It's been more than a year now since I relocated from the Twin Cities in Minnesota to the bustling metroplis of Small Town, ND [population: 2,000]. It was a rather harsh adjustment at first, as certain conveniences that I'd grown accustomed to [i.e. Starbucks] are now 2 hours away. The first month or so felt like a vacation—like I'd be going back to the city soon enough. Then reality set in, and eleven months later, I began to adjust.

There are multiple things I miss about the city, but lately I've really been jonesing for a coffee shop—for both a good cup of coffee, and the environment that goes along with that. I want to order a caramel soy latte and NOT be asked if I want whip on that. I want the scent of high-quality, freshly ground beans, and the sounds of an actual espresso machine gurgling away as I settle into a small table with my Macbook Air and headphones.

I didn't spend a lot of my time writing in coffee shops when I did live in the city [mostly because I thought it was cliche—a writer in a coffee shop], but that's all I want to do now that it's not an option. I miss living two blocks from a Caribou Coffee, with the friendly girls smiling behind the counter, doing their best impression of Minnesota nice. I miss meeting my best friend at the Starbucks in Roseville [the one on the north side of the freeway], and catching up on each others lives as we contemplate whether or not to kill some time at the mall.

I know I'm missing this so much only because I can't have it. I'll be in the Twin Cities again in a week and a half, and will have to get some time in while I'm there. Dear Starbucks, I'm coming. Sincerely, the Girl with the Caffeine Addiction...