Because of Coffee...

I imagine that every couple has some cultural and symbolic glue that seems to hold their relationship together.  Teri and I are coffee people--and not just in the sense that we like to drink coffee--we are coffee snobs, coffee aficionados and, well, we actually met in a coffee shop!

The other day when talking about coffee with some friends, I was reminded how even our coffee drinking has been a place for compromise for Teri and me--I am a dark-roast gal and she likes her coffee lighter (we buy medium roast for the house and sometimes I make it darker when I'm really craving a serious cup of coffee.)  I drink my coffee "black, no room" and she fills about 1/3 of her cup with vanilla flavored soy creamer.  Differences...it works.

Teri and I met in a funky, local coffee shop called The Wandering Goat.  When we were getting to know each other, there was coffee and conversation in book stores, coffee shops and even sitting in my kitchen.  I remember reading a fun book a few years ago: Is it A Date or Just Coffee? A book specifically geared to the confusing world of lesbian dating.  For us, it was both.

Now, on school days as I like to call days of the week when we have to work, Teri generally gets up and makes the coffee since she's up with the chickens (something my mother used to say).  When she doesn't have to work, days off and weekends, I get to make the coffee (I generally make MORE and it has a little more of a kick than the school day version.)  We both decadently relish waking up to a cup of coffee that someone else made.  I think it might be a woman/mother thing.

Because coffee has played and important role in our coming together and our life as a couple, we were determined to find some way to represent that in our pending Wedding ceremony and celebration.  We considered giving out bags of coffee, cups, etc. but it wasn't until a couple months ago that we stumbled upon the idea: we are going to make biscotti for the wedding favors--each guest can take a bag of homemade biscotti home with them as they leave the party.  We plan to make a couple different kinds to represent our own differences and collaborations. What makes a perfectly brewed cup of coffee even better?  A yummy chunk of crisp biscotti!