coffee talk

Although I’m not what I would call a timid person, I have always been very careful about not offending someone else. I often worried that what I would say would be taken the wrong way. Because of this, I usually did not voice my opinion. (At least when it came to bigger issues, especially political…) I also have never been sure enough of myself to really stand up for certain things.

The past few years though I have slowly been finding my voice and figuring out my opinion. It all started because my strong opinion about an issue was completely reversed. This started a snowball effect. I started researching that particular issue more and developing my own opinion about it, not just what I had always believed. I began doing this about other political and non-political issues.

I now have actual opinions about certain issues. If someone asked me, I can tell them. Of course I don’t have everything figured out so I’m still remaining open-minded and soaking in as much information as I can. It’s exciting though to see how I’ve grown.

Last week I talked about my mom and her new love of Starbuck’s. She kept asking about the calories in one of those drinks. That is just something that I try not to think about. Well my curiousity got the best of me and decided to check them out. Um, yeah…a tall White Chocolate Mocha with whip cream is 460 calories. Wha…huh??? 460 calories, are you kidding me? I mean, I figured there was a lot but 460? Seriously. (Check out all of the calories here. If you dare!)

I didn’t want to tell my mom but I knew I had to. I emailed her with some of the calories for the drinks we get. She emailed me back and said she was drinking her coffee black from now on. (Which of course, she could never do.) I guess it’s only appropriate that I introduced my mom to the wonderful world of Starbucks and I was the one that took it all away. She did get a tall nonfat white chocolate mocha with no whip yesterday…but let’s face it, it’s just not as fun.

Up until a couple months ago my mom had never drank any coffee. She would occasionally try a drink and say that it was disgusting. All of that changed though…I believe it was while my mom and I were shopping that I convinced her to stop at Starbucks for me. I got one of my usuals, a White Chocolate Mocha and then forced her to try a drink. I remember her looking at me with wide eyes. “This is really good!”

I surprised her with a pumpkin spice frappuccino one day and her eyes were opened to the chilled coffee drinks. Soon she was trying drinks at Panera and Starbucks. Sniff, I was so proud. My mom was growing up.

On Wednesday I got this email from my mom after lunch: “Kimberly! You really have turned me into a java monster!!! Do you think they have a group to join that helps you break your addiction to being a java monster????? Seriously. I’m in big trouble. I had to drop some papers off and before I knew what was happening, my car was driving right into the parking lot at Panera Bread!!! It was like it was all of a sudden on auto pilot. =) So since I was there, I thought I might as well go in a get myself an ICSpice.”

I totally created a monster. It’s so great.

Did you know that you can now custom design shoes at Converse? You can design your own Chucks, right down to the thread. Josh convinced me that he needed new school shoes so he designed some. His last pair were custom but with a sharpie. “I love KMK” is embroidered on there. How great is it that he can declare is love for me on his shoes?

Also, today is my 26th birthday… That means that I am now officially closer to 30 than I am to 20. I don’t really feel like I’m 26 or that I graduated from college FOUR years ago. I still kind of feel like a college kid. I think the older you get the less exciting birthdays are. I am, however, drinking coffee right from Hawaii today (thank you Nicole!) and Josh got me an awesome hoodie. I think it’ll be a good day.

Edited (9:28am): Josh just brought me an “Official Birthday Smoothie”. Mmmmm…banana, kiwi, strawberry smoothie. Doesn’t get much better than that.

When I was in high school I could not stand coffee. Sure, I loved the smell of it but couldn’t bring myself to drink it. A good friend of mine would always give me a hard time about not drinking coffee and eventually got me to try a drink from Gloria Jean’s. I surprisingly loved it (probably because it was mainly milk and cream). Soon after that I could occasionally drink coffee but it had to have a lot of milk and sugar. After I graduated college I worked one block from a coffee shop. Yep, that’s what did me in. I pretty much went through their menu and tried everything in the two years I worked near there. Sometime last year I started drinking coffee every morning. Usually Josh gets up and makes a pot for us and then I take it to work. Sometimes it’s the highlight of my morning.

Well, yesterday I decided to give up coffee. For awhile I have wanted to cut down to a couple times a week except I was getting terrible caffeine headaches when I tried. This weekend I had absolutely no appetite which meant that everything even coffee sounded gross. I didn’t have a cup of coffee from Friday through Monday! I figured I made it that long I might as well keep going.

I think I’m past the caffeine headache already but I did linger around the coffee pot at work this morning just smelling… Once I’m through the cravings I will enjoy a cup of coffee occasionally or stop at Starbuck’s for a White Chocolate Mocha. But for now my mug is empty…

Today I met my very first Internet friend, Pam, in “real life”. We met for coffee in Champaign. It is the weirdest thing to get to know someone purely online and then finally meet them. I was so excited to really place a face and voice to Pam. I felt a little nervous like I was set up on a blind date except that I really already knew the person.

