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Boyfriend.

quickly speaking from the heart

Okay.

I've tried to kind of keep people updated on my life via Facebook recently, I just haven't had the time for blogging like I used to. Coffee, ministry and friends have filled up my once open schedule, but I want to speak quickly from my heart for a second because I think what is happening in my life needs to be documented and talked about.

God has been so good to me. I know that God has always loved me. Even before He created me He knew me and loved me. I know that the greatest act of love and kindness from God is when He sent His only Son to die for me, there will never be a greater act of love than the demonstration of love on the cross when Christ reconciled us to God, but I must say that recently I've felt so loved by God.

Coming to the Northwest a year ago I was super open handed with my life. I didn't have a ton of friends, I didn't have a job, the church hadn't started. I basically didn't know what I was doing but I was waiting for God to show up in some way. I had no idea He would show up the way that He has.

What I've learned:

Living an abandon life to God is the only way to experience the abundant life He has to offer.

I can't say I believe in God because of science or because it makes sense in my brain, but I know that I've given God the opportunity to work in my life and provide for weirdly specific things that I've needed and He's provided it. I mean, I know I didn't provide these things. I know that the last year hasn't been about me at all. I've just tried to follow where God has told me to go and wanted so much to obey Him probably more than ever and mostly out of complete fear in not knowing what to do but trust Him. I feel like I kept moving along even though I was completely uncertain and now I'm standing amidst amazing opportunity, friends, relationships... I wish I could be totally vulnerable and state specifics but it would take forevs.

It just needs to be said... we're always amidst the love of God. I feel like I was totally stripped of everything not because God made that happen but because I wanted it. I moved so far away because I knew it would be hard, I knew I would grow in Him and knew that there was great potential for Him to draw me close and I needed that. So I came and it was completely not what I thought and way harder than I had imagined it would be. Now I'm standing here 14 months later a completely different person and amidst a completely new life with completely new people and opportunity and there's no one else who can have the credit other than Him because I knew I had nothing to do with it.

I dunno, I'm just speaking openly.. so. thankful.

Brooke Fraser - Love is Waiting

I forgot how much I loved Brooke Fraser, and how much I loved this song, until recently.

Four days from now!

It's my last week of full on practice in the shop before our opening. Monday morning at 6am we'll be unlocking the doors of Sound City Coffee and welcoming in the people of our community. I've never been so excited for something yet so nervous at the same time! Let's just be honest.. I'm a bit scared my abilities aren't up to par at this point. However, I know without a shadow of a doubt we're serving coffee that's a million times better than anything else Tumwater has to offer at this point (no offense Starbucks).

It's a crazy time, but I know that it's going to turn out just fine. God has provided so much for this to happen and so.. ready or not here we come.

The coffee aspect has become soo important to me over time. I do want to share the best product available and I do want to grow in my barista skills, not just because it's really fun for me, but because I want to love my community the best I can. By working hard and providing some great espresso, some nice looking latte art, some amazing local breakfast foods and some pourover coffee, I really think we'll be showing the community that we care for them. That's what it's really all about.

Though I am a bit nervous, my excitement to meet people in the community and actively give as a nonprofit organization trumps all! I think it's going to be so neat to give back and to stand behind the bar and chat people up. With everyday I keep thinking... "I wonder who our regulars will be." It's soooo exciting :)

So.. only four days away! I'll be sure to keep you updated on all the happenings of Sound City Coffee in Tumwater, Washington. Next week is sure to be a wild one!

I can't wait!

Last month's post said, "Sound City Coffee set to open June 17th". Now, that's laughable.

However, things are progressing quickly! Our opening day will without a doubt be August 15th. So much has happened over the past month: Our tables are complete and looking amazing, our bar construction is done and looking stellar and super original, all equipment is in place and we're brewing and grinding Olympia Coffee Roasting Co. single origin coffees by the cup using various pour over methods! Training has begun with Will Frith of OCR. It has been totally solid spending time with him and chatting about coffee, music, literature and life. He's such a solid dude and becoming a pretty solid friend as well. Basically, the only step left to take before we can serve our community is acquiring our occupancy and other various permits from the city. This Tuesday we will be having appointments to try and get these permits in our hands. August 15th is a perfect time to open not only because by then will we be very confident in our product, but it also allows for time to obtain the permits needed to open.

