Thanks A-Latte!

Oh. My. Espresso. How I love thee.

I thought I would devote a little writing and all around appreciation to my new job that I absolutely adore. I just recently acquired a job at Bookmans, which (for those of you who don't already know) is a magnificent company that is here in Arizona. Bookmans is a place of beauty...seriously. They recycle books, music, videos and electronics by buying your hand-me down goodies and re-selling them to shoppers for amazing prices. When you sell goods to Bookmans, they either give you cash or a trade-slip that you can use anywhere in the store (even the cafe). This is the place to find the best stuff for the best prices. Being the bookworm that I am, I love browsing the shelves and finding classic authors, new authors, art books and so much more. They have something to do with everything...not to mention their insane and hard to resist collection of music. I know this is just a super short description of them and I cannot even begin to enlighten you on every wonderful aspect of this place. You can read more about this slice of heaven here.

Anyway...I work in the cafe!!! Yay! Mmmm, coffee? Yes, please. I cannot begin to express how excited this whole experience makes me. The Bookmans Cafe is a place of quality. Period. We are being trained by the most brilliant coffee connoisseur, if you will, that I have ever met. I swear, ask him anything and he knows...oh and he's an incredible teacher and has a sweet personality and a fantastic sense of humor. I'm so excited to introduced to the wonderful world of coffee and learn all these incredible things. I know this is going to sound cheesy...but coffee really is an art. (Sorry if I am rambling and not making a lot of sense...I've probably consumed too much caffeine for my own good).

So, here is what we're working with...

Intelligentsia (Holy guacamole this stuff is good.)

And our AMAZING machine from La Marzocco straight from Firenze, Italia!!!

Everything is so amazing and the people at Bookmans have the kindest hearts I've experienced. I'm so fortunate to have this amazing job and I am so excited and eager to learn, learn, learn! So come visit so I can pull you a (hopefully) delicious shot!

Here's a wonderful video from Intelligentsia that is A.) just a really beautiful video and B.) a taste of what I've been learning step by step.

Pish Posh, Applesauce

Holy guacamole. It's a Saturday night and I'm in college, yet I am sitting in my empty house in my most comfy pajamas, drinking a cup of tea, listening to Christmas music and KNITTING. Hellooo grandmother. (Although, I do give myself a little leeway because I opened for the past three mornings in a row at work and I open again tomorrow...and by opening I mean 4:15am, AKA hell).

Latest piece of interesting news? I learned how to knit via my dear Jessica. I love it so far. I just love the idea that when I'm done I'll have made something (a warm headband in particular if you were curious) that I feel confident about and that keeps my ears toasty! Oh right, and it's a fraction of the cost. I've found knitting to be rather therapeutic. It's a nice way to relax and wind down before crawling into a warm bed.

Josh Groban's rendition of The First Noel is on my holiday Pandora station right now. Fun fact.

I'm going to finish my tea and go to bed now. Its only twenty after 8. Another fun fact. I'm the complete opposite of a normal college student. More around the age of 40 if you ask me.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

I would say that walking to school in -3 degree weather officially counts as winter. It's been rather refreshing! I love the feeling of the icy air stinging your cheeks...as long as the rest of your body is warm. I've decided that good shoes are the key when trying to stay warm, and I'm not doing too good on that front. Note to self: purchase winter boots. Since I've been in such a shopping mood, I decided to share a few of my favorite [winter] things.

These Anthropologie boots are to die for. A little on the pricier side, but totally worth it in my opinion. I'm hoping to be a proud owner soon.

This totally cute hat is something I found on Etsy, which is quickly becoming my new obsession. Cute, affordable and comes in different colors? Yes, please.

Last night I was talking with my friends about our different styles, and my friend Aisha said that she always pictures me in sweaters and I always look cozy, and I kind of like that description. This sweater from ModCloth is so darn cute and I love that it's a little unique with the turtleneck and the color is one of my favorite neutrals. You can find it here.

I know there's only a few here, but they're definitely my favorite lusts for the season so far. I think I might start putting pictures up of things that I actually wear and that way I can share my favorites from my own wardrobe. But I must forewarn: I own so many neutrals it's ridiculous, so don't be surprised.