An Ode to my Coffee Maker.

To my dearest Coffee Maker...

I want to start off by apologizing for my initial mistreatment of you and the years of neglect you endured at my hands. I didn't realize how amazing and easy it was to make coffee at home, as I never was what you would call a 'Morning Person.' I hope this past year of over-use has made amends for those rocky first years and that we live a long, happy life together.

We've walked a long road, haven't we Coffee Maker? You've been here since the beginning. Before the beginning, actually. I remember opening your big box on my future-mother-in-laws dining room table. You were a gift that was delivered by friends who weren't going to be able to make it to our wedding and I was thrilled. A coffee maker for our counter! Did I even make or drink coffee back then? I don't remember...but everyone registered for a coffee maker so that's what I did too.

You were promptly moved into our first apartment and ignored, but you're black so you looked nice sitting atop the counter. August came around and we packed you up and moved you down the street to a new house. The first home we shared together...the first kitchen you could call your own. You collected dust sitting on the counter while I finished my last semester of college...always tired, always stressed about classes and parking tickets...never fully understanding the magical powers you possessed if only I would let you brew me a cup or two.

Years went by. Occasionally I would let you make me some coffee, but it came in phases and conditions had to be perfect. If I didn't have flavored coffee + hefty amounts of creamer in the fridge...it was just easier to ignore you. This is something I'm not proud of, but I became a social coffee drinker. I would meet friends for a mocha or drink a coffee concoction on the deck with Josh's family...but I never committed to spending time with you and drinking coffee on my own.

I believe it was sometime in the fall of 2013...you became more appealing to me. I'm not sure how or why...but I started firing you up at parties, family gatherings, afternoons when coffee just seemed to 'make sense.' The first big project I remember you seeing me through was the fixer upper acreage we purchased. I had so many long nights and weekends out there painting and cleaning and painting some more, followed by working full-time and coaching cheer. I suddenly knew I needed you. I even drug you out the acreage a couple of times (though it was usually easier to pick coffee up on our way out of town and throw away the cup). You were gradually making your importance known.

I switched from drinking frappacinos and mochas to lattes...a subtle but exciting change. There would be days every once in a while after a big week or an especially late night where I would utter the common phrase, 'I need coffee this morning.' I still kept you an arms length away...a treat for special occasions, gatherings, trips, etc. But you never wavered...always there when I needed you...just waiting for the right time.

Our relationship strengthened that spring when I hosted countless showers at church and in our home. Old church ladies expect coffee. And now that I'm one of those church ladies always throwing showers...it just felt natural to pour myself a cup of coffee (creamer was always needed at this point) and mingle. You really proved yourself when I spent two weeks sanding, staining, and sealing our kitchen cupboards. Family came over to help and all I could offer them was coffee because the kitchen was a mess...I plugged you in wherever you fit and you brewed amazing coffee from horrendous places like the bathroom floor, Coffee Maker. It was during that reno project I realized I could no longer go on living my life without you as an active part of it.

Over time I became more dependent...your smell, your taste...the liquid energy you would bring me each morning and afternoon. Soon I was making cups at work most every morning and slowly realizing the role you were starting to take on. When I got pregnant my first question was, "I can't have coffee for nine months?!" I needed you then more than ever to get through that first trimester alive. Nurses assured me one cup a day was fine, and at that point...that's more than I needed! I didn't know what the future held...

During those nine months, I learned I could totally depend on you. The renter in our basement ended his contract and moved leaving a huge mess behind. You came in clutch for a week while I kept your pot full and our mom's came over for a glorious cup followed by hours of helping me clean and paint. That same spring, Josh finished the beautiful tile in our dining and living room but it was my job to grout and seal 500+ square feet...while I was six months pregnant. You were there for me when the grouting seemed to never. end. I knew if I could make a cup of your goodness in the afternoon after work, I could work on those floors until midnight if I had to. Together, that's what we did.

Maverick arrived in September and as soon as we got home from the hospital I put you to work every morning...and sometimes again in the afternoon. While you're aroma fills the house, I feed the baby, clean up the kitchen, make the bed, and watch The Today Show. After an especially bad night, you are the reason I survived another day with a newborn. You're an integral part of my morning and I look back now and wonder...how did I ever live without you? My only regret is that I didn't let you into my mug sooner.

What a wild ride it's been, dear Coffee Maker. I drink the coffee you make black now...no cream, no sugar...pure and simple coffee the way it's meant to be. You've seen me through good times, bad times...times when we thought renovating an old farmhouse was a good idea. I think about our future together...the homes and the babies and the new jobs you'll see me through. The Thanksgivings and movie nights and family dinners you'll be apart of. I can't wait to grow old with you on my counter. What I want to say is...thank you, Coffee Maker. Thank you.

Mollie