friendships

The other day I was thinking back to when I started going to Starbucks. It seems like now, after almost a couple decades, that it is just part of life. Just as we drop off and pick up our kids from school, run errands, fix dinner, etc. we run to the Starbucks drive-thru or pop into a store to fetch our morning, afternoon or evening cuppa joe {or tea. or hot chocolate.}.

It’s become part of the routine. At least for ME anyways.

My first real memory of Starbucks dates back to 1993 when I worked in Hillcrest at a doctor’s office. The office manager, Susan, and I would run across Washington Street to the corner Starbucks and always get a grande nonfat no foam latte with two Equals. A half caff coffee of the day for Dr. Schmidt.

A couple years later when I moved to Pacific Beach with my best friend, Denise, our thing was the coffee frappuccino. I remember one summer when a day might consist of a morning frap and an afternoon frap!

Then around 2000, my co-worker Deb, introduced me to the americano and it was over from there. We would go down to the little coffee cart at our building in the mornings and get a hot one, but once summer came I immediately started ordering them iced. I will say that a venti extra extra ice americano with 2 Splendas and a splash of half & half is my go to coffee beverage 9 months our of the year.

{via}

However, I do have other memories of phases that I went through in my own personal Starbucks evolution…

Like when my sister and I would carpool to work back in the day and grab 2 grande nonfat caramel macchiatos with extra vanilla for the road.

Or when we lived in Sunnyvale and I went through my tuxedo mocha {half regular mocha, half white mocha} stage.

At the holidays, of course, I get the pumpkin spice lattes and the peppermint white mochas.

*****

It was fun to sit and reminisce about how my preferences have changed over the years.

How something as simple as a cup of coffee can conjure  up so many old, happy, fun memories.

How many times have we sat and shared a conversation over a cup of coffee or tea?

Sometimes the most simple things in life hold the fondest memories.

I will try to never forget that.