My Love for Starbucks - A Photo Montage

Let's start with my little protege...



Sweet girl, staying hydrated at the Starbucks in Breckenridge Village...
(January 2012)



Many a date night have been spent at Starbucks!
(All the time) :)



Planning a Hike on Vail Mountain? Definitely need to fuel up with a Starbucks bev!
(September 2011)



Enjoying Starbucks, Jesus and some tunes in Bakersfield, CA.
(May 2009)



Midnight in Paris... Ok, broad daylight at the Paris Starbucks!
(March 2006)



THE ORIGINAL. Seattle.
(Honeymoon! August 2006)



Celebrating my Mom's 50th birthday at one of the trillion Starbucks' in NYC!
(May 2007)



Trevor and our dear friend, Chris Reeser, at a Barnes and Noble Starbucks (counts!) in one of our favorite places on earth, Pensacola, Florida.
(Easter 2007)



A little attitude with my iced coffee in our nation's capitol!
(Feb 2009)



BFF Coffee Bevs, with Jenni in D.C.
(Feb 2009)



"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Fransisco..."
(May 2009)



See that IV in my hand?? Yes, I was in the hospital with lactic acid poisoning and what was my treatment of choice? A Starbucks bev. And a Starbucks bear. Priceless.
(August 2009)



My two favorite men on earth... enjoying a Starbucks bev.
(Easter 2010)



And, y'all, I've even astounded myself with all of this Starbucks love!
Now, where's my endorsement contract??
I'm calling my agent!

The Third Place

Not to be confused with "the third eye"... something sort of Buddhist, I think. Sorry, Dr. Elverskog! What I mostly remember from "Intro to Buddhism" is Katie impersonating you and those oral exams where you would ask me 2 questions, give me an A and tell me to quit talking during your class. :)

Anyway. What was I saying? Oh yes, the third place. Starbucks. (Big, contented sigh) Yes, today I want to write about Starbucks. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love coffee. I do, I do I really really do. But, with Starbucks, it's not just about the coffee. It's about the atmosphere, the aura, the fung shui (spelling??), if you will.



I've really tried to get into "local coffee". In fact, I live within walking distance of an admittedly lovely little coffee shop who will remain nameless that a lot of people really adore. Sure, their mystery latte is delicious (quite possibly has, like, 7,000 calories), they have a trendy name and logo and, yes, everything they sell is local, vegetarian and most likely gluten, soy and paraben free. BUT. The chairs aren't comfy. It's always cold in there. The employees aren't always very nice. And the bevs are super over priced!

Here's what I love about MY Starbucks:

1). The way the sun streams through the windows in the morning and makes everything all warm and cozy.
2). The local art they display that changes monthly.
3). The fact that my drink is always delicious.
4). The fact that my barista knows my drink.
5). The fact that my barista knows my name. And my daughter's name. And that she knows that Laila will want a small ice water too.
6). The comfy chairs.
7). The big open patio.
8). That, one time, when Laila and I were down the street at the park and I locked my purse, keys and phone inside the car, (I know, you are all shocked that I would do such a thing!) we walked to Starbucks and they gave us free bevs and snacks AND let me use the phone (multiple times) while we waited for Trev to come rescue us!
9). That I can park there and access the Katy Trail to enjoy my new-found passion, running, AND that, after my run, they'll sweetly and politely give me a venti ice water for free without even commenting on the fact that my face is as red as a tomato and I'm panting like I just crossed the Sahara. My baristas are so tactful.
10). MY GOLD CARD! Not only does it have my name on it, but every 15 bevs that I purchase (takes the Chapman family only about 2.5 weeks to accomplish this), I get a free one!! Anything I want!! (Venti soy no water chai, please!)

So, there's my list. I'm all for local and gluten-free but, y'all, I'm just saying, my Starbucks is doing it RIGHT. :)

Have a wonderful caffeinated day, friends!

Caving In

Pinterest, oh pinterest, how I've avoided you like the plague.

But you will not be ignored.

Everywhere I go, everyone I see and talk to, all over facebook and the WORLD, you follow me (and I'm not even on twitter). You've hunted me down. You've given me no other choice. You've worn down my resolve, little by little, like running water through a canyon. And now... here I am.

Username: chelslovestrev
Addicted
In Love
Adoring Every Minute

Pinterest, oh pinterest, you sly little minx.

A Spelling Lesson

Today, I caught a glimpse of this word, "catsup" spelled somewhere.
All I could think was EWWWWW.

