Charming the Neighborhood.

This morning Finn & I took an early morning walk-slash-trip to our local Starbucks with our friends Anna & Lucy (Lucy is 4 months today!). Finn had a great time walking all over the coffee shop, greeting customers at the door as they came in, and well...frankly smiling & laughing while others laughed & smiled back at him!

This was such a nice way to start off our day....all before morning nap time. 

lauren

P.S....don't you just love the new little TOMS? And this t-shirt he's wearing he's been wearing since he was a newborn. We just love it. Thanks Tutu & Bopa!

I've digressed....

I have to admit that I've digressed from my favorite morning drink. I've gone from coffee to tea. Specifically Earl Grey tea with a good sized splash of vanilla almond milk. Mmmmmm, so very good. If you're looking for a switch with a little less caffeine and a good dose of calcium, this has been a winner for me. 

My friend Camille got me hooked on almond milk. Her family of 3 boys basically solely drinks it versus cow's milk. What convinced me to switch was that the calcium content in almond milk is so much higher than in regular milk, and with being pregnant I was trying to find every way to increase my intake (Funny, as I'm writing this there's a commercial on TV for Silk almond milk. Something I've never seen before). 

I like to use these brands. I originally just drank Silk brand, but found Almond Breeze was cheaper so I switched for the vanilla flavor. I like to use this in my tea or coffee when I have it. 

For my cereal I prefer to cut back on the calories and sugar. Silk just recently came out with this unsweetened vanilla flavor that only has 35 calories per serving. The vanilla is just a hint. Pretty good deal, huh? 

Now,  I still buy regular milk as well. Just not as frequently. I haven't converted Lyle from traditional milk, nor will I really try. In addition, it's nice to have the old stuff around for cooking and baking. I accidentally made some eggs one day with the vanilla flavor and quickly realized it was a bad move.

Just add some to this and it's a little bit of heaven! I'm even passing up my Starbucks lattes these days when meeting up with friends...just bringing mine from home. Yum.

Hey, maybe you should try it for your Saturday morning drink!

Happy Saturday.

lauren

A Trip to Charleston.

Last week Lyle and I took our first little trip to Charleston. It was so nice to get away together for a little bit, and the weather was beautiful; perfect for strolling around town in. We found a little bed & breakfast to stay in that was right across the street from the Medical School of South Carolina, but in walking distance to downtown. We ate some yummy food, drank delicious coffee, spent a morning at the beach and took a darling carriage tour of the historic district. But most importantly....we slept in! 

We can't wait for our next trip to Charleston. Maybe in the early spring.


lauren

Coffee Shop Meet Ups.

One thing I miss most about back home is the coffee shop culture. It's a bit of a way of life. Delicious coffee shops are the place to meet up with friends and family, study, or quickly grab a latte before heading out for a long walk with a friend to catch up on the latest (or even a post-run cup of Joe). o me, a coffee in hand made almost any moment feel that much more complete.

There is coffee here in Greenville, and even some good coffee, but I have to admit that most people don't appreciate it the same way. It's that warm feeling that I get from that first sip that just calms and comforts me. It's nothing to rush and get through. I like what Jamie Callum says in his song, "like a warm drink that seeps into my soul...". This might help explain how coffee appears to be appreciated here: Starbucks is one of the better places to go for a good latte. Not that I don't like Starbucks, but not my first choice back home in Seattle.

And I miss my friends. Meeting up and grabbing a coffee then heading for a walk around Greenlake or through Discovery Park. Most of my best friendships were fostered around that lake with coffee in hand. See...it is just a way of life!

One lesson I've learned in life as I've gotten older and life experiences have seasoned me, is that if I want something to happen I have to do it or at least initiate. Since we've moved I find myself asking girls out on "dates" to make friends and sometimes using a bit of persuasion to do the things I might like to do (e.g., walks, coffee....if you know me you can probably name a few more).

As of lately I've started to try to get some of my friends to make the coffee shop a way of life; it's been a lot of fun. Almost once a week, on a Tuesday or Thursday, I've met up with a couple girls, and whomever can make it, and we just chat while their little girls get into mischief. I love it. The company makes the coffee taste that much better and I feel a bit closer to home. Today I got to do that with Leslie and her sweet daughter. We met up at Spill the Beans downtown.

Precious little girl, yeah?

lauren

P.S. Check out Hello! Happiness. I was mentioned today and won a giveaway. Yay!