It's been a while since my last post - partly because I've been busy and kinda forgot I had a blog, and partly because whenever I remembered I needed to update, nothing came to mind...until today. Nothing exciting or inspiring, just a little reminiscing on my part. I was making my coffee this morning, and my new post idea came to me as I was contemplating over which mug to use today.
I realized that most people probably just reach in the cabinet and pull out any mug without think about it. They probably have about 8 of the exact same coffee mugs that they probably registered for and that match their dishes. I, on the other hand chose not to register for matching mugs. I collect mugs...not just mugs I see in a store. My mugs all have a story to go with them. I like the thought of having visitors over and serving them coffee in my special mugs. Then I can tell them the story that goes with the mug they are enjoying their coffe out of. Having a story to go with the mug makes the enjoyment of drinking coffee so much richer.
So today, I decided to pull out my beloved mugs and share them with you.
This mug is my most recent purchase. At the end of May we took our Fourth Graders on a field trip to Austin, TX. We toured the History museum, watched The Spirit of Texas Movie, ate lunch on the capitol grounds, and then Toured the capitol. I couldn't resist picking up a Mug in the capitol gift shop to remember the trip by! Isn't it cute?? Incidently, this is the mug I chose to drink my coffee out of this morning.:)
Speaking of my Fourth graders, this special group of mugs are all gifts from them! I can even tell you which child gave me which one and when (I write it in Sharpie underneath). The tall one with hearts was a Valentines gift. The one with my name on it was an end of the year gift last year. The pink one - Valentines last year. The two identical Starbucks mugs are from two different students for Teacher Appreciation this year, and the Black Starbucks was a Christmas gift. That one, one of the other Starbucks mugs, the Pink one, and the one with my name are all from the same girl. They all know I love coffee and collect coffee mugs. These are very special to me. :)
Sometimes Eric brings me back a mug whenever he goes somewhere on business or whatever. This one he brought back for me when he went to Chicago for work. It is HUGE, and I haven't used it for coffee - he has, but it is also great for soup! I love this one too. :)
This Starbucks mug was also a gift from Eric when he had to go to Seattle for work...lucky guy got to go to the Pike Place Market - the first Starbucks. But he brought me something back to make me feel like I'd been there too! :)
When Eric was interning for Ernst &Young when we were just dating, he got to go to Disney World at the end of the internship. I've NEVER been to Disney World, so I was very jealous. Sweet guy brought me back a mug. Definitely one of my favorites. This one I give to my most special guests who come visit.
My first time to visit Eric's family in Houston when we were dating, Eric took me to Kemah. We walked around the boardwalk, ate dinner at Landry's and I had to stop in a little shop to get a souvenir, which is now my FAVORITE mug of all. Sweet memories. :)
When Eric and I got engaged, we registered in several places including the Hallmark store in Searcy. When you register there, they make you feel so special. You get you own little table with your engagement picture and wedding date, and some of the items you registered for so that people can see it when they walk in. Another thing they did was give us this precious red heart shaped mugs just for registering with them! I had to put a little coffee in them so you could see the shape! So cute!
Because I love coffee so much, part of our favors at our wedding were these black mugs with our names on them that guests could fill with candy - from our candy bar, and take with them to remember out big day! This is also a VERY SPECIAL mug to me.
On our one year anniversary, Eric and I went to San Antonio, and stayed in a hotel on the River-walk. It was so nice to get away and celebrate our anniversary together. We hung out on the River walk and had drinks, and we also went to the Ripley's Believe it or Not museum. Later we walked over to the Alamo and toured that as well, and of course, I couldn't resist stopping by the gift shop to pick up a mug to remember the trip by. There were several different mugs to choose from, but I liked the antique look of this one. Second favorite mug. :)
Ok, now a few from my college days. When I was a Junior, we had a Retreat - a coffee house retreat actually, headed up by my best friend Bonnie - fellow coffee enthusiast. There were several different varieties of coffee there, and colorful mugs to drink out of and keep. This is a unique mug that I took from that retreat. Super cute.
These mugs I bought as a High School Senior actually. I have four of them. Two red, two white. I used them in my dorm room all throughout college. I actually thought I was going to one day decorate my kitchen in Cherries and go back to Kohl's and get the rest of the dishes that match these! Haha, well things change, but I still love these mugs. They were my firsts! ;)
My sweet sister gave me a gift when I was in college. My favorite movie is You've Got Mail. In that movie, there are 3 of my favorites: Books, Coffee, and Fall! Hannah combined those into a gift for me! Sweet sister. I got a children's book about October by Eve Bunting - great author, and super cute book. She also gave me this cute Fall mug, which is my favorite every fall! Super special mug.
When my sweet friend Bonnie went to HUG (Harding University in Greece), she was greatly missed, but met her sweet husband there, so it was definitely worth it!! She, knowing my love for coffee, brought me back this GORGEOUS mug from Greece! Well and an adorable Egyptian Ring! :) I love this mug because it's different, from a foreign country, and was a gift from a very dear friend!
When Bonnie got Married in Destin, FL, Eric and I went to Fudpuckers while there. I picked up this mug there to remember it, but it kinds ruined in the dishwasher. The paint kinda rubbed off, and I don't use it just for fear it will ruin more. It's just a sweet memory. :)
I love my coffee mugs, and I know one day I will have to have one whole cabinet just to keep them all! I am sure Eric would love that! So, if your ever visiting a special place, and feel like bringing me back a souvenir, walk away from the T-Shirts and keychains and towards the commemorative mugs. And if you ever come visit and sit down for coffee with me, be prepared for a story on your mug and you enjoy your coffee! :)
