But it's not because of the coffee, or the environment, or the baristas (even though I like them a lot!), or the fun new cups.
I love Caribou Coffee because of the memories created there.
Even though Caribou was very close to my college campus, I rarely went there to do homework. I almost always ventured farther away from campus for that. But Caribou was the coffee shop closest to where both me and my friend Morgan lived. So we've been meeting there for coffee dates for the last few years.
Caribou Coffee on Minnesota Avenue in Sioux Falls has become a staple in our friendship. Every time I walk into that lovely building with unlovely parking options, I think about how we sat in that corner to plan Bible studies and sat in that corner to work on support for our journeys overseas, and she sat in that corner as we Skyped this past year. I also think about the month she spent in Haiti and asked me not to enjoy our favorite place without her. It was a sacrifice, but I survived.
Caribou was a place to call our Young Life Area Director to ask every little question as we planned to lead our first summer of Bible study. It's a place where we would freely share about our joys, struggles, and craziness of life. We spent time texting our high school friends about the adventures we planned. We spent time making to-do lists and working to cross things off of those lists. And somehow, we still fit in those necessary chats about life.
That happy little coffee shop is the place where we said "talk to you soon" (not goodbye) before I left for Ghana. It is one of the places where she would faithfully Skype with me this last year. It's the place where we first saw each other in person and hugged after I returned from Ghana. And today, it was the place where we had our last coffee date before Morgan leaves for the Dominican Republic. In one year, it will be the place where we see each other face to face again, hug, laugh, cry, and drink mochas!
Caribou is filled with great memories, and I know more memories will be created there -- with Morgan and with other delightful friends.
And while we wait to create new memories (some of which will hopefully be made over Skype in a few weeks), I'm cherishing every hour spent at Caribou in the last few years.
Cheers, Morgan! Enjoy your year of coffee in the Dominican Republic. I'm looking forward to our next coffee date and each one after that!
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