Coffee With A Stranger Cup 101 Tammy Shaklee

Cup 101: Tammy Shaklee – Matchmaker, card player, Vespa driver.

The Place: Austin Java The Cup: A cup of coffee for me, and Tammy grabbed an iced tea and salad. The Background: Cup 17, Thom Singer thought Tammy was someone I needed to know, so a month or so ago, he made an email introduction to Tammy and I. Tammy said it sounded like fun, so she […]

Coffee With a Stranger Who's Next

My First 100 Cups: A Reflection and A Forward Glance

It Started With A Quote I could never have predicted the impact that quote would have on my life. I read the words of Charlie “Tremendous” Jones and was struck by their truth. And the truth of the statement made me immediately wonder how I was doing. An avid reader, I decided to give myself […]

Coffee With A Strange Cup 99 Jeff Miller

Cup 99: Jeff Miller – Optimist, pop music fan, and survivor.

The Place: Lola Savannah The Cup: It was Friday, so Jeff and I both decided to live it up. I had a chai latte, complete with a little cinnamon art on top. Jeff chose a yummy mocha frappe. We were both pleased with our choices. The Background: I got an email the other day from my good pal […]

Coffee With A Stranger Cup 98, Jackie Huba

Cup 98: Jackie Huba – Little Monster, Loyalty Evangelist, and Drag Queen

The Place: The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf The Cup: After 3 PM means I had tea – Chai Rooibos to be exact. Jackie had a hot tea latte. The Background: My dear friend and former stranger, Cup 86, Ray Bard asked me if I’d read a book called Monster Loyalty: How Lady Gaga Turns Followers into Fanatics. We’d been […]

Coffee With A Stranger Cup 97 Courtney Clark

Cup 97: Courtney Clark – Author, Community Service Champion and Resiliency Guru

The Place: Fair Bean The Cup: Regular old coffee for me and Courtney opted for no beverage. The Background: Cup 17, Thom Singer and I met for a catch-up coffee the other day and he mentioned having recently met Courtney and thought I’d enjoy knowing her as well. Thom knows the rules – don’t tell me too much, […]

Costa Rica Adventure: Week 17 – Until We Meet Again

Final days; so full of busyness – winding down and saying goodbyes while making preparations for what lies ahead.  Emotions range from the sadness that comes from leaving friends, disappointment from having to cut the experience short, leaving questions of what could have been, excited anticipation at seeing family, friends and our dogs again and […]

Costa Rican Adventure: Week 16 – What Have We Missed?

There’s a type of question we frequently get asked, regarding this Costa Rican Adventure, that begins like this: “Don’t you miss____?” Fill that blank in with whatever you’d like. Air conditioning, craft beer, Tex-Mex, bookstores, Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Today, I will answer all those questions as well as share the things we thought we’d miss, […]

Costa Rica Adventure: Week 15 – Letting Go

I read this quote after making a really tough decision, and immediately recognized it’s truth.  Worthwhile advice – none of which comes easily, but that last part – letting go when things don’t go as planned…for me that’s the toughest. My whole life has been about making plans, setting goals and working to achieve them. […]