I'm so super stoked! I can't even begin to tell you! I can't believe that all of this is happening. I can't wait to wake up every day when it's still dark out and go open the shop. I can't wait to serve my community and meet people. I can't wait to serve a solid product and discuss all things coffee with our customers and our roaster. I can't wait for cupping events at our awesome cupping table. I can't wait to actually be good at latte art. I can't wait for my friend Honor to come join me in the shop and help me improve my barista skills. I can't wait to grow as a barista. I can't wait to have a pay check. I can't wait to work with my friends. I can't wait to make some friends. I can't wait to love on the people that walk through the door regardless of whatever walk of life they are on. I literally can. not. wait. It's going to be so, so, sooo fun!

As slow as this whole process has seemed to go at times I am amazed that I am approaching the end of what has been my first year here in Olympia. So much has happened. It's mind boggling. It's crazy to be sitting in the shop and looking at all of our gear, tables and our bar. It's weird to think that there are going to be people sitting in those seats every day that I can chat with and relate to on some sort of level even if it's only coffee. I can remember back to December thinking, "How in the world am I going to make it through this year?" But God sustained me and provided for me, and I'm super thankful for that. I'm super thankful that I didn't decide to go home and that I now know I'm not leaving any time soon. This whole year has been a process of being refined and learning more about God and who He has created me to be. It definitely hasn't been easy and it's still not, but there's also a lot of peace amidst it all.

I'm sure if you flip back through posts I had written in September and October of 2010 you would read something like "It's so strange that I live here and work here". I STILL feel that way and I can't believe I'm STILL here. It's not a bad thing. It's a great thing! I am in total awe of what God has done in just a year and I'm super excited for what He can do in another year, and another year and another year. I'm so super thankful that He let's me be a part of all of it. I get to work in an industry that I love and serve God all the same. It's such a huge blessing.

So that's kinda where I am right now. Baffled by God's goodness. Sound City Church has seen progress as well over the past month! We had our fourth preview service in the coffee shop today! Nearly 40 people attended and we had about 11 first time guests! Russell did an awesome job speaking and I got to play some good music with some good friends for some good people. All in all it went without a hitch. The church also had a few visitors come out in June and July to investigate Sound City Church and decide on whether or not to move out and get involved.

People all over are hearing about Surround the Sound and wanting to help church plants in the Northwest. In June we got a visit from a boy down south, Wil Sanders. Wil had never met Russell, Belinda, me or any of the church planters with Surround the Sound, but heard about the opportunity through a mutual friend of his and Russell's. He took a huge step of faith, came to visit anyway, loved it and is now back home in Mississippi raising support to move in about three weeks! He's a bold guy and is going to be a HUGE asset to our team. It's definitely something to be excited about. I've been praying for so long that God would build a team of young people within our church and I think this is just the beginning of it. I can't wait to have Wil here! I mean, he's pretty great.

It's been so encouraging getting to have people come out and take interest in what's been going on and watching Surround the Sound grow. I keep thinking over and over "What in the world is going to happen in another year!?" :)

Things are moving along quickly here in the great Northwest! Pictures to come soon along with more coffee updates! Totally stoked for August 15th!!

Moving right along..

Isn't the sound of woodworking music to your ears? Well it has been for me. Sound City Coffee is getting stuff done and moving right along! I've posted a few visuals for you below, and don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

This was the night that the wall was painted red. I went over that evening and it finally hit me "Man, I really wanna hang out in there". It felt good.

Bar construction has begun. Can't wait to tack up our black bar and install our live edge pieces.

Early stages of cabinet and bar construction.

This is one of my favorite bar features at Sound City Coffee, a pull out recycling bin.

We found some awesome wood with live edge to make our four seater tables.

This is our buddy bar where we will be holding our cupping events with our roaster, Olympia Coffee Roasting Co.

Live edge for our two seater tables

Pour over bar!

Training day!

This coffee is delicious!! Brazil Cup of Excellence

Learning

My blog isn't the only thing that is changing around here. The weather is getting somewhat better, which of course changes the mood of things, the space has been painted black and tan and my love and passion for coffee has grown and grown.

I've always been a fan of coffee culture, even in Morgantown, West Virginia where coffee shops are pretty sparse. I've always enjoyed a warm drink and the quietness that comes with enjoying it while reading a book. It wasn't until my move to the Northwest that my blinders had been removed and I could see how that cup of coffee I was drinking back home should be brewed and cared for.

What I've heard most recently, and jokingly I'm sure, is "Mollie, you're a coffee snob" and that's just not true. It's laughable how little I actually know about coffee and amazing how much you can continue to learn and grow while studying it. It's never ending. I met a guy once who said he's been studying coffee for eight years and still doesn't know everything about it (my guess being because the market keeps changing and technology, and farming, continues seeing advancements) The passion and knowledge that these local roasters have is enough to bring me in to buy some coffee from them. I'm not a coffee snob, I just prefer small business, passionate service and a good deal. By purchasing from these local roasters you're definitely getting more for you buck, it's so good! So, my research is ongoing and hopefully that will help Sound City Coffee set the bar high.