Catsup?? Makes me think of a cat. Having supper. Which kind of makes me feel all itchy and like my throat is closing up. Cause, first of all, I'm allergic to cats and, secondly, they give me the creeps with their tiny little pointy sharp teeth and their bad attitudes. Yuck.

(I google image searched "cat" so that I could post a picture here for you, to further make my point, you know... But, honestly, I'm so grossed out by cats that I couldn't even bring myself to put a picture of one on my blog. So, here's a random picture of Laila Grace instead.)



Ahem. Anyway.

Could we all please agree that the yummy tomato-y stuff we put on french fries, hamburgers, hot dogs and scrambled eggs (hey, some people do!) is spelled "ketchup"???

Good.
Thank you.
I feel better now.

:)

A Pinching Problem

Stop the presses, people! This is NEWS!

The unimaginable has happened... You will not believe this. Are you ready? Cause I'm still trying to digest it myself...


It turns out... that... Laila Grace is not perfect.



I think I just felt all the oxygen being sucked out of North America as we gasp in utter amazement. I know. The horror.

I am sorry to tell you this but Laila is A Pincher. Now, whether you pronounce it p-ih-nch or p-ee-nch doesn't really make a difference. Cause, either way, it's unacceptable. It hurts. AND it's just plain RUDE! Did I just call my daughter rude? Why, yes, I did. The truth hurts, people. The truth hurts.

It all started yesterday at her family birthday party when her cousin Madeline did something that irritated her. I'm not sure whether M stole the toy from L or if it was that M had the audacity to not allow L steal a toy from her or what. All I know is that I heard a commotion, looked over and my mom mouthed to me "She punched her".

"Madeline PUNCHED Laila??!?!" I said, missing the "discreet" memo entirely and, clearly, assuming that Laila Grace was 100% innocent.

"No, Laila PINCHED Madeline!" my mom clarified.

WHAT??!! I felt as though I'd been punched in the throat. (I don't actually know what that feels like but it can't feel good.) MY BABY?! Pinched someone?! NO WAY!

But THEN, today, she pinched her little friend Ellie. Twice!

And THEN she pinched ME when I wouldn't put her down this afternoon!! Well, after all this pinching, you can bet that she and I sat down and had a serious conversation. I told Laila Grace that it is okay to get angry when something doesn't go how we want it to and that it is okay to be frustrated but that it is NOT okay to be unkind to our friends when we're angry.

"In your anger, do not sin" I said.
To my one year old.
While she zerberted my leg.
I'm sure it really sank in.

Here's the thing: When I was in Kindergarten, there were these kids, Hannah and Luke. Twins. And they were pinchers. Big Time. Like, these pinches drew blood. I can still remember Hannah's scrunched up little face as she sank her fingernails into my flesh and gritted her teeth to make it as excruciating as possible. I used to wonder what made them so angry, so unkind, so RUDE.

And, now, light years later, I have a pincher on my hands.

But mark my words, my friends. By the grace of God, we will overcome this pinching problem. It will not identify us. We will not give in to it. We will have victory.

LOVE will overcome.

I'll report back on how it goes.

:)

Oh, and Hannah and Luke, if you're out there, I forgive you... I think.

A Cyclone of Grace

I think I just want to say "hello" to you, my dear reader.

So, Hello.

Oh, and also, share this thought:
I have the amazing privilege of witnessing True Life bursting forth all around me. I have a few (yes, an actual "few") precious friends who are pregnant, several who are planning to get married this spring or summer, one particular dear who is basking in the joyful glow of her newborn's sweet expressions, one who is looking forward to making a major change and revelling in preparing for this fulfillment of her dream and one who is blissfully content enjoying the new adventure she and her family have embarked on. Also, every day, my precious Laila Grace changes in some tiny way; she repeats a new syllable, makes a new face, discovers a new little nook or suddenly finds something to be completely fascinating that she never seemed to notice before (like, my nostrils) :) ... and I feel like all of this joy and excitement and love are swirling around me in a cyclone of grace.

I stand, in the center of all of this goodness and beauty, breathe deeply through my nose, hold it for a moment... and exhale.
Because life is but a vapor.
And beauty is meant to be cherished.
And I mean not to miss a moment of it.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
~James 1:17

Hallelujah!

Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered

So, this is me:



And this... is Elizabeth Montgomery AKA "Samantha Stevens":




My dad says we look alike. I'm starting to agree!
What do you think?