Who Wants Coffee?!

There used to be a day when no one cared about the "taste" of coffee. Whoever drank it, only did it for the caffeine boost... which explains the creation of terrible tasting, instant coffees, and even canned Folgers. Mom and pop coffee shops existed then, but struggled to survive being that their only clients were friends and family, supporting their small business endeavor.

Then came Starbucks. It seemed like "from out of nowhere"... Starbucks came and literally BECAME the Coffee Industry as we know it today. You weren't cool if you drank anything BUT Starbucks. Yes, it was pricy, but that didn't matter, because it just tasted sooo good...and there was just nothing else comparable, not to mention the "trendiness" factor.

Speaking as an Ex-Starbucks Barista (and a HUGE Howard Schultz fan), I can't knock the company that gave me and so many others a great job, and even bragging rights as an employee! But what I can say, or at least agree with is a quote from an article I read this morning...

"Starbucks has become too successful for its own good, and has been swamped by competition offering the same blends, atmosphere, and more, for a lot less. There is no differential advantage in ambience to speak of, no smug connoisseur mentality for its patrons as a bragging right, and no elevation from the ordinary working class coffee drinker in price. Its lead has been dissipated and its attraction diminished by its own ordinariness as a neighborhood soda fountain serving coffee in various forms. It is in hot water. It may soon be renamed Starbust."

I don't know about the whole 'StarBUST' thing, but I know for sure that Starbucks isn't so much 'the trend' any more. In fact, I believe Starbucks CREATED coffee connoisseurs to its own demise. I know the differences between different coffee roasts, and even how each drink is made. I also know that the newer coffee shops put more effort into each Latte, and that's what I care about! Don't steam my milk twice Starbucks. I know it's still usable at a certain temp, but I want fresh milk please!

While Starbucks is slumping and spending time trying to get back on track, improving quality and service, newer, more hip Coffee joints are offering incredible deals and great tasting coffee in attempts to conquer their Goliath while he's down and vulnerable.

How fascinating!

In the meantime. I'm enjoying my local Caribou where I get 10 cents off my coffee everyday when I answer a daily trivia question correctly (or even incorrectly), of course they've integrated free WIFI, and even books for my sons to look at when I have to bring them with me! They always offer free refills when we're there for our marathon meetings, and they just seem happy when we're there (southern hospitality might have something to to with that). And...when I don't want to leave my house for a cup of coffee, my FAVORITE dark roast is Duncan Donuts Orignial Blend that they sell at my local grocery store!


Who would have thought that Duncan Donuts would get on the bandwagon?! Who's next? Taco Bell?!!

Anyway...There's a Starbucks a block away from my house, and I'm looking forward to walking in there someday...when I have a reason to.

Knowing what I do about Howard Schultz, He has some tricks up his sleeves. I can't wait to find out what they are!

For Grandma and Grandpa...

And everyone else who just can't seem to get enough Faiai in their bloodstream!

Happy Birthday, Momma!

I'm forever grateful that God blessed me with the greatest mom in the world! I love you and miss you mom. Your grandsons miss you too. Please come visit soon! Cameron has a birthday present for you. He wanted to mail it, but I told him the postman wouldn't let us put grapes in the mail!





I can't take credit for being the first one to wish you a happy birthday. Steve beat me to it. If you missed the link,
------> CLICK HERE <-------

Love,
Lauren

Getting a Life!

Getting a life beyond Church was one of the first things on our agenda when we started planning our move out here. We've literally scoured the town for extra curricular activities that peak our interest. We're also just trying to make as MANY contacts as we can, because we've found that the more people we know, the more there is to do! Establishing play groups for the kids is tricky just because it's still pretty cold here. Too cold to take the kids to the park on a consistent basis. It should start warming up in March...(so that's what I hear) We'll see. About 2 weeks ago I found an ad on Craigslist for a softball league. I figured I'd call and check it out. I had no idea it was going to be way more serious than my co-ed team in SD! Holy Cow! They had me try out before they added me to the roster. I was pretty nervous. Thankfully the tryout went fine and I was able to pick out my number "5" and my jersey yesterday! We'll be practicing every week, and we'll have games on Wednesdays and Thursday nights. That pretty much covers my week nights!

