Visitors Bearing Gifts

I had two visitors this morning.  The Little One came over and brought McDonald's coffee for the husband and I.  We each had the caramel mochas that were so good.  As usual, they were made with my favorite McDonald's crack-infused flavors.  She also brought some little cinnamon treats that are new to the McDonald's menu.  Those treats came in a paper bag.  Nugget loves paper bags so she also got a gift today too.
About an hour after the Little One came over, the Boss came and joined us as well.  She brought some gorgeous roses from her garden.  The blooms were so fragrant and colorful.  Along with the hand-picked flowers, she brought some loose leaf teas to share that she had picked up at the Strawberry Festival last weekend.  Out of the four different teas she brought, the husband picked the chocolate mint.  He said  it was reminiscent of a York Peppermint Patty.  A dark chocolate flavor with a standard mint tea flavor in the background.  The Boss and I had the banana fudge rooibos.  There was pieces of chocolate and dried bananas in the bag.  It smelled like the old banana scratch and sniff stickers I had as a kid.  I'm not usually a rooibos person but this had wonderful flavor.  Like banana and chocolate taste.  The Little One brought some sourdough bread so we had grilled cheese together for lunch and all played with Nugget until I had to leave for work.

She's lovin it.

The all black mug was the husband's.  We will talk about the other mugs later.  Yes, that is a High School Musical mug.

Bloody Good Tea

This tea is a delicious green tea, but my favorite part is that it bleeds.  Well, that's what it looks like.  I realize these photos don't do the color justice.  This goji raspberry green tea has a great fruity, berry taste.  Very flavorful and fun to steep.
I'm training someone new at work so I had her join in on my usual tea break with my other co-worker.  She was impressed with the tea saying that it tasted just like raspberries.  My co-worker enjoys this with me on nights we don't have coffee for our break.
This canister of tea was actually given to me from someone my sister knew.  My sister said the lady didn't like it.  I find that odd because everyone who has tried it, has loved it.  Maybe the unbleached tea bags give off an unattractiveness that wouldn't let her even get to the good stuff.  It is a nice light tea that is good for any time, day or night.

Checking Out the Back Streets of Malibu

Our apartment is just two freeway exits from the Santa Monica Mountains.  Exactly 20 minutes to the beach.  Today is Memorial Day and everyone goes to the beach, even us, but we didn't mean to.
I'd had a bad headache all day but I wanted to get out of the house.  The husband Googled some restaurants and cafes nearby and found one that was located in Malibu.  We didn't bring our swimwear or towels.  I was wearing my usual flip flops and sunglasses.  (That's the beauty of Los Angeles, everyday is a flip flop kinda day.)  We took the scenic route out and when we hit the Pacific Coast Highway, we turned left.  Just two lights down is a street called Cross Creek Road, where we made a left.  Old signs on both side of the street state that we've entered the Malibu Country Mart.  Stores lined both sides of the small side street.  High end boutiques mostly but mixed in was a Coffee Bean, a Chipotle, and of course a Starbucks.  There was a place called the Malibu Lumber Yard.  No construction workers around, it was a mini shopping center that was paneled in dark woods and had interesting aquariums in front of the stores.
We looked and looked for this cafe the husband had found but we finally sat at a bench in the Lumber Yard and Googled it one more time.  Dang, it had been closed down.  Maybe it once sat were the Kitson store is now.  It sounded so good with its advertising of coffee and crepes.  With that news, we decided to walk this wonderful little location and find somewhere else for coffee.
There was a tiny two movie theater, an old fashion country market for sandwiches, sweets, and sodas, and all kinds of upscale clothing stores.  (Free parking!)  Strange, living only 20 minutes away, I've never thought about shopping or dining in Malibu.  Malibu is just where the closest beach is.  Today, that changed.  We spotted an old familiar spot to get food and coffee; Marmalade Cafe.
I decided to get just a regular old cup of coffee.  It was good.  It hit the spot.  While we dined, my friend in Seattle sent us pictures of her day at Pikes Place and I sent her some pictures from our day.  I was reading the tips on this Marmalade Cafe location and it said to look up.  So I did.  A random paper maché animal head looked back down at me.  Weird.  The food was great as always.
We decided to walk it off by crossing the street to the beach.  As we walked, we got a different perspective of Malibu.  We were in people's backyards.  A lagoon to the left and tennis courts in front of us.  It was very different from the Malibu I'm so used to.  The beach itself wasn't very crowded.  I'm not sure if it's because we were in a more secluded location or if it was because there were signs stating, surfers only.  It also could have been because the peak of the beach day had passed.  It was fun being so close to the private beaches and watching the surfers catch the just forming waves.  The tide was starting to come in while we we're there so we saw some pretty good wipeouts and some small waves that we knew in about an hour would be much bigger.
In all, we were only out for probably three hours, including drive time.  It was a nice detour to discover the small town feel at Malibu just because I wanted my daily cup of Joe.

