Book Preview at Our Family Pop-Up Cafe

What started as a fun idea became a more meaningful experience and special memory than our family had ever expected. There couldn't have been a better way to welcome the season of new beginnings than sharing time with friends gathered over coffee and tea!

The Saturday we chose to host our little pop-up cafe was the perfect mid-March spring day. We started planning the event two weeks out, and chipped away little by little at our list of preparations. We enjoyed putting thought into all the details, from finding just the right glassware to serve our homemade drinks to vetting each song we added to our playlist for the right atmoshpere. When we initially talked about the idea of creating a cafe experience for our friends, I assumed we would host at our home. But thanks to my mom and the availability of her office workspace we were able to take advantage of a location much better suited to resemble a "coffee shop". With more seating, wonderfully large windows and a more central location, our pop-up idea really felt like the real deal!

For me, the fun all started when it came to crafting the menu. I wanted to feature spring-themed flavors and offer drink options that our friends might not have tried. I referred to my coffee-drinking parents to cover the espresso drinks, while I specialized in the tea latte department. Together we came up with a list of our favorites combined with an assortment of both sweet and savory, storebought and homemade food items, and enjoyed seeing later what was the most popular!

The time spent welcoming everyone to the space and serving them was over too soon. The room was full with the buzz of energy and conversation between both friends and new connections. Perhaps the most rewarding part of all was getting the pleasure to witness our friends' first-time reactions to a surprise little bonus feature displayed in the side room. For the first time ever, I was able to showcase an editors copy of my first storybook "The Little Teacup". Seeing my work through the eyes of people I love made it truly feel tangible to me. Something so meaningful that I've been working on for months finally reached a milestone moment. Even in its unfinshed state, the story still touched the hearts of everyone who read it and resonated with each in a personal way. Their excitement made me all the more motivated, and I can't wait to see the impact this book will make in its final form and available to all. Thank you friends, and cheers to the start of something new!