Fall is here in Sofia, the capitol city of Bulgaria. I haven’t experienced an autumn in 4 years since leaving Minnesota to drive across the country to San Diego, with pit stops along the way. Today as I was thinking about that last fall I experienced, I thought of my friend Caitlin who lived in Bellingham at the time. I stopped by her place on my way to SoCal and we went on some beautiful hikes where we found bright red maple leaves which were bigger than my face! I’ve missed fall while living in San Diego, although even the warm states go out of their way to get into the season-changing spirit. Fall colored leaves stuck on windows, copious amounts of pumpkins and gourdes scattered about, spiced candles and room sprays on every front shelf in stores, and of course – pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks are everywhere in the US.

I’ve missed the cool, crisp mornings where I needed to bundle and layer up to leave the house but by the afternoon I’d be down to the bottom summer layer. I’ve missed the changing colors of the leaves. I’ve missed the first layers of frost that would bite at the remaining vegetables in the garden. I’ve missed picking apples and delivering them to my grandma to make insane amounts of applesauce.

I’ll admit it – I’ve felt a bit homesick during the last couple of weeks. It’s funny to think about being homesick, because I technically don’t have a home-base. I have amazing family and friends scattered from Florida to Minnesota to Montana to California, so I guess being homesick to me is missing the easy access to those friends and loved ones. After traveling in Europe for over 3 months, I stopped at a Starbucks today. I stopped at a Starbucks and ordered a pumpkin spice latte after I had already had a wonderful cappuccino earlier in the day. Many of you might be like, “You did WHAT??? You’re in the land of amazing espresso and cappuccinos! Starbucks???!!!”  Here’s the thing – I saw the Starbucks on the corner and instantly I had incredible memories of many of my glorious friends and family – memories that date back over 12 years. I am also in a country where I am completely illiterate (I can’t begin to pretend to read Cyrillic) so when I could actually read the words Pumpkin Spice Latte on the door of the Starbucks in front of me, I instantly felt a little bit better about my intellect. 😉

While I am normally an Americano sort of girl, I went for the pumpkin spice today. It was nostalgic. It was fall. I was in a mood. Today’s overpriced, pumpkin spice latte brought back joyous and loving memories. Here they are.

1. I remembered standing outside of Starbucks in Forest Lake, Minnesota in April of 2004 with a job application I had filled out. I was 16 and this was going to be my first real job – not some babysitting gig or teaching swimming lessons with my family. A uniform was required.
2. I remember my first job interview – they offered me free coffee to calm my nerves. I didn’t shake at all while answering the manager’s questions.
3. I remembered my first “work nightmares”. I got the job. It was frappuccino season. My first work nightmares were of me working the frappuccino station and not being tall enough to reach the ingredients and blenders. Go figure. Angry customers were lined up without their freaking drinks.
4. I remembered being extremely intimidated by a strong, independent shift supervisor named Meagan. She always seemed like she was in a bad mood and it seemed as if she never really smiled. I don’t know at what point it happened, but I grew to love Meagan and her introverted and artsy self. Check out her website to see some of her photography and videography.
5. I remembered it was Meagan who introduced me to red wine. She picked a good one and I fell in love! While we don’t talk as often anymore, I’m thankful she’s in my life. I’ve learned a lot from this woman.
6. I remembered the first time I realized, “Whoa, I’ve gained weight!” It was frappuccino season and I had to try pretty much everything so I knew how to describe drinks and pastries to customers!
7. I remembered my joyful friend, Sadie. She was my age when we were both hired that summer.
8. I remembered the first time I rode a horse. Sadie taught me with her horse, Solin. I remembered riding bareback on a powerful creature, holding on for dear-life, yet loving every moment as we galloped through her fields.
9. I remembered all the sleepless nights Sadie and I rode her horses while drinking cheap beer and somehow still managing to wake up to be to work by 7. I remembered the time we drove up to her family’s cabin one summer night and spotted a goose and a fox sitting on the side of the road together! I remembered our road trip around Southeastern Florida in my Buick, it was her first time flying on an airplane somewhere.
10. I remembered holding Sadie’s baby girl this last June and sharing big hugs before leaving Minnesota for this adventure.
11. I remembered my mom and her love of Starbucks – no thanks to me working there for years! When in doubt for a gift for mom, I can always turn to a Starbucks gift card!
12. I remembered my dad and him making coffee at home in the mornings using all my “free weekly mark-outs” – a little perk of working at the chain. A free pound of coffee weekly.
13. I remembered a moment shortly after I started working at Starbucks where I learned I have some OCD and perfectionist qualities – everything had to be just so while I was working the bar, cleaning floors, or sanitizing dishes.
14. I remembered my siblings and all the family road trips we shared. My family was pretty good at knowing the stops from Minnesota to Florida.
15. I remembered my cousin Patty, as before departing for any road-trip, the gift-giver she is, always has to put together a little package for the road – which typically includes a Starbucks gift card.
16. I remembered my friend Travis. The last Starbucks I went to was to meet up with him before leaving on this journey. He was home in Minnesota on a pre-deployment leave so it was extra special to get to spend some time with him before he left for Jordan.
17. I remembered the Nelson and the Rock families I used to nanny for. Six smart little girls and two sets of amazing parents I had the honor of working for for almost 5 years. A coworker from Starbucks connected me with the Nelsons. At the time, the oldest was going into kindergarten and the youngest wasn’t even born! Now, Haley, the oldest stands probably a foot taller than me and is in high school and I’m following 3 of the girls on Instagram! I cherish these families’ friendship, trust, and support over the years.
18. I remembered my roommate, Inna, from when I attended Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida. I transferred to a store in Jacksonville, and Inna’s face would light up every time I brought her a coffee after I finished a shift. I remembered our haunted dorm room – not even kidding. I remembered throwing melted chocolate truffles from our dorm room down to the sidewalk. It looked like poo. Real mature, I know.
19. I remembered my friend Calvin and the time we tried to actually use all our free drink mark-outs during one shift, only rule was no decaf. At the time, Starbucks’ policy was 1 free drink 30 minutes before a shift, every 30 minutes during a shift, and 30 minutes after a shift. I don’t know if that’s still one of their perks, but that was a lot of free coffee for a 17 year old!
20. I remembered learning how to crochet from my friend Sarah while sitting in Starbucks for endless hours. Like two little old ladies, we’d gab, crochet hats, and drink our coffee. I remembered the time her and I went to China Town in NYC for a week to help run a science Vacation Bible School for a bunch of Chinese kids who didn’t speak any English. I remembered we took them on a bus ride to the Bronx Zoo and they all ended up throwing up along the way because they had never (or rarely) ridden in vehicles before. I remembered spending time with Sarah and her baby boy in Minnesota and our last hugs before I left for this journey.
21. I remembered being a teacher. I remembered my coworker, no, dearest friend, Dawn. I remembered the times we’ve met up to work on report cards or curriculum at a Starbucks near us. I remembered all the countless cups of coffee brought to me by students and parents as gifts of thanks.

My visit to Starbucks and drinking a pumpkin spice latte was sentimental. The memories flooded my heart and hit me right in the feels. 16 oz. of milk with some mystery pumpkin flavored syrup definitely gave me some stomach cramps, but it was worth the walk down memory lane.