I know I don't write nearly as much as I used to and sometimes I feel bad about that. It's just that most times when I think about writing I'm in too much of a hurry to sit down and type! But I have lots to say tonight!

First off, today I had my first of three 'Bou shiftie classes. This one was on coffee basics and I was a little iffy about it because I couldn't imagine it being all that interesting. Plus I was mad at Tracy for volunteering me to drive Danielle out also, since that meant I had to drive from here to Highland Park and then to North Minneapolis. But I had to say that my experience today definitely made me really appreciate the company I work for. First off, the class was at the Caribou Corporate Headquarters, which was pretty cool to get to go and see. There were maybe 10 of us in the class and it was all about our coffees and why they're the best and why Caribou is such as awesome place. I actually had fun at the class today and it was great to be in an atmosphere with people that are just as coffee obsessed as me. I have not felt this way since YIG and it just really made my day.

So..... 5 things I learned in class today:

1. One of our seasonal blends, La Minita Peaberry, is so special because the beans are sort of a "mistake." Instead of being two beans, it is only one and because of this the beans make a really rich flavor. These beans are HANDPICKED from all the other beans and the process takes FOREVER. But it's super worth is because La Minita Peaberry is one awesome coffee.
2. One thing that sets Caribou apart from its competitors is that when we get a batch of coffee, before it is ever distributed to stores, we taste test the batch. If it doesn't meet up with our standards, it's rejected and never reaches a store or our customers.
3. A lot of our drip coffee blends are actually more than one kind of coffee bean blended together. This is done to get a better tasting coffee that just one type of bean might be on its own.
4. The process of "cupping" is a method used to taste test the coffee (this is the method used to detect the "good batches" from the "bad batches").
5. One of our coffees (and my FAVORITE of our blends), Mocha Java, is actually named after the two ports that it originated from, the ports of Mocha and Java. This is also why coffee is sometimes referred to as "mocha" or "java."

Yay! Like I said, this class made me SO PROUD that I work for such an awesome company and made me SO EXCITED to go back to work on Monday and spread all my newfound knowledge. AND Now I am super psyched for my classes next week! Eep, I think I may have actually found the place where I belong and that makes me feel SOOOOO good!!!

Okay, so a little bad news. This weekend was supposed to be Dustin's and my trip to Illinois. However, Aunt Gayle is being fairly selfish and so we're not able to go down. She basically e-mailed me two days ago to say that she's really too stressed out to have us down and that it's not such a good time for Grandma and Grandpa. Well, the entire reason I wanted to go to Illinois in the first place was to make Grandma and Grandpa feel better and to pick up their spirits. I'm pretty angry with Aunt Gayle right now. I haven't said anything back to her but this really bothers me because I've never been mad at either of my aunts before. It's a really strange feeling and so I think that's why I'm having a hard time figuring out how to handle it.

Instead, though, Dustin, Shannon, Ryan and I are going downt to LaCrosse to visit Amber and Jono, meet their new kitty Eddison, and have a GAME NIGHT! I am super excited about this because A) I haven't seen Amber in awhile, B) I want to meet their new kitty, C) I have yet to see Amber and Jono's place, and D) GAME NIGHT RULES! So it should be a pretty fun night and hopefully it will make up for the Illinois trip that.... well, wasn't.

Oh, so there's some other news about Caribou. Short and sweet, LaTricia is stealing from the store. Tracy let me know because as soon as I become a shiftie (a week from today, YAY!) she's firing LaTricia and giving me her hours. I've pretty much been promised 30-35 hours, 5 nights a week. I am really psyched about this and it's making me feel pretty important and trusted by Tracy. Lexie's a little mad because she was counting on getting me at her store part time. But already that's seeming like a bad idea because next week I'm scheduled EVERY SINGLE DAY between the two stores and my two classes on Thursday. Unreal! But hey, it's money, right?

Tonight Shan and I went to eat at Don Pablos, then did a little shopping at Pier One (I bougth some more Aspen Flour candles because they smell SO YUMMY), and then went to the shop where Shan bought her dress so she could try it on with her jewelry and what not. It's crazy that her wedding date is creeping closer and closer, it seems like she and Ryan have been engaged FOREVER.

Anyway.... Dustin should be here soon and he's bringing me a strawberry shake from McD's. Yay to that! So I'm going to go read till he gets here. More soon!