Tuesday, January 27, 2015

A Decade


We were made to enjoy music, to enjoy beautiful sunsets, to enjoy looking at the billows of the sea and to be thrilled with a rose that is bedecked with dew… Human beings are actually created for the transcendent, for the sublime, for the beautiful, for the truthful... and all of us are given the task of trying to make this world a little more hospitable to these beautiful things.
Desmond Tutu

This week, we celebrated our 10-year anniversary (01.22.05). We traveled 100 miles north to the little town of Bay City, nestled between the Saginaw River and Saginaw Bay (Lake Huron). We stayed at a cheap hotel, ate greasy food, drank java at a cheesy coffeehouse covered wall-to-wall in Beatles memorabilia and went sledding! The best part of it all was soaking in precious time to reflect on how much we've done and how much has been done to us (transformation!) over the past decade. Thank you for your words of encouragement, unwavering support and all your prayers.

Our nomadic life has led us to six different addresses since we tied the knot: Laguna Beach, Seal Beach, North Irvine, South Irvine, Capistrano Beach and now Detroit. As we deliver water to homes that are victim to water-shutoffs in Detroit, we are reminded of just how privileged we have been (the night before our mini-vacation to Bay City, we delivered 40 gallons to a beat-down apartment with 7 people living in it--the apartment complex owners walked out just a few weeks ago and turned off the water on their way out!). Keep Ms. Jackson and her kids and grandkids in your prayers.

For further reference, here's our top ten list of best coffeehouses we've discovered along the Way, remembered fondly as we took time to reflect back upon the special places that have fueled us this past decade:
1. Palate (Bend, OR)
2. La Prima Tazza (Lawrence, KS)
3. Brewed Awakening (Berkeley, CA)
4. Zebra (San Clemente, CA)
5. Avalon (Detroit, MI)
6. Cocoa Cinnamon (Durham, NC)
7. Cafe 1872 (Rochester, NY)
8. Bricks & Scones (Larchmont/L.A., CA)
9. SoulFood (Redmond, WA)
10. Mariposa Coffee (Mariposa, CA)

*Honorable Mention: Cafe Con Leche (Detroit, MI); Hot Java (Long Beach, CA); Hidden House (SJC, CA); Cafe Milano (Berkeley, CA); Signs of Life (Lawrence, KS); Sweetwater (Ann Arbor, MI); Chapman Coffeehouse (Orange, CA); The Crema Cafe (Seal Beach, CA)

**Epic Places That Have Closed…Leaving Us With Tears: Coffee, Tea & Tulips (Mission Viejo, CA); Mondragon (Winnipeg); Potter's House (Washington D.C.--soon to be resurrected!); Diedrich (Laguna Beach, CA)



4 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Ummmmmmm.... No Portland entries?!? We PDXers are deeply offended! :-) You gotta come back here!!! Congrats on 10 years!!! Yahoo!!!

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    2. Lol, yes Case! So wonderful to share 2 of our most memorable coffee-loving experiences with you & Greg!! What was his name at Mariposa? Something with a "J"? Most memorable "coffee house" experience ever. ;) I also hear our #1 Palate, as if it could get any better, has recently come into a GOLD MINE in their contract with one certain Bend local crafter who is now doing their lettering!!! :))

      Peter!!! We racked our brains & couldn't remember the names of the ones we went to with you guys!! OF COURSE, Portland has some of the best coffee houses around…guess we DO need to come back & spend more extended time…not just in the NG's living room!! Though…when the rich bed, board games, dance parties, and the backyard yurt are on offer, who needs coffee houses!? Love you guys!!!

      Will you post the go-to Portland coffee houses here in the comments section in the meantime? We'd love to keep a running list on this post! That goes for our Seattle friends, as well (Dan Jones)…. and anyone else with clutch places to add!

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  2. 10 years!!! I love how you celebrated. Thanks for sharing your lives with us all. Love you guys!!!

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