Gratitude

I am so blessed. But how often do I show my appreciation? I never want to take anything for granted, but unfortunately, I often do. I want to take a moment and acknowledge just a few of things I am grateful for...

• My incredible wife Macy (who recently made the huge sacrifice to go to Israel with me)
• Our home (not so much the house, but the home we have made - I love just hanging out here)
• My church (I love the people of God at McGregor and being a part of their lives)
• HD TV (I know I've probably mentioned this before, but still very grateful)
• My friends (I am blessed in so many ways with awesome friends who love me for me)
• My Espresso Machine (my daily cappuccinos make like a little smoother)
• My Car (a 12 year old Toyota Avalon that just keeps on going and going)
• My Parents (who helped shape my life and my faith)
• Technology (partially for making life easier, but mostly for making life more fun)
• Swiffer Max (amazing invention that helps me keep our wood floors relatively dust free)
• My Sunday morning Bible Study Class (I love the peeps in our class and their hunger for growing in their faith)
• A/C (Southwest Florida without air conditioning...can't even imagine)
  

What are you grateful for today?

Genius...Pure Genius

Why didn't I think of this? This little invention, the Handpresso, is awesome. Imagine being able to make a shot of espresso wherever you are (as long as you have some hot water). Check out the video on how it works. Genius.

The Perfect Vanilla Latte

I am on a quest to make the perfect vanilla latte.

It's been two weeks since I got my espresso machine. And I have to say, I can already make one awesome vanilla latte. In my own humble opinion, I think I've even surpassed Starbuck's own version of the latte. That's right. Now the scope of my espresso based drink menu is very limited right now, but if you stop by and want a vanilla latte, I can hook you up real good.

The next drink I'm working on is a caramel machiatto [mock-e-AH-toe]. I have been asking folks what their favorite espresso based drink is, and this one comes to the top a lot, so it's next on my list.

Gotta go, more "testing" to do...

A New Era in the Bricker Household

I been talking about getting an espresso maker for years, and yesterday...it finally became a reality.

For those of you who know me, know I don't rush into making any major purchases. But the time was right. I had done my research (a couple of years worth), I had saved my money and I found what I thought was an incredible deal on a really great machine.

Unpacking it yesterday afternoon and setting it up was fun. I might have even been a little giddy. I had my first coffee drinks coming out of it in about 30 minutes. And last night I really got to test it out with our company for after dinner coffee drinks. Vanilla Lattes were very good and the Mochas were ok. Just a little while ago I made Macy and myself each a Vanilla Latte. Awesome. I am amazed..they taste just like Starbucks!

My new machine is a Saeco V'spresso Espresso. Here's a picture of it...