A new month means it’s time to sit down and catch up over a brew. I’m linking up with Coco and Deb for the April edition of the Ultimate Coffee Date.
I runfess I’ve had lattes before but never one with a fancy heart until I got to California and had TWO within days of each other. One was lavender and the other was Turkish (spiced with cinnamon and cardamom) and both were totally delish.
Over latte I’d tell you I noticed a phenomenon around here lately. I was invited to a “grand re-opening” of a local running store recently. When I arrived, I noticed quickly that the store was remodeled so another business (law offices) could take 3/4 of the original space, leaving the running store a shadow of it’s former self. Sad. This past weekend I took the teenager shopping for new track spikes to a different local running store and found the same thing. It was being remodeled and cut way back in size. Where once they carried all sorts of apparel, now were only a limited array of shoes, socks and not much else. I’m sure online commerce is to blame but still, it’s very sad.
Ozzy’s keeping tabs on the neighborhood
Over latte I’d tell you I’m getting new neighbors. We’ve been in this house for over 17 years. For most of those years a reclusive women lived next door. Over 4 years ago she moved out, leaving the house sitting empty but not on the market for about a year. Then she spent an entire year rehabbing it, followed by a year on the market, a year off the market, then back on. This time around it sold within a few weeks. We’ve basically lived next to an empty house for a looong time so it’ll be interesting to finally have neighbors. I hope we like them!
Over latte I’d tell you I’m thrilled both of my girls are running track this year. Except having them running at two different schools is a challenge. While one has a track meet I wanna go to, the other needs to be picked up and so forth. They’ve got me running all around town even more than I usually do. On top of that mom Nature didn’t quite get the spring memo yet and it’s COLD and WINDY and SNOWY! Winter and outdoor track do not mix. This mama is freezing!
Over latte I’d tell you this was the first year since I’ve been a mom that I did not do Easter baskets. I figured a massive egg hunt would be more than enough, especially since we’d just gotten back from vacation, but I was wrong. I got lots of stink eye and sighs of exasperation. On the other hand I bought enough candy to do both en egg hunt and baskets, so not doing baskets left me with extraneous candy, which is never a good idea….especially those PB eggs and PB M&Ms. I can’t win.
What would you tell me over coffee? Do you like your neighbors? Fave candy?
I’m linking up with Meranda, Lacey and Rachel for the Friday Five.
I had my first latte with a heart a few weeks ago! It almost made me not want to drink it. I hope you like your new neighbors!
I would love to sit and have a cup of coffee with you! Amazon is killing small business! Happy Friday busy lady!
I stopped doing Easter baskets a few years ago (when the two oldest were in college). Although both of the college kids were home for Easter, I thought no one really appreciated the Easter Bunny’s efforts. WRONG. Recently, the kids were asking me why the Easter Bunny has bailed on us in recent years! I totally get your “I can’t win” comment.
I was wondering what was going on with RRS. There was never anyone in there when I shopped there. That’s too bad.
I still do Easter baskets but they are way small. A couple sweet treats and this year a t-shirt. I don’t think they’d complain if I stopped but I figure those years are almost behind me, so I continue.
I love the lattes with the designs on them! The do taste so much better when someone else makes them huh? That’s fabulous that both of your girls are following right in your foot steps with running. I love it! Thanks for joining for coffee 🙂
I love making Easter baskets. Of course I do a basket for Baylee but this year I did an Easter Basket for my parents.
We’ve had quite a few neighbors in the house next to us over the past few years. Just when I get to know them and become friends, they move. Hmmm, maybe it’s me..haha! I hope you like your new neighbors. Perhaps a runner will move next door?
We almost never see our neighbors. We used to chat over the fence until they got a german shepard — the man is a police officer & it was a K9 officer, now retired (although they have another one now & the retired one is their pet). Then they put up a privacy fence. Only on our side — not the other side where there is no dog.
Did they not like us? Our dogs? Whatever.
My WW leader was asking what age you stop doing baskets at. Her kids are in college. 🙂
I am glad that that is something I never had to do!
I live up in the woods and my only neighbors are my parents and grandparents (yes it is very cute, my Aunt lives in my parents basement so we have a little family compound) Because all of our land is right next to each other we treat it like one big property so I can’t imagine having real neighbors with real boundaries.
The opposite happened in Texas when my LRS expanded. I think it doubled from its original size.
I was bummed that ^I^ didn’t get an Easter basket this year — I did go out for Easter donuts though. 😉 I buy most of my running gear in person – I like to try on shoes and clothes. The stores I go to aren’t small, but still seem “empty.” Maybe they just don’t keep much inventory.
I’m having a hard time imagining lavender coffee but Turkish sounds great.
Those lattes are so pretty!
I rarely go to a running store anymore. I buy pretty much everything online. So much easier and convenient. Plus, I can most likely get a discount code.
I hope you like your new neighbors too!! how great for your daughters to be in track!! I hope you post pictures of them running.
This year, I convinced my son to not have an egg hunt or a basket, instead, I bought him the Garmin vivo fit jr 2, and that was his Easter gift. I don’t like buying a bunch of little toys that he will play with once, and forget about, but freak out when I go to donate them. I feel with the Garmin, everybody wins !
It’s too bad that your local running store is hurting. We’re lucky to have a couple of local chains here that are going strong, and I make a point to support them as much as possible.
I hope you like your new neighbors!
While I love the ease of online shopping, I never really buy anything and I bemoan the loss of towns with a main street where everyone shopped…a different time, clearly! I love that your girls are doing track -so fun! I am always watching half of one kids thing and then racing to watch half of the others! Hard, but doable and they will love you for it! Enjoy the candy- that’s part of why we run, right?!
Oh wow, that is so sad that the running stores are being cut back in size. You’d think it would be the opposite. 🙁
Good luck with the new neighbors, hope you get nice ones! And, sounds nice that both of your girls are doing track, well less for all the back and forth stuff.
And, lattes are soooo good! Yummy.
I have some guilt over not doing Easter baskets for my boys either. They really don’t care but I admit that I felt really bad when I saw that their step-mom had done one for them …making me look bad! Lol
Have fun with the girls track meets this year! Only one of my boys ran track for just two season …I really enjoyed it. So much warmer than their soccer seasons! Lol
I think our local running stores are facing similar conditions. It’s hard when online retailers can undercut prices and deliver so quickly. The local running stores have so much knowledge, give such individualized advice, and support the community considerably. So sad!
The Easter Bunny really slacked off at our house this year. We told our son the Easter Bunny was playing an April Fools trick and he came through later in the day…