Abigail M. Schilling

That's right, it's high time I blogged about coffee.

Coffee is a serious part of my life. So serious, that sometimes, when Heather decides to move out for 6 weeks and party in the middle of nowhere I have to make do all by my lonesome and since I can't make coffee myself (I don't want to talk about it) I actually went to Starbucks every day for three weeks. Did I mention I work so close to Starbucks that it was decided yesterday we could actually have some sort of pulley from our suite to the espresso bar?

When I was young and dramatic I decided that I, Abigail M. Schilling, would never drink coffee. Coffee was addictive and gave my mom headaches and controlled every morning of my childhood.

Sally would always have to have the coffee before leaving the house. She couldn't do anything without having the coffee and then she would always bring the mug into the car and it never crossed her mind to invest in a travel mug so there would always be the challenge of not sloshing the coffee and then half way to school she would open her door WHILE DRIVING and pour out the remaining cold coffee. Every day that was my life.

And like all good daughters I decided I would never be my mother. In high school, the kids starting drinking coffee in the summers at camp because we were working all day and staying up all night and I said, "no." I held strong to my convictions and was tired all the time.

In college, when I was playing all day and staying up all night I started drinking Code Red Mountain Dew (do they even still make that?) from the dorm lobby vending machine every single night to say awake. It didn't even taste that good and it was starting to turn my teeth pink.

And then, somewhere in there (read: I was probably flirting with boys) I was suddenly drinking coffee. All the time.

Now every morning, I curl up in the living room to read until Heather gets up. She starts the coffee before hopping in the shower. I don't need the coffee. I don't get headaches or hangovers. I love the coffee, I love the ritual, I love the third place. (And I'm not my mother.)