You Gotta Love This Country

Make sure to stop by your polling station tomorrow and cast your vote. And then stop by your favorite Starbucks and pick up your free coffee! You gotta love this country!

Which one of these characters will you vote for!!

Sanibel Bean Coffee

In our bike ride yesterday we discovered Sanibel Bean Coffee. I had the Sanibel Island Blend Medium Roast. They use the insulated, self-serve pots so you could help yourself. The coffee was good but not outstanding. We enjoyed our coffees on the front porch, basking in the 80 degree weather! You can click on the picture above to see a slide show.

Finding this coffee shop got me to thinking. What would you get if Sanibel Bean Coffee merged with Mr. Bean? I think I know the answer! You'd get Mr. and Mrs. Bean! I think it's time to go!

It's Going To Be A Great Week

We flew out of Moline today to visit my dad at Sanibell Island. We arrived early enough to have dinner and get to the beach. There's nothing like the sound and smell of the ocean! It's going to be a great week!

We flew to Detroit to get a flight to Ft. Myers. Detroit has the most awesome tunnel that links two of the terminals. And best of all, they have Caribou Coffee shops! You can click on the picture above to see a short slide show.

Periwinkle Park where my dads lives, has wireless internet. Right now I'm sitting in dad's Florida room enjoying a cool evening breeze and a cup of Starbucks Casi Cielo coffee, writing this blog post. We have a full day planned for tomorrow - early breakfast, time in the Word, walking the beach, bike riding, time with my dad, exploring, and more! Whew! I better get a good nights sleep. It's going to be a great week!

I'll Drink To That!

In case you haven't noticed, tomorrow is the first day of spring! Can you say, "Hooray!" And to help us all celebrate, Dunkin' Donuts is offering its first ever, Free Iced Coffee Day. Stop by your favorite Dunkin' Donuts shop and enjoy a free 16 oz. cup of premium iced coffee. If you live in Cedar Rapids, you're out of luck - we don't have a Dunkin' Donuts. Bummer! You can go to the Dunkin' Donuts web site to find a store location nearest you.

Kudos to Dunkin' Donuts for a great way to welcome spring. Tomorrow is supposed to be overcast and rainy, but don't let that stop your from celebrating. Get a good cup of coffee, take a walk, and enjoy the sounds and smells of spring. Winter is officially over and spring is here. I'll drink to that!

Coffee Has Its Perks

OK, so I really enjoy a good cup of coffee. As I write this blog, I'm perking a pot of Starbucks Caffe' Verona Decaf. I love the smell of fresh ground coffee beans. I love the aroma of a pot of coffee being brewed. And I love a cup of fresh perked coffee in the morning. It's one of lifes simple pleasures.

And now, new research is coming out that demonstrates coffee's health benefits. Researches have found that coffee is quite high in antioxidants. Antioxidants are generally helpful substances, found in foods, which scavenge unstable molecules (free radicals) in your body. Free radicals contribute to oxidative stress, which, over time, can cause inflammation and other unhealthy changes in your cells.

The February issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource highlights news about these health benefits of coffee:

• Reduced risk of inflammation and cardiovascular disease. A study of more than 27,000 postmenopausal women concluded that coffee’s antioxidant properties may inhibit inflammation and, consequently, development of cardiovascular disease.
  
• Reduced risk of diabetes: It appears that routine coffee consumption, particularly decaffeinated coffee, substantially lowers your risk of type 2 diabetes.
  
• Brain protection: Among a group of 890 older women, a history of consuming caffeinated coffee throughout their life appears to help preserve cognitive skills -- thinking, memory and comprehension -- possibly because of long-term caffeine exposure.
  
• Reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease: A large trial called the Nurses’ Health Study found that low levels of caffeine intake reduced the risk of Parkinson’s disease in women who used postmenopausal hormone therapy. In women who didn’t use hormones, caffeine intake at moderate to high levels decreased the risk of Parkinson’s.

So there you have it. I knew there was a good reason why I so enjoy a good cup of coffee. Great taste, wonderful aroma, along with significant health benefits. Coffee has its perks! I gotta go. My coffee's ready!

A Great Way To Start The Day

Jason's girlfriend, Erin, is staying with us this weekend before she returns to Moody. Jason had to be at the Westdale Starbucks to open at 4:30 AM so we drove down to see him this morning and to get a cup of coffee. Erin and Josh aren't coffee drinkers but they enjoyed a peppermint mocha and carmel apple cider. You can click on the picture above to see some pictures from Starbucks.

We had a great time at Starbucks this morning. Unlike Jason, we all got to sleep in, then wandered in to Starbucks for coffee around 10:45 AM. It's a rough life! A good cup of coffee shared with family and friends! It was a great way to start the day!

Good Coffee and Good Friends

Jason conducted a Partner's Favorites Coffee Seminar today at the Westdale Starbucks. Sharon and I took Rex and Marge Engelkemier and enjoyed tasting three different coffees, three pastries and two drinks. It was a culinary delight! You can click on the picture above to see a slide show of the event.

I'm not a coffee connoisseur, but I did enjoy the flavors of the different coffees. We tasted Kenya, Verona, and Ethiopia Sidamo along with lemon loaf, toffee almond bar, and chocolate chunk cookie pastries. We finished off the taste testing with a peppermint mocha and carmel latte. Jason did a great job! For a person who loves coffee, it was a great formula - good coffee enjoyed with good friends.

Home Brew

Well it's official, this weekend I joined the ranks of those who roast their own coffee beans. You say you've never heard of such a thing! Well, I hadn't either until a couple of months ago. And then I met Brett Mason.

Brett is a coffee connoisseur. I have always enjoyed a good cup of coffee - Java Creek and Coffeesmiths are my favorite local establishments. Jason turned Sharon and I on to Caribou coffee six months ago and we were excited to learn that we could purchase it at Sams Club locally. Little did I know that I would soon be learning to custom roast my own beans.

Brett has been roasting coffee for some time. I enjoyed some of his coffee so much that my family decided to give me a "starter kit" for Christmas. With Brett's help they selected four kinds of green coffee beans - Honduras Fabio Cabullero, Brazil Fazenda, Java Djampit, and Costa Rica La Candelita.

But the key piece of equipment for any home roaster is the West Bend Poppery II hot air popcorn popper. Believe it or not, we still had one stored away in our basement! Who knows why it hadn't been donated to Goodwill years ago. But by good fortune it found it's way under our tree this Christmas and is now being put back into service. This is taking "regifting" to a whole new level!

With Brett's help I roasted my first batch of beans this weekend. I learned about the different kinds of roast, divits, bean color, chaff, and the second crack. But as much as I enjoyed roasting the beans, I still enjoy drinking coffee even more. I had my first cup of home roasted Java Djampit this morning and it was wonderful!

Home roasted and brewed coffee - one of life's simple pleasures! It's a great way to start the day.

A Great Way To Start The Day

Phil, Todd, Kim and Lance

I love Friday mornings! Here I am with three of the four men that meet together at Panera's every Friday morning at 6:30. John was absent this morning so didn't get included in the picture. We missed you John! It's great to know that at the end of my week I have a place I can go to share my joys, successes and struggles with a small group of men who will listen, care and pray for me. What a great way to begin the morning. I've learned all kinds of things from these men - from how to correctly put a lid on my cup of coffee to the value of friendship and feedback.

Everyone needs a small group of friends for encouragement, support and accoutability. How about you? Do you have a small group that you meet with regularly? What is important to you in a small group? I would love to hear from you.