Today I bought a legal pad for coffee only. I just finished my first read through of David C. Schomer's "Espresso Coffee" and now I'm going through my second round and this time taking more notes. Heck, I will probably read it a third time.

Let me be transparent here.. since moving to the Northwest from West Virginia there have definitely been times where I've questioned my purpose, but after our meeting with Oliver last week (and knowing that there are coffee professionals in the area who are genuinely excited about our shop) things have started to change a bit and for the better. I'm looking forward to each day that we get to meet with our great roaster. The knowledge that these coffee connoisseurs have is definitely respected in my arena where I'm just learning. Last week Oliver also gave me a list of blogs that he follows so I can keep up and continue to learn.

I tried to explain to him last week that in West Virginia specialty coffee like this doesn't exist, well I mean, outside of Rich Johnson at the Daily Grind (he knows what's up). I'm just now becoming educated. I proceeded to explain to him that the first day I walked into the shop I was impressed when I realized they brewed fresh by the cup, that I could have any choice of coffee I wanted- they had eight choices that day. Rich wasn't kidding me when he told me I was moving to coffee heaven.

Though it is really exciting for me it is also a bit intimidating to be surrounded by so many coffee elitists in the Northwest. I am in the market of finding a coffee mentor in the area. I just need to have a friend to sit with so I can pick their brain. I love reading all these books and blogs, of course, but to have discussion would be great. I'm anticipating this day.

Until then I'll continue to jot down notes in my legal pad.

(Sound City Coffee set to open June 17)

Confirmed!

So this is awesome...

Tonight we heard back from the bank about our counter offer on the coffee space we're looking to lease and...

it was confirmed.

We now have 41 days to get this space ready for our launch date on the 24th. There is so much to do before the big day arrives: building out the counter, buying furniture, painting and decorating, accounts with our roaster, more equipment and so many things I probably haven't even thought about yet. We've been looking forward to this day for so long that is almost seems unreal to me, but I can't even begin to tell you how exciting this is!

Thanks for all the prayers, well wishes and encouragement over the past few weeks. So ready to meet more locals and make good quality coffee.

Old Town Plaza Continued..

Thank you friends for following and praying for Sound City! We have received an offer from the bank. The offer was a little bit more than what we had originally asked for, but we responded with another offer in hopes the bank will agree with the terms that Russ has placed before them.

Russ also wondered over to Olympia Coffee Roasters today and chatted with the owner, Oliver, to discuss further plans on starting an account. I can't begin to tell you how EXCITING this is for me. By starting an account with this roaster we'll have ample training with their baristas, and these dudes know what they're doing. My baristaexchange and james hoffman knowledge is about to go hands on and I can't wait. Brew methods, dose/weight, temperature, pressure, milk, coffee, la marzocco, latte art... face to face interaction with the pros. So exciting!!

My passion for coffee that has been developing over the years makes this journey an extremely enjoyable one. It can be easy to dive into coffee and lose vision of why we began Sound City Coffee to begin with. Coffee is all about community and that is the real drive behind our shop. To meet people, to build relationships, to be in the community helping when no one else wants to, loving people who know one else wants to love, supporting people who have no support. I love coffee and I care a lot about it, but it doesn't compare to the feelings I have for this community.

Over the course of this week we are hoping to hear back from the bank about the second offer we gave them and we will be trying to sign the lease as soon as we can. Our launch date remains April 24th. The faster we sign the lease, the faster we can work on the space and the faster we can open up shop. Keep those alarms set for 1:29 and I'll be sure to keep you posted as the week goes on.

Thank you so much for your support!

Old Town Plaza

As most of you know, Sound City is in the process of starting a coffee shop in Tumwater. I've filled you in on the sweet equipment we've acquired, the specialty coffee industry and our potential space in the Old Town Plaza. Currently the space we are trying to rent is in the bank's possession which is making the process of signing the lease move slower than we'd like.

We sent a proposal nearly three weeks ago to the property manager, who is basically the middle man between us and the bank, and she keeps telling us "It is sitting on their desk for revision. We will get back to you soon."

Our goal is to be able to have the lease signed and be in the space by Easter Sunday (our launch date). The bank is moving fairly slow and I'm pretty anxious to hear back from them. Russ Knight, pastor of Sound City, is going to be contacting them throughout this week trying to get some sort of idea about what they're thinking as far as the lease goes. Russ has picked out some other spaces that are available in Tumwater, but I must admit, our team definitely has our hearts set on this space.

