Coffee ☕️ Love

Kevin got an espresso machine for his birthday in December and he’s been making all kinds of yummy drinks that have been a treat to photograph.

Coffee Date

Untitled by Jacqueline and Kevin Reape on 500px.com

If we were on a coffee date, we’d head somewhere local. As usual, I’d choose an iced chai latte over coffee or anything else. It’s over 100 degrees with the heat index (not to mention as muggy as all get out), so we’d stay inside and huddle in a booth for as long as we both could get away.

If we were on a coffee date, I’d ask what’s up with you. Then I would ask again because I’m finding that this tactic really gets to the real stuff and neither of us would be surprised that I’m skipping right over small talk.

If we were on a coffee date, the enneagram would obviously come up. I’d ask if you know your “type” yet and if you didn’t, I’d sit there while you looked at the type descriptions and I might even encourage you to take a quiz. There’s a lot of options out there and a lot of research to really dig into. I’d tell you all about reading The Road Back to You last month and we’d talk about how I’m a type 8, also known as the challenger. I’d tell you that I cried when I found out because, while I felt like it described me, I didn’t feel like it was describing someone who followed Jesus and loved other people. It’s taking a little getting used to, but I’m embracing it now and using it to my advantage.

If we were on a coffee date, we’d talk about my bathroom remodel. We’ve been working on the details of this for over three months at this point, so it’s about time that we get to work on it. Kevin and I are lucky to have lots of family and friends offering to help with our first big home project. I can’t wait to share more about it here.

If we were on a coffee date, we’d have to discuss the Caps winning the Stanley Cup. While it would have been awesome to see the Golden Knights win in their inaugural season, a lot of people didn’t feel the team was “fair” because of the way the expansion draft worked. That being said, I’m really happy to see Oshie holding the cup, I knew it was going to happen eventually, I just wish it would have been with the Blues. Also. This video.

If we were on a coffee date, we’d discuss all the summer plans. We don’t have too much planned other than a trip to California and I’m not mad about it. I’m contemplating starting a 101 in 1001 project where you share 101 goals you hope to complete in 1001 days (or 2.75 years). I found out about this some time ago, but it never really felt like the right time. I have a lot of fun things I want to do, so now just might be the time to try it out.

What would you tell me if we were on a coffee date?


Today I’m linking up with Erin for her monthly coffee date linkup. Join Us!

Coffee Date

If we were on a coffee date, we’d be sitting inside the coffee shop in a cozy little booth. We’d talk about how we shouldn’t have to sit inside during April and how we would much prefer chilly spring weather. We’d shake our heads and I’d definitely complain about two snowfalls already in April.

If we were on a coffee date, I’d ask what you did for Easter. After staying in town for Easter last year, we decided to go to St. Louis this year. We kept it pretty low-key and didn’t make plans other than church on Saturday evening and brunch with my family on Sunday. Just as well because they ended up calling for snow, so we high-tailed it back home. Kevin and I ended up doing a little spring cleaning while it snowed which ended up being a great way to wrap up the weekend.

If we were on a coffee date, we’d talk about Instagram and I’d drudge some of my old photos. For some reason I scrolled all the way back to the beginning of my instagram feed and I felt two things: 1) completely embarrassed at what I posted and 2) a very strong urge to delete all my social media and crawl into a hole. I feel similarly about old blog posts that are floating around on the world wide web. This is my 3rd blog in 8 years (no, I’m not sharing links…HA!) and going back to those old ones makes me cringe. What’s worse is at the time I was really proud of it…am I going to feel that way about this blog in 10 years’ time?

If we were on a coffee date, I’d have to follow up the previous conversation with one about other ways we keep our memories. In addition to the internet, I pretty much keep every paper I’ve ever written on and every photo ever printed by me or for me. Each time I go home, I spend time looking at photo albums kept by my parents and grandparents. I absolutely love photos and stories and I want to be the owner of mine. I currently keep journals and scrapbooks but have started feeling the overwhelm of too much stuff and expectations on what I should be documenting.

If we were on a coffee date, we’d have to talk about all kinds of sports. My beloved Blues didn’t make it to the playoffs, Cardinals aren’t really off to a great start, and MPJ is going to the draft. I was hoping for a Rickie Fowler win at the Masters and he came in second place. I guess you could say that it’s not really the sports year I’m always hoping for. Kevin has been getting more into eSports, so we’ve been cheering on the Overwatch League as well. We don’t necessarily have a home team yet, so we’re just rooting for eSports in general.

What would you tell me if we were on a coffee date?

Coffee Date

If we were on a coffee date, we would grab our drinks and head to a park. It’s cooled down considerably in the last week or two, so it’s only natural to want to spend as much time outside as possible. We have some spectacular parks so we’d go to the one we haven’t been to in a while. I’d definitely be drinking something iced, or maybe even frozen if I’m feeling a little wild.

If we were on a coffee date, I’d bring you a shopping bag full of tomatoes. Our little garden is flourishing and I couldn’t be more excited not only to pick them but to share them with others as well. I never imagined I’d have to hold onto the hem and fill my shirt with veggies to be able to carry them all back to the house.

