Apology.

So I realize that I am not very good at keeping up with this blog. But, let me plead my case. For the better part of this last month, the Mister’s parents have been staying with us. You see, he has been playing and his parents have never missed a game in his life. So supportive. Which is great. However....we live in a studio apartment. With one bathroom. One bed. One couch...Four People...Get where I’m going with this? It has been a long month. So any alone time I had was spent curled in the fetal position with a cup of coffee in one hand and a Bud Light in the other. Don’t judge me. There... I think that was a pretty justified excuse? 

For the record, I do love the Mister's parents

They are incredible, and support us like you wouldn't believe.

But, I do love alone time, too.

And....strong coffee.

In the meantime, I have been doing a great deal of Christmas shopping and had fun cramming as many Christmas decorations into our tiny apartment as I could. It was like VEGAS in our home. SO fun. Speaking of Vegas, I am currently on a flight home to Colorado as we speak! I am so excited to see family and spend time with my friends!! And I am currently drinking airplane coffee, which is surprisingly yummy. Kudos, Southwest. 

But what about the Mister, you ask? Well the Mister is playing in Cincinnati on Sunday and he leaves VERY early on Saturday morning. Saturday being Christmas day. SO rather than spending Christmas morning alone, in an airport I said, “Babe, I love you. I’m leaving and never looking back. Adios”

Okay, so not really. But I did leave him. 

Before you start scolding me, we had our Christmas last night and it was wonderful. I made a delicious roast with fried onions on top and creamy mashed potatoes with green chillis. Then we opened presents and spoiled the shit (Sorry, Grammy) out of each other. It’s what we do. Leaving him this morning at the airport was a lot harder than I expected. But I am so looking forward to seeing my family and spending Xmas with them!! AND I also get to see their faces when they open their gifts from us, which will be wonderful! 

While I am home I have so much to do...I think this calls for a list...? 

1. Drink coffee with mom, grammy, myself...lots of coffee.
2. Eat. 
3. Spend time with my bestest friend ever, Ms. Bessie
4. Soak up as much Grammy time as I possibly can
5. Stare at the mountains
6. Play with my new camera
7. Drink coffee

Should be a GREAT week. AND, the Mister plays in Denver on the second, so there will be football watching, too! Go Bolts! :) 

I promise, that I will be better about keeping up with this! Season is coming to an end...which means alone time will be a more constant occurrence. Can I get an amen?! 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! 


image: apartmenttherapy.com

My love affair.

Drinking: Starbucks Americano with a splash of milk.

Growing up, coffee was always around. My mom is a coffee drinker, as are my Grammy and all of my mom's sisters. At every family function there was always a coffee pot being passed around the table. When we were at Grammy's it was coffee from a percolator. Sleep overs at her house meant my sister and I would be woken up at 5am by the sound of a coffee grinder followed by the sound of coffee perking (perching?..percing?) That sound still comforts me, (NOT the coffee grinder, but the percolator) and makes me think of being in Grammy's house.

{Grammy will be a frequent topic of conversation. She is amazing. The end.}

As a kiddo, I did not understand how anyone could drink the awful black liquid; it was bitter, icky, and never, ever tasted like it smelled. Oh, how things changed when I got to college. The obsession started with instant coffee. (Ew). I would boil water in the microwave and choke it down before studying on nights before exams. Then the cravings began. Slowly it became a regular part of my studying routine. Then, when I would visit home and the coffee was passed around, I would get a mug and partake in the bitter, icky black liquid. (Which was beginning to taste like it smelled).

I knew something was different when I went to Starbucks and ordered just a plain coffee. I felt as though I was cheating on my white chocolate mocha, but... I just wanted coffee. Then, I got a real coffee maker. And my life ended. Addiction is a funny thing*, it creeps up on you. And that is exactly what happened. Before I knew it, I was drinking coffee every morning, and then... I needed coffee every morning.

{*I do not think addiction is a funny thing, being addicted to anything other than coffee, and maybe peanut butter, is a scary thing.}

Now, coffee is a huge part of my life. It is not just a beverage to me, it is part of my personality. The best part of being at home, with my parents, is being able to have coffee with my mom. We could probably clear out the coffee section of a grocery store in a weekend. We have a bond through coffee, it is a constant, a routine that just makes me feel comfortable, content and at home.

Camping. We had Starbucks' Via on hand. Lots of it.

 And any trip home isn't complete unless I visit Grammy and have "percolator coffee" with her. In my head, and in my taste-buds, percolator coffee is a million times better than regular brewed coffee. It just tastes... richer and fuller. It tastes like Grammy's house. 

{I had a percolator once. Then I lost the cord. And you can't buy just a cord. And I don't want to buy a new percolator just for the cord. It's a tough subject...I'd rather not talk about it.} 

There are mornings when the only thing that will get me out of the bed, is the thought of what the apartment will smell like after I start the coffee. There is nothing like walking into a house and smelling freshly brewed coffee. This may be the reason why I spend a lot of time at Starbucks. It just smells like... home/heaven. There is a Starbucks in Fort Collins, Colorado that I like to think I kept in business while in college. You're welcome, Campus West Starbucks. 

My love affair with coffee is not a light subject. It is a very serious issue. That Boy I Love doesn't understand. But he does know that coffee keeps me happy, and I think that's pretty easy.

 Maybe I need help? An intervention? 

I'll look into it after I get another cup of coffee. 

Images: brettsuperstar.blogspot.com, blog.galaxark.com

Coffee in hand... Ready... set... go!

And so it begins....

I am here, starting a blog because my wonderful friend Kassie suggested to me that I start one. So, we'll see how it goes, maybe it will be therapeutic... ha. 

I am sarcastic, nice, hard-working and I crack myself up. Laughing at myself is a full time job, usually I am the only one laughing at my jokes, but damn am I funny. I try very hard to be optimistic, and while this makes my boyfriend and most people in my life crazy- I am a planner. I make lists for absolutely everything. And if something doesn't go accordingly... I will have myself a little nervous breakdown. And then I'll get over it, and start making a new list/plan. It's what I do.

I am currently having a few questions about this life that I have found myself in. In my heart I am a teacher. Some people know that they are meant to be doctors, priests, animal psychics... but me? I am meant to be a teacher. I've known since the age of five that I would be a teacher...

       
{You see, when I was in kindergarten, my teacher wrote on an overhead projector and I just could not believe how amazingly smooth it looked when she wrote...I just wanted to be up there writing on that dang thing... and there began my dream to be a teacher. And, no matter how outdated it is, I WILL use an overhead projector in my classroom}

I have also always known that, being a native, I would live in Colorado. There is nothing bad about the state of Colorado. Who wouldn't love having four different seasons, having the mountains to look at (and act as a permanent compass), or living with the friendliest people in the world?

{There may be friendly people, seasons and mountains elsewhere, but that's irrelevant right now}

However, I am living in San Diego, and currently have no job. I am writing from a Starbucks patio. 

{You will come to see that I work coffee into everything. It's more important to me than oxygen}

I am in love. 

{Yes, with coffee, however that's not what I'm referring to here} 

And this love has brought me to San Diego, has taken me away from teaching, family, the mountains, and friends; he is "the one". I have been following him and his career for the last year. What does he do...?

We no longer live here. 

He is a football player, and we have been in four cities in the last 11 months. While this is a dream come true for him, and I could not be happier that he has the opportunity to play, it is incredibly hard on a relationship and on the girlfriend. But, I will complain and whine about all that another time.

Love is a funny thing.
Love is a hard thing.
Love is a four letter word.