My Favorite Coffee Drink

Happy Tuesday, friends! This post is all about one of my favorite things; coffee. "First I drink the coffee, then I do the things", pretty much sums up my everyday life. This morning I woke up, after a rather sleepless night, in a panic. My daily alarm had not gone off and we were already behind schedule for our before school, morning routine. Why the sleepless night, you ask? Well, funny enough, the cause was indeed, coffee. I had worked a night shift last night and was especially dragging when I arrived at 3pm to clock in. I thought it would be a great idea to order a quad shot of espresso. Let me tell you, this made my shift much more enjoyable, but sleeping; not so much. I drug myself out of bed and quickly woke the kids up and we all started getting ready for the day. Between teeth brushing, lunch packing & pancake making, I tried to pull myself together and look at least semi presentable. All I really had time for was to brush my teeth, wipe the mascara from under my eyes from the day before, & throw on some black yoga pants and a big comfy sweater. All that was missing from the typical "tired mom in a hurry" ensemble, was a messy bun, which I usually try to avoid. Have you ever seen that meme about messy buns? Here it is.  Enough said. The kids looked and smelled clean, which is what really mattered, so we rushed out the door and got to Leighton's school just in time. After dropping Leighton off, I headed to Kade's preschool. My immediate next stop was Starbucks. Not just any Starbucks though, MY Starbucks; where they know exactly how I like my drink. Every time I visit, weather they greet me with complaints about an awful morning, or thank yous for an awesome close the night before, I always leave with a smile, ready to chug my magic bean potion and start my day. This morning, not only did they make my drink just how I like it, they wrote me a sweet note. Such an awesome way to re-start my day and forget about the hectic rush of the early morning.
Here is my current favorite coffee drink at Starbucks: a grande iced quad espresso with one stevia and salted cold foam. Can you say that 10 times fast? If you haven't tried the salted foam, just go ahead and do yourself a favor and order it on top of any iced drink you prefer. It will even come with a special lid. I usually avoid drinks high in sugar and go for the ones that give you the most bang for your buck. I love the taste of coffee though, so it is easy for me to say no to those PSL's and white mocha's. When I am being especially "good", I order the same drink but instead of the salted cold foam, I get it topped with a splash of almond milk.
Before I got in the habit of drinking the quad espresso's, I was in love with our cold brew iced coffee. I used to order a grande iced cold brew, with an added shot of espresso, no water and light almond milk. When I ordered this from other stores I was often met with a look of shock, or a barista asking me if I wanted to have a heart attack. If you are really needing a pick me up, with little to no carbs, sugar, fat or dairy; order a cold brew this way.
My original favorite coffee drink from Starbucks, was a grande iced coffee with an added shot of espresso and super light non fat milk. This is what got me through those exhausting college years at W.S.U. It was usually accompanied by a chonga bagel toasted with cream cheese, which is probably why those freshman 15 turned in to 20. Did you know that Chonga is actually an acronym? It stands for cheese, onion and garlic, and boy is it delicious. It has also provided some humor throughout the years of different customers ordering it by various names. I think my favorite was the, "Chimichonga bagel".
Starbucks can be a touchy subject for those in the Pacific Northwest. People here either love it or hate it. Some blame the old C.E.O. for loss of the Seattle Super sonics pro basketball team. Some say the coffee tastes burnt all the time or that the prices are too high. I am a Starbucks-lifer and proud to have worked there for the past several years. Sure, it's not my dream job, but it has provided me with many blessings. Full time benefits with part time hours, a schedule that allows my family to avoid the cost of daycare and allow for weekends spent off together. They will even pay for me to go to college. Plus, I get a free pound of coffee each week along with as many drinks as I get breaks while on shift. Another added bonus most people don't know, is if I work there for at least ten years, I will receive FREE COFFEE FOR LIFE! This alone, is enough motivation for me to stay. I get to work just 3 days a week and be able to enjoy my beautiful family on all the other days. Yes, I get sick of the rude customers; but the conversation with the pleasant ones usually makes up for it. I try not to take my job too seriously; it is just a cup of coffee, but sometimes it can really make a person's day, just like how it made mine, today.  I hope you all have a fabulous Tuesday!

-Kaci