If we were on a coffee date, I’d ask how you keep track of your calendar and tasks. I’ve been asking people about their favorite planners and checking some out online. I’ve been doing bullet journal style planning and while I don’t hate it, the process does require a decent amount of time and I want to make sure there isn’t anything that I’m missing out on. I know that there are a lot of gorgeous ones out there, so I might even show you some IG photos of planners I’m crushing on (particularly Get To Work Book and the Illustrated Faith Planner).

If we were on a coffee date, my hair cut would inevitably come up. I had a terrible experience with a new-to-me stylist prior to my appointment but was quickly able to get in with my regular lady. I was mostly looking for a fresh set of ideas to wrangle this curly hair, but regardless, I’m happy with how it turned out. I got about 2 inches cut off and her go-to styling of my hair always ends up looking like this, but shorter.

If we were on a coffee date, I’d ask what things you do in your life to create space. I read an article Rachel wrote about creating space and haven’t stopped thinking about how I can create space and quiet in my own life. I’d admit that I’m a busy body and am constantly reading self-help books with all of the answers, “all you have to do is _____”. They can be super helpful in making progress because I really do want to be the best version of myself, but they can also really wear me down. I’d ask your advice in the area of balance and tell you I’m already considering that as my word of the year for 2018.

If we were on a coffee date, our reading list would obviously come up after our topic. I’ve already passed up my GoodReads goal of 15 books and I’m not stopping anytime soon, although I do imagine I’ll be slowing down a bit due to some reading I’ll have to start doing for work. I’m trying to vary the genre of books that I’m reading a little more to get away from self-help. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with all of the amazing books in the world, knowing that I’ll never come close to reading even 1% of what the world has to offer.

What would you tell me if we were on a coffee date?


Today I’m linking up with Erin for her monthly coffee date linkup. Join Us!

Coffee Date

If we were on a coffee date, I definitely wouldn’t be drinking coffee. Even though I love every darn thing about coffee shops, I just can’t bring myself to drink bitter brown water. I’d ask you when you started drinking coffee and how it happened. Hopefully you’d offer me some advice, because I so badly want to enjoy it but I can hardly even choke down a traditional latte unless it has 5 million pumps of syrup. I’d tell you I’m trying to quit soda and that I obviously need another caffeine outlet. Today I’d be drinking a chai latte instead.

If we were on a coffee date, I’d reluctantly admit that my phone problem really hasn’t improved since I gave it up for lent. I’d tell you that it’s the number one thing affecting my relationship with Jesus right now and that I should probably set better boundaries for when and how I use social media. I’d ask for your suggestions and joke about downgrading to a phone that doesn’t support the internet.

If we were on a coffee date, I’d probably encourage you to use the candles, notebooks, wine, and all of the good smelling soap that you reserve for guests. I read a blog post a while back (and I apologize, I can’t find the link) about lighting candles and how one day your home will be full of things that are too precious for you to use. I’d ask why we think we aren’t good enough for those fancy things and I’d remind you that you are good enough. This little chat with you would be doing my heart just as much good and it would remind me of all the blank journals that are waiting at home for a worthy trip or some good idea to fill them up.

If we were on a coffee date, I’d probably change the subject to KonMari and the idea of minimalism. I’d laugh while telling you that the other day someone called me “kind of a minimalist”. Even though I don’t love to keep items that I don’t need or use regularly, I’m not really sure how I feel about the connotation that brings about. We’d talk about the joys of a fresh, clean space and I’d wonder aloud if there’s a better word for it. Then I’d ask all the questions about what makes you feel comfortable in your space.

If we were on a coffee date, we’d talk about my new camera. I’d tell you about all of the specs and how many photos I’ve already taken of our dog, Chloe, but I wouldn’t be embarrassed by a number well over 100. I’d show you the amazing wifi feature that allows me to send photos to my phone and I’d probably ask if I could take a photo of you with your coffee. Chances are, I’d IG that so fast.

If we were on a coffee date, we’d talk about what Jesus is doing in our lives. I’d admit that I’ve been having a hard time seeing my purpose and the bigger picture and how I feel like life is passing me by as I stand to the sidelines watching. It’s not that I don’t love my life and the things I’m doing, I just want to know that the life I’m living is what God has for me and not what I want for myself. I’d probably go on to explain that I’ve been prayerfully evaluating a lot of things I do on a regular basis to figure out my “why” for doing each of them. The only thing I can say for sure is that I’m supposed to keep blogging. The rest is still up in the air.

What would you tell me if we were on a coffee date?


Today I’m linking up with Erin for her monthly coffee date linkup. Join Us!

About

Hi, I'm Jacqueline - believer, learner, and all around hobby enthusiast. I'm married to my highschool sweetheart, Kevin, and we live in the midwest with our sweet pup.

On this blog I share all kinds of things about my life - from my faith journey to the garden in my neighbors backyard. I've been blogging for almost eight years and use this space as a way to document my daily life.

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the internet.