En Route to Life: Coffee and simple pleasures

Today I am focusing on all the things that just make life a little more comfy. The simple pleasures. I had a stressful week...a great weekend, but a stressful week. Sunday started off pretty great. The Patriots beat the Colts, and it was a close game. That made me happy in two ways: 1. The Patriots won! 2. It was close so I had a good dose of humility which was probably a good thing to have since my boss is a Colts fan. :)

Monday started off fine, but ended up pretty crummy. Someone broke into our house and stole lots of things. They also damaged our garage door and our garage/kitchen entry door badly. I will probably write about that at some point, but that isn't my focus today. It is just one of the reasons I realized I need to enjoy some simple things.
So here are my simple pleasures and treats list. I am going to write down five of my favorite simple pleasures.

1. HUGS I get a pretty cool kick out of hugs from my husband or my son. I like the warmth of a hug. I like how they make me feel...I like hugging my husband or my son so hard that they make little noises. It makes me laugh. Don't feel bad for them; they do the same to me. My husband will hug me and squeeze me again and again and laugh because I look like a giant blond squeeze toy, complete with squeaks and silly grunts. Of course it makes me laugh too which makes the noises come out even better. How can that not be a simple pleasure?

2. Looking up old music videos from the 80s or old commercials. What a blast! I guess again I am looking at the things that make me giggle or laugh. There is a lot of nostalgia there too. I like watching silly old music videos because they take me back in time, and they are so darn cheesy. And old commercials, YIKES! Even better are old foreign commercials. I found one last night that Wham did, and I couldn't believe they actually agreed to it. The members were kind of flying around with this really bright back ground! PRICELESS.

3. I derive MUCH pleasure from saving money. Yep...I don't have a thing for being a skinflint, but it was a necessity thing that I now just love.

For example...I love cutting coupons and using them. I started couponing when I was a single mom quite some time ago. I did not have a lot of money to stretch, and I learned right away that it was important to keep track of sales and use coupons. I managed to keep my son and myself well fed on 200 dollars a month by using coupons and buying things in bulk and freezing.
I also was a thrift store and yard sale nut. There was a store in particular that I was crazy about called Savers. They had HUGE sales a few times a year, and I would line up with 50 to 100 people just waiting for the place to open on their half off day. It was an enormous thrift store and I could pretty much get all of my son's back to school clothes for fall and winter (no kidding here really) for $30. The only things I would not buy there would be undies and socks. Everything else was purchased there. How can you say no to a winter jacket by London Fog for $3.00? When buying for a kid, thrift stores are the best because they don't really have a chance to wreck much when they are little because they grow too fast. That store and many yard sales helped furnish my apartment as well. I could go on and on, because it is a simple thing but also a passion of mine. I probably will one of these days.
Anyway, it is a pleasure for me to save money. If I have a coupon, and I like the item, I'm going to find it and use it. Plus if you save on some things you can splurge on some others.

4. Coffee. A real pleasure...I LOVE waking up to the smell of coffee brewing. I love sitting with a good book while drinking a cup of coffee. I like it hot, iced, and frozen. I will splurge on coffee, but not by going to fancy coffee bars. I have...I just don't do it too much anymore. It is okay occasionally, but I find I enjoy those ventures more if it is a treat.
My home coffee still has to be special, and that is where my splurge is. I do spend a little extra on this. I don't like just any coffee. I like Dunkin Donuts coffee. I make it at home, and that brings down the cost. I like to grind my own beans, but I'll take it preground as well. There isn't a Dunkin Donuts where I live. I developed a love for Dunkin Donuts when I lived in Rhode Island. When I was in college, I would stop at DD on the way to school. I would sip on it in class or drink an icy one while sitting in the quad with friends. When I went out with my friends at night...our last stop would always be DD. We would get the biggest cup we could and drink it while we walked around the neighborhood and talked. DD instills all these great memories. I wont continue, because I don't want to get ahead of myself here.
When I moved back to California, I was pretty bummed to be without my favorite coffee. My friend Kim even mailed me two bags for Christmas. When I shared with another friend, Sylvia what Kim had sent me she said "Dude, you are so lucky! I miss that stuff!" That is how good it is!!!
After I got married, I moved to Arizona. I found out there was no DD here either. About two months after I moved here I was browsing through a flyer and saw that one of the stores was going to start selling DD coffee! I was thrilled! I only buy it now. It is expensive, but worth it, and it is still cheaper than buying coffee house coffee. The way I drink coffee...it is a MUCH better way to go.

5. Going on a road trip. Even if it is just a two hour drive, I enjoy taking a road trip. It is so much fun stopping somewhere you have never been before and eating at a local coffee shop, or taking pictures at a tourist trap. I love the vibe of a tourist area. Everyone is so excited and happy to be going somewhere or coming home from somewhere. People watching is great on a road trip. I also have a thing for a road trip, because my family w

as big into driving to see monuments, national parks, and the biggest ball of twine. Okay, maybe not the biggest ball of twint, but many other items...trust me on this one. Now I have it in me. I traveled all over New England, and my goal is to spend some time traveling all over the west now. It was fun as a kid, but I think I have even more fun with it now that I am an adult.