I'm in the middle of making a decision about where Cameron will attend pre-school. The plan is to have him in school by the fall! That sounds crazy. I can't believe my baby boy is already going to be in pre-school in a few months.

Riley spends most of his spare time listening to his iPod. It's pretty funny. The boy will seriously sit on the floor holding the earpiece in his ear and listen to his favorite songs for an hour at a time! I made him his own playlist.

Behind where we live is a place called Frankie's. It's a combination between Dave and Busters and Boomers. Not as kiddie as Boomers, but it has an inside arcade and outside rides including 3 go cart race tracks. Anyway, we went there last night and had a really fun time. Cameron and I drove a race car, we played put put golf and played some arcade games inside. Cameron was SOOO tired by the end of our night, his eyes were literally closing when he was on one of the kiddie rides inside the arcade. Malae and Carla came with us and Ashlee and Carlee Towns met us there. We'll definitely have to go back...next time...without the boys!!




Since I never take pictures of my Riley boy, here are a couple from the mall the other day. He's totally got the curly hair going on, by the way. It's going to be just like Cameron's. If I could only find a way to keep all that hair under control!

I needed a new pair of shoes, so I went to my favorite shoe store this morning to check out the selection. Cameron went with me. I told him that we'd get him a pair of shoes too (he always needs new shoes), so I picked some slip on tennis shoes out for him and then found a pair for me. While I was finishing putting my shoes back on, Cameron came around the corner wearing these bad boys:



Yes...half croc/half lightning McQueen sandal looking things. I told him to take them off, but he told me "they're only 20 bucks, mom!" (they we're $19.99- He was pretty close). I told him they were too goofy and that he couldn't walk around wearing them. After this very sad face:



Steve sat him down on one of the shoe fitting stools and told him that they could make a deal. If he went 2 nights in a row without wetting his bed, daddy would get him the shoes. "Is that a deal?" Steve asked..."No deal!" Cameron said. Then he told us he was "just kidding", and said that we don't have to get him the shoes because he said his grandma is going to get them for him when she comes! "Oh yea! Good thinking Cameron. I'm glad we didn't get them. Grandma would be sad if she came here and you already had them!"



Reasoning with a three year old isn't easy. After this interaction, I'm wondering who really reasons with who!

Cameron has a message...

...for his friends in San Diego!
(Sorry for the low quality...I was on a time crunch)

Another Big Win Weekend at C.A.T.T.

With the addition of a nice screen, small P.A. system, a GREAT violinist/Electric guitar player, and a few more people...This past weekend set the bar for our next few services leading up to our "First Look" in March.

I've always been a fan of using technology in the Church as a multi sensory way to connect people with God. Although a service with minimal lights, sound and graphics can be just as compelling, there's something about the extra effort put into enhancing sound and video that just takes a weekend service to a different level.

This weeks service elements included a thick 4 song music run,



a "MyStory" segment,


Announcement/Update and an interactive response time,


Lee talked about persecution and how it relates to us,


And we watched an INCREDIBLE video that some of us had seen at the Leadership Summit last year. This video highlights the history of the Church through the ages by chapters, fast forwarding from one to the next. At the end, we're reminded that WE are writing the next chapter of the Church! What will the church in our day in age look like a decade from now? Such a cool message for us especially as a new local church.

After we cleaned everything up, we went to a friends house for a few high fives and chill time. We laughed like crazy for most of the night...in fact, I didn't realize until we Got home that it was almost 2AM...oops. I blame it on Lee...the comedian!




This weekend was a big win! By faith, we'll trust that next weekend will be even better!