Sunday Morning

My Fiance, C, and I celebrated Sunday with our favorite ritual: a pot of coffee, a big breakfast and TV mass. Yes, we're cool and Catholic like that. Yes, we'll go to real life in-person mass later this evening. We love getting another take on the weekly readings, though, and the chance to start our Sundays off with a focus on the important things in life: God and (almost) family. Can't beat that.

Saturday Bagels

Last week, I was super-excited to share a post about Saturday morning bagels, but apparently, I'm still living in 2007, and my computer and phone won't interface to let me get the picture off my (not particularly high-tech) phone and onto my computer.

Today's picture is from this morning's bagel escapade. I love Saturday morning bagels for a lot of reasons: good company (usually a friend and her family, but this morning, my fiance), good food, good coffee. I love the ritual of getting up and getting out (and moving) to start the weekend off well.

Mostly, though, I love the people watching. I love seeing familiar faces and I love seeing who else is up early on Saturday morning.

You see a little bit of everything: people dragging themselves into Saturday morning work, people post-workout, people with their dogs and kids, families on their way to soccer games or basketball tournaments.

Most importantly, though, it is a community. I might live in a big, impersonal city, but I love the neighborhood where I live. There is a sense of friendly camaraderie that permeates the sterile chain environment. There is sunshine, there is so much to be thankful for, and there is life. What more do you need?

Frappuccino Friday

Yesterday, Andi and I celebrated, well, nothing, really with 50% off (through May 15!) Frapps at Starbucks.

Who can resist a deal? When I told my fiance about our plans, his response was, "You girls really know your Starbucks." We sure do!

Andi is one of those once-in-a-lifetime friends. Someone who, near or far, is always a phone call away. Someone who tells it straight, even when we disagree. Someone I never get tired of talking to, even on a week-long road trip. Someone with whom the time always flies.

Most every time we get together, the day includes coffee -- warm breakfast mugs or a post-shopping swing by Starbucks. It gives us a chance to relax, talk and reconnect. It often seems like those are the times when we really get to the heart of the matter: our frustrations, our concerns, our hopes.

We can also count on one another to share our grand plans to get together for the next cup!

So It Begins

I've wanted to start a new blog for awhile. I wanted it to be something where I could share my goings on and write about my thoughts without too much specificity. I needed a vehicle, though, a catch. I knew that a free-for-all thoughts-on-my-life blog would be DOA.

Earlier this week, though, the idea hit me by surprise. My BFF -- Andi at VivaPolish -- and I decided to get together for Frappuccino Friday, to take advantage of 50% off Frapps from Starbucks (lovely 2 weeks of May). I suggested I take a picture of our new, one-day tradition and lightning hit me!

We have a tradition of taking pictures of our coffee. The first one is posted above. It started sort-of by accident while we were visiting New York City in 2007 (little did we know she would be moving there less than a year later). We were drinking coffee. She was fussing with her camera and, somehow, the coffee ended up posing for us. Before we knew it, vacations were marked with coffee photos, iced tea photos, and various other beverage photos.

It's cheesy, but in a lot of ways it makes sense. Life isn't just about the things that happen to us, the adventures we embark upon, or the day-to-day routine of life. It's about the people who share or rehash it. More often than not, it happens around the table: a quick cup of joe to catch up with someone; a long, talkative dinner; a ladies' lunch. It happens with family and friends. It happens over coffee.