It’s not the fanciest resort you’ll find on the lake, but it has free mini golf so the kids love it.

This morning I enjoyed a delicious ham egg and cheese scramble along with quite possibly the best cup of coffee I’ve ever tasted. No I didn’t go to the hotel restaurant or a local coffee shop. I cooked the eggs in the microwaved. [A process we've perfected after living in hotels so much before Joel deployed.] And of course… I brought the coffee with me. [Sorry, I can't remember what kind of coffee I roasted last... it tastes like a Sumatran maybe... not sure. Very rustic, low acidity.]

Has it really been over a year since my last “Morning Cup” post? How has this happened?

Rachel gave me this “Hope” coffee mug last August. This morning it held freshly roasted Indonesian Flores - Bajawa Highlands “mildly floral and nutty with aromatic wood hints.”

The photo shows my hope mug in candle light. I’ve taken to lighting a candle when I pray in the morning… not so much for religious, liturgical, or mystical reasons… but because my new closet smells like a litter box… and now you know.

Either that coffee is really weak or I actually do drink water. I awoke at five a.m. still feeling yesterday’s caffeine swirling through my veins.

Back to studying Cross-Cultural Ministry.

Tonight, I sleep.

Panama Lot 12686 - “At City+ a lively, bright cup with snappy acidity. At FC+ a darker tonal range, plumy.”

With an exotic name like that it’s got to be good… Tom didn’t spend much time writing the label explanation on this one either. The review isn’t even on Sweet Maria’s site anymore. I had to use Google Cache to find it. I wonder if that says anything about the quality of this cup?

Guess I’ll find out when I drink it…

[next morning]

Yeh, it’s not so great. I’m kind of relieved. I would have hated for it to be the best coffee I’d ever had, knowing I couldn’t buy it ever again… - Wow that’s very philosophical. Let me think about that… Would I really forgo something great simply because I knew I’d never get it again? Would you? For some reason that reminds me of a Garth Brooks song.
—
“I could have missed the pain
But I’d of had to miss the dance ”
—
One thing that is definitely worth missing: My new coffee grinder. I really, really don’t like my coffee grinder. It’s so very inconsistent… well that’s not true. It consistently crushes my lovingly home roasted coffee into sad chunks and pointless powder. Plus it’s really loud… and I wake up really early. I’d love to have a nice hand crank coffee mill. One that is adjustable and good for everything from a French press to Turkish coffee.

While looking for a high quality, low price coffee mill [yeh like that's going to happen] I ran into a Web site that makes me wish I knew something… anything about tea.

Check out Adagio Teas.

Speaking of tea reminds me of my Mom and Patti. I think of mom because I think she’d like the stuff Adagio sells. I think of Patti because she gave me a cute little teapot for my birthday… which reminds me of a conversation Rachel and I had last night. She made a very true statement during our IM conversation. She said that having good online friends is bittersweet.

It really is. While they’re such a blessing, it really does hurt a bit to not be able to just go hang out with a good friend every once in a while. Here I am sharing life every day with friends that live across the country and we can’t share a cup of coffee… or tea.

Life really would be better if I could go to breakfast at Hardee’s with Patti more often. And really, these late night conversations with Holly would be much better with pizza.

Sumatra Classic Mandheling - Low-toned, caramel-chocolate roast taste, fruity-earthy hints, bittersweet finish, heavy body

Today is yet another intense homework day. So I made a French pot full of this freshly roasted Sumatran. It’s good at first but sours as it cools. Maybe it needs to rest another day… or maybe I didn’t roast it dark enough… or maybe I just don’t really like it. It is still better than anything you’d find at Starbucks…

I think perhaps I better have another cup and make sure I didn’t judge it too quickly.

Brasil FTO Poco Fundo - Full City to FC+: A funky, fruited flavor profile, with winey berry notes, nut, chocolate, and great body.

I haven’t written a morning cup post for a while. I’ve been wholeheartedly attacking a semester’s worth of homework. This leaves me with little time or energy for blogging.

This is great coffee, caution is suggested though. Taken in large doses after several days of no sleep mixed with an entire book about cross-cultural ministry… it can lead to a pretty devastating coffee crash. I do believe my blood caffeine level was well above the legal limit… even in the state of Washington.

Don’t worry though… I noticed the error of my ways and didn’t consume a drop of caffeine yesterday. I know you don’t believe that. But it’s true.

At the Chaplain Candidate Fellowship picnic I drank only water, root beer and sprite… all caffeine free.

We spent 5 hours at the park with good food and friends. This picnic was so much more enjoyable than the last one I went to. Last time I didn’t know anyone… Now nine month later, those strangers have become great friends. A few have graduated and will move on. But the great thing about this group is that graduation doesn’t really mean goodbye. We’re all going into the Chaplaincy. Somehow it just seems like a matter of time before we’ll bump into each other again. Either at a Chaplaincy conference or on a military base somewhere in the world.

Yemen Mokha Sana’ani - “At Full City: Complex, chocolatey, exotic profile with clove, tobacco, dried fruit (apricot)”

Finishing up the last of my “funky foresty” coffee, I started roasting the Yemen coffee this morning. I had hoped it would be just right for an afternoon study break… but Tom says it needs to rest for two days to develop the full body. I need to be patient.

It smells great while roasting…. ahhhh I love the smell of roasting coffee. It’s even better than the scent of Barnes & Noble. I wish I could drink a cup of it right now.

I stayed up late reading about grief and trauma. It has taken me too long to read these books. I’ve had a difficult time focusing and staying motivated. Last night I read a few Psalms and prayed, asking God to remind me of why I’m doing this. I asked for a renewed enthusiasm about school and the ministry I’m preparing for.

I miss my husband. I sometimes feel I shouldn’t miss him so much. After all, this is what I’ve signed up for. I’ll be deployed someday. I should be stronger than this… I realize these thoughts are ridiculous.

I’m not now where I need to be as a Chaplain. But that’s OK. That’s what this time of preparation is for. For learning, for growing, for preparing. Joel’s deployment is just as much a part of my education as the classes I’m taking and the papers I write.

I’m sometimes frustrated that I have to wait so long before serving as a Chaplain. I wish I could be there now. But like a good cup of Yemen Mokha Sana’ani… I need to wait. I need time to develop. I need to be patient.