Why I Fell In Love

I believe people can fall in love more than once. 

And I also believe it's possible to have a lifelong love affair with a something rather than a someone. 

Or at least that's true for me.

On the list of my great loves is Starbucks.

But here's the thing . . . it's not just the coffee.

Actually, it's not really the coffee at all, at least not entirely.

But anyone who really knows me knows that me and Starbucks, we're a thing.

I start every single Monday with my favorite drink,

which took me years to perfect and has since evolved into what it is today . . .

and I end my week the same way.

Before I went back to law school,

I worked in corporate America for a little over five years. 

My second job out of college was for a commercial furniture company,

and I loved it.

My boss and I both lived about 40 minutes from our corporate office,

so we carpooled to work together everyday.

And pretty much everyday, we swung through the Starbucks drive-thru before we made it to the office.

When we traveled to Seattle to visit one of our showrooms,

we of course shared our uncontrollable excitement about stopping by the original Starbucks.

Our company hired brandgarten at some point to "re-brand" itself,

and not only was this amazing for our company but I also figured out why exactly it was I had fallen so in love with this Moby Dick inspired coffee shop.

A lot of company's have tag lines, or catchy jingles: 

you know, McDonald's reminds you "I'm Lovin' It,"

while Nike's memorable slogan is "Just Do It" and Miller Lite reminds you it "Tastes Great, Less Filling."

But that's not the same as a brand . . . something I didn't really appreciate until we worked with brandgarten.

If you visit brandgarten's website, you're quickly invited to "Discover the story that connects the soul of your brand with the heart of your consumer." 

You're told that "Your logo is only the flag. Your brand is the culture."

So if you didn't stop by here for a nice Marketing 101 primer, here's what I'm getting at. 

Starbucks' branding message, at least a decade ago, was to make everyday moments matter.

This was nothing you'd hear on an ad or see printed on a tumbler or embossed on a mug,

but it was how every single Starbucks employee was trained to make a customer feel.

Make everyday moments matter

And they did.

That's why I fell in love. 

As cheesy as it sounds, 

I actually feel warm and fuzzy and happier when I'm standing in line, waiting for my coffee,

or chit-chatting with my favorite barista, or casually commenting on the weather to another random person standing in line next to me.

For me, Starbucks has always been an experience and not just a cup of coffee. 

It's why I compulsively have to start my morning every Monday by going through the drive-thru.

It sets the tone for my entire week.

I know I can make a free cup of coffee at work, 

and I'll probably like it just as much as the almost $4.00 latte I buy,

but I will miss out on my Starbucks moment.

I'll miss the experience. 

Starbucks is linked to so many of my silliest, happiest memories,

like this one . . . 

which may be a story for another day,

but it just comes down to this:

I'm head over heels.

Starbucks will always be my happy place,

because whatever they put in that cup is so much more than just espresso and foamed milk and sugar-free vanilla syrup.

For me, it represents so much more . . .

and it makes my heart smile.

And no matter what anyone says,

that will always be so worth the price of a latte.

All photos, except me sticking my face in a snowbank, courtesy of {We Heart It}