Pam was so sweet…very soft-spoken and nice. Her voice totally fits her and of course I felt like such a loud mouth. We chatted for almost two hours and I think we could have just kept right on talking for another two. We’ve already set up another “date” but we’re going to include our husbands next time. I am already looking forward to that and so glad that we were finally able to meet. Thanks for meeting up with me, Pam…I had a great time!

A couple weeks ago I got a brochure from the Bar Harbor Grand Hotel with their 2006 rates. I hung the brochure up at work because it just makes me so happy. Josh and I were reminiscing about our honeymoon the other day. Every evening we’d put on our Maine sweatshirts, walk down the street to find a random coffee shop. We’d order our lattes or coffee and walk down to the harbor. We’d sit in “our spot” tucked under some trees and just enjoy each other, the harbor, the boats, the water… I look at this picture and think that I can’t believe I was there. It all kind of feels like a dream.

Really our honeymoon was perfect. We could find stuff to do if we wanted to or we could find places to hide out. Like one of my friends said about Josh and I, we could have fun watching a wall together… It’s true, we could have had fun anywhere but I’m so glad we went to Maine. I can’t wait to go back.

Things are making me happy today:

1. This post from my hubby. It made me laugh and warmed my heart.
2. The fact that it’s Friday.
3. I’m only working a half day today.
4. I’m going to the eye doctor this afternoon. I know, strange thing to make me happy but I haven’t had new glasses in probably at least 5 years. I’m excited to pick out new funky ones and get to wear something other than contacts occasionally.
5. We’re out of coffee (that didn’t make me happy) but I ran up to Amoco and got some there… It actually wasn’t too bad for gas station coffee. That made me really happy!
6. My parents are taking me out to eat tomorrow. I think they feel bad because my husband is leaving me for the weekend but I’ll take what I can get.
7. I’m seriously considering buying a new pair of shoes this weekend. It’s a splurge but I’m so desperate for something fun!
8. This site could make any girl happy.
9. Ebaum’s World Friday update included old outtakes from Full House. Gosh, I miss that show. It’s just not the same watching it on reruns.

So I was feeling pretty good about today… I took a couple extra minutes to put some cinnamon and cardamon in with my coffee grounds before I brewed. Adds a little bit of a yummy kick… But then Josh stops by the office to inform me that my right rear tire is flat. Just a few weeks ago my left front tire was flat! I know it’s a stupid flat tire but it’s a hassle and money that we don’t have.

Just when I think that I’m getting somewhere with having my emotions in control, something like this happens. I was standing in my office’s parking lot crying over a flat tire. How ridiculous.

Yesterday I had a doctor’s appointment to talk about how I’m doing with the Armour Thyroid. They’re doing lab work today so as long as everything looks okay I’m going to stay on the Armour. Dr. S says that he thinks I’m on the “upward swing”. Let’s hope so!

My mom emailed this to me after I told her about my tire: “Keep your face to the sunshine and you won’t see the shadow.” She’s so cute.

This morning I rocking out to the new Fall Out Boy. My co-worker won’t be in until later so I’m down in the basement by myself, giving me free reign to listen to the cd at what is probably an unacceptable volume for work. I’m drinking some coffee I brewed this morning with my new coffeemaker. It is the nicest coffeemaker. Seriously and it looks really cool. See:

I am also wearing my lobster socks. You’re probably thinking, did she just say ‘lobster socks’? Ah, yes I did! While in Maine Josh bought me the coolest pair of socks I own. They say “Bar Harbor, Maine” on them and have little red lobsters all over them. Did you know that lobsters are only red when they are dead? Maine is the only state to have a dead animal on their license plates. Hm…I guess that means my cute socks are covered with dead lobsters. Anyway, I’m trying to convince myself that I’ll have a good day.

Last night after work I made spaghetti and garlic bread for Josh and I. I was standing at the stove cooking the hamburger, Bebo was at my feet, and Josh was sitting on the couch reading a magazine. Then it hit me: Oh my gosh, I’m a little housewife! It actually surprised me. I told Josh and he made his usual response with something like, “Cutest one I know”. It was a little surreal though to be standing in this dream that I had had for so many years. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of those girls who just daydreams about being barefoot and pregnant and serving her husband. Josh and I try to do pretty much everything equally. But honestly, I do like doing things for him…making him supper, surprising him with something… It’s awesome that I’m finally in the position to be his “other half”. We only answer to each other and that is amazing.

Gotta get back to my coffee. Here’s to Tuesday.