In Phoenxiville I had Wawa coffee or My Favorite Muffin coffee so if there had been a Starbucks in town I would have probably rarely gone so that I could support local business (I consider Wawa, local for those of you who are fortunate enough to have experienced one). But here in my town Starbucks and Village Cafe (a local shop) are the sole distributors of a good cup of coffee. I say all this to say that Phil bought me a Starbucks insulated cup yesterday. It's a great gift for me.
The first time I went to a Starbucks was in Wheaton, IL in 1997. I remember it so well because it was the summer after my freshman year of college and I toured with the Indian Children's Choir. I was hanging out with one of the founders of the choir and she was a Starbucks fan. I can totally picture the shop and having no idea what anything was. Like, what the heck is a frappuccino?
One of my favorite places on earth - because of the memories and feelings I associate with that place - is a Starbucks on the side of a mountain in Taiwan. It was surrounded by trees and smelled and felt familiar. If you don't like the idea of supporting the Big Guys, and I usually don't, then you're probably not a huge fan of Starbucks but one thing among many things that they do well is make their shops around the world feel like that first shop that I ever walked into in 1997. And when you live in a place that often feels so unfamiliar that is a huge comfort.
Today is Friday in this section of the globe. It's raining hard and I've been up with Bella since around 5am. It was actually Maddie that woke us all up. Must have been a bad dream because she just needed a hug and some milk to go back to sleep. I'm sure I'd feel the same way, but Bella doesn't like going to the bathroom in the pouring rain in soggy grass and mud. No accidents indoors because of it but she shivers like a little leaf and sticks as close to us as possible. It must be funny to watch me squat down beside her holding an umbrella over us as she goes.
Every once in awhile I think about her brothers that we met when we bought her and I can't imagine that they get nearly this good of treat. I wish we had the patience and resources to have all 3.
The first time I went to a Starbucks was in Wheaton, IL in 1997. I remember it so well because it was the summer after my freshman year of college and I toured with the Indian Children's Choir. I was hanging out with one of the founders of the choir and she was a Starbucks fan. I can totally picture the shop and having no idea what anything was. Like, what the heck is a frappuccino?
One of my favorite places on earth - because of the memories and feelings I associate with that place - is a Starbucks on the side of a mountain in Taiwan. It was surrounded by trees and smelled and felt familiar. If you don't like the idea of supporting the Big Guys, and I usually don't, then you're probably not a huge fan of Starbucks but one thing among many things that they do well is make their shops around the world feel like that first shop that I ever walked into in 1997. And when you live in a place that often feels so unfamiliar that is a huge comfort.
Today is Friday in this section of the globe. It's raining hard and I've been up with Bella since around 5am. It was actually Maddie that woke us all up. Must have been a bad dream because she just needed a hug and some milk to go back to sleep. I'm sure I'd feel the same way, but Bella doesn't like going to the bathroom in the pouring rain in soggy grass and mud. No accidents indoors because of it but she shivers like a little leaf and sticks as close to us as possible. It must be funny to watch me squat down beside her holding an umbrella over us as she goes.
Every once in awhile I think about her brothers that we met when we bought her and I can't imagine that they get nearly this good of treat. I wish we had the patience and resources to have all 3.