Just a cup of Joe.

Look up!

Just a small portion of the stores in the back streets of Malibu.

The view in the short drive through the Santa Monica Mountains.

Came down the coast and saw the crowds in the popular area of Malibu. 

Backyards we passed and we walked down to the sand.

How much do you think this costs?

Private beach area.  That bird better watch out that he isn't trespassing.

Malibu Lagoon.

Checking out down the coast.

Surf's up, Dudes!

These fish just kept swimming at the store fronts at the Lumber Yard.

Great Coffee, Off Flavor

In a long strip mall in Culver City, my friend found a cute coffee shop called IMC.  IMC stands for Island Monarch Coffee.  They have won several awards for their coffee including best in L.A. in 2015.  Using organic milk and half and half, shade grown beans, GMO free and fair trade organic coffee, seems to all be very important things to this company.  Read more about it by clicking the link below.
http://islandmonarchcoffee.com/
My friend and I ordered the house latte.  The current flavor for the house latte was honey.  Sounded interesting.  Our barista was chatty with no real urgency.  My friend and I talked about how if this was a Starbucks or Coffee Bean we would be really put off by this but since it was a real coffee shop feel, it felt right.  The art on the walls was cool.  I'm sure there is pictures on their Yelp page.  It isn't very big on the inside so we sat outside.
The creamy top to our lattes and the coffee was delicious.  The honey is poured into the bottom of the cup before the 4 shots of espresso is added so you don't get to the honey flavor until you hit the bottom.  The barista said 4 shots because the espresso isn't as strong as it is at chain places.  My friend hit the honey before me and his face lit up.  "Mmmm... Honey", he said.  When I hit the honey, it was a sweet awkward flavor that, even though I ordered a honey latte, I wasn't expecting that taste.  I was not a fan.  Perhaps if I'd stirred it and let the flavors melt together?  Even though that flavor didn't hit me right, the coffee itself was still outstanding.
I'd definitely go back there again.  They have a couple of cute chalkboard menus that listed some pretty good sounding food.  Ample parking with a Target in the same lot.  I just don't find myself in Culver City that often.

Fully Caffinated

Nugget needed a booster shot today, so after we took her in, we wanted to try something neither of us had had before, Vietnamese sandwiches.  There is a place called Saigon Sandwiches over by the vet.  We picked up lunch and drinks and brought it home to listen to our new albums and let the kitten relax.
I know that the Vietnamese like their coffee strong so with our sandwiches, I ordered an iced coffee and the husband ordered a Thai iced tea with boba.  Boy, that was a strong coffee.  It was delicious and so flavorful.  Our sandwiches were good but they placed a chile on the sandwiches and the husband and I each burned our lips with the heat.
I headed to work and knew that I was gonna be training someone all evening in the back offices.  I put my stuff down and signed into my computer but they needed me at the front for a minute.  When I returned to my desk, there was a cup of coffee there waiting for me.  It took me a minute but I realized it was put there by one of my bartenders.  We had talked yesterday about coffee and he remembered to make me a cup today.  Perfectly prepared and made with love.  I could taste the love.
Later in the evening, I got a message from my friend saying she would be in the area.  Her and her puppy, Lily, came by right in time for my lunch.  They brought me coffee!  She had picked up a cappuccino and a mocha from a place called Jeannie's by my work.  They have lots to choose from and I will have to try to head over there soon.  My friend explained the large variety of food they offer that I think I need to check it out for myself.  I took the mocha and she got the cappuccino.  With the cookies she brought us, the three of us (Lily included) sat at the fire pits and enjoyed my lunch break together.  The weather was just right to hang outside at 9pm.  It was really great coffee, possibly related to Peet's coffee.  It got me through another late night with my Night Auditor.
All three of my coffees today we're different but each one made for a relaxing moment on a long Saturday.  I couldn't pick a favorite coffee from today but the people (and dogs) I shared them with, made them wonderful.

