one is, and on Wednesday of all days! Reminder that Saturday and Sunday will be post-less as I will be attempting to enjoy a true weekend away!

Moving From Florida To Oregon...Opposite Of What We Did

This month marks a decade of us living in Florida. Does that make us Floridians? Yesterday we said goodbye to some good friends that are moving from Clearwater to Portland Oregon. Ironic; insanely ironic.

I was listening about the excitement, new job opportunities, and being in such a beautiful place and I felt so happy for them. And I realized that we did that for ourselves, on our own and are finally settled into it.

I fell in love with Florida when I was 14. The ocean, the restaurants, the beach shops, and it was warm and sunny. The thunderstorms only lasted 20 minutes and life looked so pretty. My residence with my mom from 16 to 17 literally only lasted a year so I felt like I got robbed of my time testing out Florida. 

When I was forced back to Oregon it didn't bother me. Temperature-wise Oregon was so much like Pennsylvania so it didn't phase me. I loved the hikes, the coast and the culture though. I loved the University of Oregon campus and fell head over heels for COFFEE on the west coast. I had a lot of family there. It was a new home for sure.

Oregon is beautiful. I think I'll end up retiring there when I've saved enough money for the high heating bills I will have to sustain comfort. Turns out I have thyroid issues that make me unable to deal with the cold, no seriously. I also had a hard time with the seasonal depression stuff. 

I listened to our friends list their reasons for being happy to move and I sat in confidence remembering I had the same kind of list for Florida. It felt oddly gratifying. I don't regret moving. I never have.

When I had my daughter, it was really rough but some of that was due to other issues within our household, it wasn't just feeling far away. Don't get me wrong, I miss SO MANY PEOPLE, very dearly, but I like being on our own. We've kicked and screamed and fought our way to where we are but we're on the way to a better, more stable place.

I also felt some positive affirmation because I wasn't envious or jealous of people moving on and moving up and progressing in their lives and careers. I was genuinely happy that these friends were excited about a new slate, and a new place. That made me feel like I've come a long way personally.

I'm also selfishly happy, which I admitted to them, because we have more friends for my daughter in Oregon when we come to visit now. Regardless, we had a good day with good friends for a goodbye, and I appreciated all of it, especially the food.

It helped me realize that everyone has different phases, different choices, and most people will operate opposite of us, but that doesn't mean it's a negative thing. I think we all make big choices, big changes and work hard at completely different paces. What we did a decade ago and what friends are experiencing now doesn't make one better than the other, it just inevitably brings us closer. 

I don't think it's a coincidence we befriended them. I don't think any of it wasn't meant to be. I know we were meant to be exactly where we are, no matter what we had to endure to get here. So in life we have our opposites and our hurdles but we still keep kicking. And I like knowing, on this lazy yet productive Sunday, that whether you move from East to West or West to East, whether you're opposite or the same in things, we're all just making our choices and doing what we can for our families and our lives.