Sip Trip: Lattes, Long Drives & Letting Go

If you’re reading this, just know this little adventure is fresh from last weekend. I’ve been on quite a roll this summer with my Road (Sip) Trip editions — each one a mix of coffee, miles, and a few life lessons along the way. This particular weekend’s route was bittersweet: we were on the road to drop Mason off for college**sniff** And no… I’m not okay, but I will be.

I've been silently grieving my grandma and this month started out somber due to death in the family while I was simultaneously clipping the wings of my first begotten son as he heads into his next chapter. Despite all of the monkey wrenches August has been throwing at me, I am still maintaining optimistic views. I am allowing myself to feel and as my eyes welt up with a few tears that may or may not escape-the wave comes n goes. It's literally like a cloud that passes by the sun. My body feels the shade of emotions and the sun slowly comes back and I proceed with my day. I'm totally in a weird space right now but I'll expand on that another time.

For this Sip Trip, we kicked off the drive in Fredericksburg with a stop at a veteran-owned coffee shop, Black Rifle Coffee Company. I ordered the “1776” — a sea salt toffee, caramel n mocha with the perfect balance of bold and sweet — and paired it with a spicy sausage n egg on jalepeno biscuit breakfast sandwich; that definitely woke me up before the highway miles began.

"Coffee first, courage second — the rest will follow." 💕

Mason’s settling in just fine… I guess, lol. He’s checked in a few times, and the flood of love from alumni sharing campus tips and connections has been reassuring. Plus, with family nearby in Virginia Beach, I know he’s in good hands. You all have been great and it's allowed me to have a sigh of relief.

By the time we got back home, I realized this trip wasn’t just about coffee or miles — it was about the quiet courage in moving forward. The latte was gone, the sun was setting, and my heart felt just a little lighter. God is so good and I'm forever grateful to be apart of this day. What a blessing it is to have a notch on my belt with having a "college kid". WOW!! Just WOW. By God's grace, I'm hoping to do it all over again in 12 yrs with my last hoorah-sheesh.