A Late Friday

My friend and I, prior to her moving to Seattle, tried to have a standing date to get together every Friday.  Coffee, brunch, shopping, anything to get time to catch up on all the goings on in the world.  Since her move, we are still trying to keep this going through Skype.  So, this afternoon, she grab a cup (or 3) of the Seattle's Best hazelnut coffee and joined me online.
The husband and I decided to crack into another one of our discount Cost Plus moving sale finds.  This time we went for the Chipotle flavored coffee.  The bag advertises a hint of heat so I was a bit on edge before trying it.  Smelling the grinds before pouring, there wasn't much of a different smell then any other regular coffee so it I figured it should be too bad.  We brewed a pot in the French press and it smelled pretty good.  As for the heat, zero.  However, the coffee was flavorful and smokey with a sort of vegetable hint.  I know that sounds like a weird way to describe coffee but the husband said, more specifically, a hint of green vegetable.  I'm glad he got that too.  Zero heat.  Kinda anti-climatic considering there is a big chile on the front of the package.  I'll send this one to my pen pals too and see what they say.
My friend and I chatted about how she should really be unpacking, this weird Rocky and Bullwinkle restaurant/amusement park she was reading about, and whether or not we had plans for the upcoming Memorial Day holiday.  As of now, that's a no for either of us.
I headed into work after chatting with her and had to stay for the late shift.  One of the Night Auditors is on vacation and with this being the busy season, the other one needs the extra set of hands to help.  We got a lot done together and still managed to have a cup of coffee together.  He's so used to this late shift that his coffee was practically gone before I started mine.  He gets the rest of the night to be at work so I don't mind that he got the head start on the coffee.

Very good coffee but definitely doesn't live up to its spicy name.

Lies.

She should really be unpacking but it's Friday.

My Night Auditor makes a good cup of coffee.  He brought me cream too.

Bam!

My morning started off with me feeling terrible.  I rested a bit before deciding to run some much needed errands.  As much as I wanted to do them tomorrow, I figured that if I wanted to get coffee out, I could just do it all in one shot before work.  We headed out and as we waited for traffic to clear, BAM!, I was hit from behind by a woman in an SUV.  We pulled over and saw that there was zero damage to either car.  Thank goodness.
So, the husband and I made our way to accomplishing things.  The bank, the dollar tree, and lunch at Wendy's.  I don't like Wendy's coffee, nor am I a fan of the portion sizes they use for drinks.  Their large is an extra large everywhere else and the medium is everyone else's large, and so on.
We remembered that Coffee Bean was having a sale today.  Between 2-6pm just today, small ice blended drinks were $2.  As we pulled in, I remembered the same lot had a Goodwill bookstore.  I knew they usually carry some really good stuff but I was looking for records.  We hit the bookstore first.  Yup, records for a dollar each.  A lot of Jim Nabors and religious albums.  We got some big band, jazz, and even a lounge club style album.  We also found a cute little toy for our kitten.
At the Coffee Bean, we were brought in by the sale but knew we both wanted something different.  The husband got a cherry blossom tea latte.  I've had it before and it was perfect as always, floral and creamy.  I got a blended matcha green tea latte with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle.  Matcha is a green tea that is finely ground into a powder.  It's used in traditional Japanese ceremonies but I love it's rich flavor.  My drink was delicious.  The husband also made a donation to the troops, as they were selling specialty coffee and tea blends that go to support them.  As I waited for the drinks to be ready, I found something funny on one of the bags of coffee being donated.
That, with the fun afternoon, put me in a great mood.  Although, I went into my work, not the Disney job but my night job, I knew that my health is no longer allowing me to continue to work there, so I put in my two weeks.  I am a hard worker so I will give this job my all for my last two weeks.  Not sure what the future holds yet.  It could be anything.  I just hope there is coffee!

Hehehehe

Nugget with Crunch, her new TY Beanie Baby toy