Here are some pictures I took during our last visit:

It's obvious that this space is ready for a coffee shop to move in, and we are MORE than ready to set up! As this week moves along I'm asking my blogging pals to come along side Sound City and pray for this space this week. Of course, if this isn't the space that God has provided for us please pray that He would quickly shut the door so we can move along to other potential spots. I'll be setting an alarm on my phone this week for 1:29 to go along with Philippians 1:29 that says "For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for Him." It's easy to forget that trusting in God alone is such a privilege. I can't wait to see what's gonna happen over the course of the next few weeks.

Thanks for the prayers and support!

Febs

So February has been awesome so far. I thought it best to send an update in photos this time around..

This is my friend Jess that I used to work with at Forza. She moved here from NC with her husband, Drew, who is in the army. They live in Dupont and are now plugged into Life Church, where I help lead worship and am currently serving until Sound City starts weekly this April. Jess and I spent an afternoon one day painting pottery. This is her with her husband's new popcorn bowl!

We didn't paint these cute mugs but we did use them to enjoy some Batdorf and Bronson=)

You can't really tell, but I made a box (green and brown) and etched birds and branches on the top. Seeing how I'm not ultra crafty, I was happy with the result.

One afternoon I went up to Ballard and had coffee at Aster's Cafe with my friend Zach.

Aster's is cool for various reasons and the fact that they serve up Intelli's Black Cat and various Stumptown blends is one of them.

My friend, Zach.

coffee is amazing, really.

Got a chance to go down to Portland with my friend Melanie to watch a show at The Woods. It was definitely the coolest venue I've ever been to.

My brother came to town recently and we got to go to White Pass and ski for the day.

Definitely saw some fresh powder on the mountain.

When we got back we hit up Dirty Dave's Pizza Parlor and ate dinner and played some Pac Man.

Now THIS is our new espresso machine and our first HUGE purchase for our new coffee shop in Tumwater. We're so excited about it! I can't wait to get it hooked up in our future space and start making drinks.

Here is one of our Mazzer grinders we got for decaf.

And here's our Mazzer for our regular. Hopefully these grinders will be filled with Big Truck espresso provided by Olympia Coffee Roasters. (those guys are awesome)

La Marzocco.

Many Drafts but Few Posts

Dear Oly Living Followers,

My sincere apologies for my ever so belated post, again. Truth be told I have several drafts saved on my computer that I never return to, finish and post. However, I am thinking about blogging. I do start to write, but after one page in Microsoft Word I forgo the post and instead proceed to the "save as" button. I can't tell you what it is that keeps me from posting what I have written down but my posts have yet again fallen into a very inconsistent pattern. Or maybe we can say that they aren't inconsistent any longer because they have been inconsistent for so long that now inconsistency in my posting is the usual. Either way, it has been more than a few weeks since my last post and catching you up on Olympia Living is crucial.

-First, the church.

We have grown out of Russell's house and are now looking for a space of our own and I do believe we have found it. There is a plaza on Tumwater Blvd and Capital that's occupied by Infernos Pizza, a Teriyaki restaurant and a gym amongst other things. Before Tumwater had built the government buildings that sit across the street from this plaza and before this plaza had any business in it, our potential space was occupied by a Forza Coffee shop. The shop has totally been set up for coffee, so hopefully by the spring/summer time we'll be up and running as the only specialty coffee shop in Tumwater. We'll definitely be using the space for Sunday evenings, but hopefully throughout the week it will be a superb alternative to the Starbucks that's down the street. We have had various meetings with roasters, taken trips to look at equipment, gone to barista competitions and basically dove head first into reading and researching about speciality coffee. As of now we have purchased two Mazzer grinders, an espresso fridge, and a La Marzocco Lenea espresso machine. We are still in the progress of sorting out the lease and we'll still need to purchase our choice of pour over equipment (V60, Chemex) and furniture, but we're really doing this.

-I've lived in the NW for six months.

It's been a real trip, let me tell you. It's amazing to see who I was coming into this move and who I am now. It's crazy to see what God has done in the life of Sound City and the Knights, this coffee shop and my life having now lived here half a year. I'd like to say it's been rainbows and butterflies every step of the way, but it definitely hasn't. The winter time has taken a toll on my morale, but I've learned to push through weird times like those. I'm definitely anticipating July, when the summer time kicks in and the rain subsides.

-My job is going well.

