Photography

Coffee Lovers Anonymous

Heart CoffeeAny coffee lovers out there?

What about coffee addicts?

Well, I’m not afraid to admit that I absolutely LOVE coffee. But because of all the caffeine I try not to drink too much of it. My hands shake enough as it is I don’t need caffeine to add to it. But I am such an oddball that Decaf just doesn’t sit right with me. I just don’t know. I mean I will drink decaf every once in a while but I just don’t like it as much as regular wonderful coffee.

I don’t know what it is about coffee that makes me like it so much. Sure there is different flavors and all but it is more than that. Some people like to drink hot cocoa, especially during the winter. When it starts to get cold out they call it Hot Cocoa weather. For me, it’s coffee, different seasons make me want different types of coffee.

You have the Peppermint lattes during the winter, cinnamon, or pumpkin spice in the fall, iced and frozen coffee during the summer. There’s always a time to have coffee.

But here’s the kicker right? You see I LOVE coffee… but I do NOT like Starbucks, in fact the only time I ever go to Starbucks is when I get a gift card or for my Free birthday drink. So where do I go?

It’s easy, I go to those little hole in the wall places that sometimes you don’t even know exist. You go to Starbucks and there is always someone new there, there’s really very little personalization there. But at my favorite coffee shop Crema Coffee, when I found it for the first time they were actually closing for the day, but when they saw me outside they opened the door and made me a drink anyways. And then because certain things going on and life getting in the way I didn’t have a chance to go there for almost an entire year. But get this, a year later I go back for the second time and the same person is there and they REMEMBER me. A YEAR LATER!!! How can you not like that kind of atmosphere? So I started going there as much as possible. When I had a horrible day at work I’d forfeit my lunch hour just to drive there get a drink and drive back. They say chocolate makes you happy, maybe coffee does the same. I go to coffee shops all the time and I am always looking for a new one to try out. If anyone knows of any great coffee shops please let me know, doesn’t matter what state it is in, I travel as much as I can anyways.

I also love the places that make the little designs in the coffee too. I want to apologize for the picture quality because it was taken with my phone but here’s some of the different coffee I have had this past year.

 

Life · Photography

Black and Whites

There is something about a black and white photo that just takes it to a whole new level of ambiance. You can always have pictures of colors and they can be vibrant and beautiful, but black and white photos are some of the most elegant pictures in the book. Recently went to my niece and nephew’s baptism and although I took hundreds of pictures the black and whites are my favorite.

Baptisms are a big thing in the Romanian community/culture. In a matter of speaking if I were to ask another fellow Romanian what the most momentous occasion in one’s life would be they would either say one of the following.

  • Wedding
  • Birth of a child
  • or Baptism

Granted this isn’t the same for everyone one, both in or out of the Romanian community but these three things are BIG things. Take it from someone who has 4 siblings and 21 nieces and nephews. You start with the Baptism, years later you’ve got the wedding, and then BABIES!

Photography · Travel

Last but Definitely Not Least

BOOKS!

Being a huge book worm you had best believe that I went to the Library of Congress. It was absolutely STUNNING to see the intricate detail and work that was put into the craftsmanship. A lot of the pictures on the wall and even the floor was made with tiny little tile pieces that probably took ages to place. The ceilings are also adorned in beautiful arrangements that I just couldn’t get enough of. We weren’t allowed in the reading room but they have an area above where you can get a view of the room.

My favorite part of the library was the Thomas Jefferson Library where they had it set up almost identical to the way he had it set up in a large spiral (his desk would have been in the middle) they also had the books marked with ribbons, the book with the green ribbons were books that were actually left over from Thomas Jefferson’s library and actually survived.

This is my last post of my trip to Washington D.C I am already drafting plans of my future trips but I haven’t decided what/when/where I want to go next. If you have any questions about the D.C area I am no expert that is for sure but I would be happy to share my experience.