Sometimes I can’t find meaning in my cup. Not that I solve life’s intricate puzzles (we know that answer… 42) in my moments with my cup but sometimes those moments with my cup give me clarity and direction. A chance to reflect, to alter my course or hold steady. Other times my cup brings warmth and comfort to my weary body letting me wrap in its feeling like the embrace of an old friend. Or it’s a much needed jolt to the system that seems to plague my body more as I get older.
Coffee, sun and music. Always a great combo to wake up to.
Today we’re heading downtown for a tradition that we’re excited to refresh again. For a day filled with more music, more sun and friends… maybe more coffee too. It’s a highlight of the year, Denver Day of Rock. A free show that raises money for Amp the Cause and because it’s a kid based organization it’s all ages… so it was one of Ashlynn’s first concerts when we started the tradition years ago. When I can listen to one of my favorite bands and see friends and maybe find a new band too… fun times.
Ashlynn’s first Denver Day of Rock (2011) Ashlynn got to meet Roger Clyne and Jim Dalton.
Excited for this afternoon when a tradition starts back up again. For live music, friends and sun. A little nervous too, with Covid still on our minds and a friend no longer with us who will be missed and tears will be shed as another first passes without him. But for now I’m listening to our family Pandora channel centered around Peacemakers, Refreshments and Railbenders and enjoying the sun, my coffee and soon my book.
Peace, Love and Light my Coffee Lovers and Here’s to Life ☕
It’s rare that I’m out past 10 these days. But when you add in dinner, drinking wine, coffee and ice cream then donuts all with great friends. Yeah, totally a fun and much needed night out.
Last night Scott and I got to hang with two of our favorite people, Ben & Kat. We (ok, Scott) tried ramen at Sukiya Ramen. I had a tasty chicken yokisoba dish. We then checked out Pindustry next door. I say checked out meaning we walked around to get a feel for it. We realized it might be fun to visit on a different night where we want to hang, play games and drink and not mind the loud factor. I’m excited to check out again… but last night was more about the company and talking just the 4 of us….not yelling over eachother and a hundred others.
We opted for Indulge Wine Bar and talked and laughed on the patio while trying out new wines ?. We watched the sunset and rain clouds roll in and then flood us with a glorious cool rain. The storm cleared the patio of patrons besides us with our table having amazing umbrella placement. We had fun listening to the rhythm of the rain on the streets with the fountain in the square as we talked. I got chilly after the storm moved in so Kat walked with me to Old Navy around the corner right before they closed so I could find something warmer than just my tank tops. I found a cute long cardy… and it has pockets. We hung out more and decided we needed coffee and ice cream… all at once… that has to be Heaven… just down the street.
This place is happy tasty goodness
Heaven lives up to its name. Ben introduced us to an affogato. Gelato (any flavor) added into a shot of espresso. Oh my goodness… yeah… the taste and texture was exquisite. I had hazelnut gelato in my affogato, so did Ben… twinsies. I wish I could describe the dance my tastebuds performed in that first taste. The cold and warm… the gelato and coffee melding together in a creamy, tantalizing cup of pure happy… heaven or as close to it… in a cup.
But what night out is complete without well, donuts? Ok, sush. It was a night of fun with friends and cravings and Voodoo sounded yummy. So we headed to Voodoo Donuts where we could tease our tastebuds again and people watch because Broadway is fun for that late at night.
This morning I enjoyed some of my apple fritter with my first cup. Then had fun looking and planning for Halloween gnome making while waiting for the deck to dry out enough to enjoy my time in the sun.
It’s been a few days now of fresh air and blue skies with scattered rain. What a contast difference from last week’s smoky filled days.
On the deck I start my morning again. With the sun shining and a nice cool breeze. With my only problem trying to decide umbrella up or down (the breeze is slightly chilly in the shade). Think I found a solution and can be partly in the sun… yep perfect.
Now just to sit, read and enjoy the fresh air and my coffee. It’s in these moments I realize just how blessed I am.
It seems like forever ago and yesterday that we walked her to her first day of kindergarten. How can we be here already? I have so many first days in my head… so many images that play. Where did the time go? How can my spunky, crazy girlie be a Senior?
As I pour and reminisce through the pictures in my head (and Google photos) I replay moments. Moments of her laughs, giggles and tears. Moments of achievements and failures. I remember how much she loved being at school. How much she loved learning and helping others learn. She had a passion for helping others. I thought she was a natural teacher and imagined her teaching elementary kids when she was an adult. I also remember when life started pulling her away from those passions.
She’s had a tempestuous last few years. A crap teacher that made her second guess everything she wanted, injuries and unexplained joint pain, a school administration not caring, a total lack of motivation, and then a pandemic year. Yeah. We’ve been tense as a family as we have tried to navigate the stormy waters together and apart and many variations of the above trying to help her through.
We’ve fought… a lot. It’s hard to see your kid struggle. It’s hard to watch as your kid had dreams of an ivy league school at the start of high school to then almost fail out of school by her Junior year. It’s hard to not see the little girl who loved learning as I look into those same eyes. I’ve learned (ok still learning) that I can’t compare that little girl to the almost adult she is now. Because they are not the same person… and that’s okay.
She is strong minded, stubborn and fiercely independent. She is tougher on herself than she needs to be which is infuriating to watch. When she puts her mind to it she will do it (good or bad). She is also caring and loving. She is learning in her own way how to navigate waters on her own. How to float, how to swim, how to sink and how to glide. Which as a mom is the goal.
She came home from her first day yesterday with a play by play and a little excitement telling us about her day and her classes and her new counselor. It gave me hope to see that sparkle in her eyes. My hope for her Senior year is that she finds joy in something again… a passion that keeps her going and motivated. I will continue to be her cheerleader and her coach this year. Cheering and guiding on the sidelines. Watching her become the woman she is destined to be.
Today’s cup… brewed by and cup picked by the teen. What? I know, right. She’s never up this early. Apparently the Amber Alert ? sound woke her. I’m grateful we don’t see those messages often. Too bad I can’t harness that sound for her normal alarm.
Today’s agenda… reading, maybe some baking, maybe a grocery run, maybe a coffee date with a friend, and definitely making tasty family dinner because all 3 of us will be home. Crazy.
My coffee today is listening to soft string music on the deck. Eyes closed, swaying my head with the melody.
I forget to take these moments.
Before my mind runs and becomes centered on other things. Before baking, before the teen wakes, before the light cleaning and before the girls night. Just me, the music, the cat, my book and my coffee… peaceful.
Last night around 11 we had a storm appear. I sat outside immersed in the beauty and sounds of nature. I watched as the lighting flooded the clouds with bursts of brightness. The sounds of the crickets, and my fairies (wind chimes) making beautiful music accompanied by the rumbles of thunder. I closed my eyes with my face raised to the sky as the first drops fell… relishing the feeling. My skin tingling with the sensations.
I continued to sit wrapped in a blanket as soft drops accompanied the melody already playing… Nature’s own Symphony. I soon was joined by Ashlynn and Shadow and then a sleepy Scott woken by the commotion. It was then that the sky let loose and the rains came… washing away as much impurity as it could. The smell of rain hitting the earth is one of my favorite smells… it’s enticing to my soul.
The heavy rains didn’t last long, maybe 15 mintues and then back to soft drops as the storm moved to give it’s healing power to others.
Today, I still feel the tingles of rain on my skin. I still smell the rain in my hair. Today is also the first time we’ve had a blue sky in over a month. I know it will be short lived as the smoke clouds will cover the skies again. But for this moment, I will take deep breaths and hold on to this feeling.