I'm meeting a lot of people in the city of Dupont, but like I said earlier it will be nice to be working in the specialty coffee industry rather than your typical franchised Starbucks, Forza or Cutters Point. It will be nice to work with people to care about coffee and their customers. This will also provide a means for me to work full time 45 plus hours and be able to move into my own apartment (preferably one that is close to the shop so I can bike there each day). But Forza has been good. I've made some great friends and thankfully I'm getting more hours.

-Kennewick and it's Finest citizen.

A few weekends ago I took a much needed trip to Kennewick to visit my friend Tyler. The drive is about four hours long, but it's a pretty drive to say the least. I love this state, it's unfortunate that it's so far from everyone that I love in WV. The weekend was out of this world minus the fact that I broke down, alone, in Benton City. It was horrible, but my car is fixed now and everything turned out okay. I can't even tell you how thankful I am for Tyler. Before I moved I knew that it was going to be so crucial having him live to close to Oly, and now that I live here crucial doesn't even describe it. We both have definitely had to adjust overtime. There's just something about having a friend to help you out along the way. Tyler is awesome, and I'm not just staying that because he follows this blog (lolz).

-Aaron's Grad School

So most of you know, a friend of mine back home has applied to some schools in the Northwest, Univeristy of WA and Western WA University. Both are great schools and we've been praying a lot about it, however, we just heard from UW this week that Aaron didn't get accepted, so we were a bit bummed. He should be hearing back from all the other schools he applied to soon, and I'm praying WWU in Bellingham has got a spot with his name on it.

So there are a few updates for my trusty followers. You're prayers and support have been monumental throughout this journey.

Cortez, Adley and Phyllis

I had a day off from work this morning, not surprising seeing how Forza has given me seven hours this week, so I had some time to do some serious thinking, and I do mean serious. In recent Olympia news we got a new bird feeder in our “side” yard (we have no backyard), and it has provide some entertainment this afternoon. Not to my surprise, today I noticed several little birds gliding by, making a pit stop at 4708 Durham. I couldn’t help but think, what does our feeder mean for our new feathered friends.

I then closed my eyes (we’ll say for dramatic effect) and began to see things their way, or at least the way I would like them to see things, our feeder in particular. What if, just what if, these fowl recognized our bird feeder as their Wendy’s, T. Bell or McDonalds. What if our bird feeder was their drive through while their morning outing for worms was their gourmet meal from… Olive Garden (because I know nothing about gourmet food and I’m content with saying Olive Garden is gourmet because in my case it is on the pricey side of living).

So what does our feeder mean for them? What kind of food are Leona and I serving to our new guests? I have yet to decide because I have yet to nail down the exact mentality of these visitants.

Perhaps we serve some sort of Mexican cuisine. The sparrow sitting on the ledge outside my window, nibbling away at his meal is Cortez. Taking a break from the reality of his job as SBBP (Spanish Boarder Bird Patrol, obviously) he stops to grab some refried beans, rice and a San Miguel. He works to maintain the peace at the boarders with the French, not because they are French or Spanish birds, but just because it’s their native tongue. Cortez’s stop at our tiny Mexican Bistro is his only quiet escape.

There is also potential that to these birds we serve a variety of organic vegetables, hummus and some equivalent to Stacy’s pita chips. Adley a down on his luck Wren has stopped by as a frequent flyer. He knows that 4708 is a place he can grab a healthy bite to eat, because his health is all he has going for him these days. He stops by, grabs some squash and green pepper and forgoes the chips, but uses his pepper dipping into our mouthwatering hummus. Maybe Adley is seeking some entertainment, therefore he peers through the sliding glass window to catch an episode of Mad Men Season 2, thinking right along with me, that this show is incredible, yet Peter is his favorite character, which I don’t fully understand.

And then of course, maybe it was Phyllis that stopped by this afternoon. Phyllis in her mid 70’s out for a quiet flight looking for a cup of coffee and a muffin, in which in this case we serve. Phyllis has been married for 52 years to her Avifauna Academy sweet heart, Charles. Together they hatched six babies four of which are female and two of which are male. Their sons and daughters have provided several grandbirds for them and each Sunday they all come to Phyllis and Charles nest for lunch. On Monday Phyllis is usually tired, today in particular. Today she needed more time to relax than usual after spending the day prior in the kitchen fixing a rather large meal. Relaxing, a cup of coffee and a muffin was just the way to do it, therefore Phyllis dropped by our place for some R&R.

Well maybe I did have too much time on my hands today, but then again maybe ornithology is something I’ll dive into this year. After all, it is a new year.