It was one of those times that you look back on with profound gratitude... if just one thing was different, things would be a lot different I had been a customer of Cafe M for a while. My daily routine was to grab a cup of coffee every day. I made friends with most of the workers there because I was there daily, but one barista always had my attention. Whitney and I would chat at the counter for longer than your standard transaction took. She always met me with a smile, told me what was new and I would do the same. This went on for a good while. I had made it a habit to remember her schedule so that I could not only get my coffee, but also continue our chats. At one point or another I had encouraged her to come out for the Monday night bluegrass show that I played... lo and behold the whole Cafe M crew came out. Little did I know that this too would soon become a bit of a tradition. That morning cup of coffee, led to daily chats, which led to us seeing each other every Monday night at the bluegrass show. Our chats, which started out as your simple "Hey, how are you doing?" grew more substantial and we got to really know each other. Monday nights were easily the highlight of the week because that is where we ended up spending the most time together. I couldn't wait to take a break from playing to talk with Whitney. This Monday night routine lasted for some time and each Monday we would stay out later and later. Soon it was obvious that our friendship was much much more. For the majority of that summer we stayed up too late, got up too early, and saw each other as much as we humanly could. Fast forward to now and we are still doing that, only with earlier bed times. Our friendship has continued to grow and deepen while we journey through life. To think, buying a simple cup of coffee started everything. To be honest though I think we both knew what was in store for us when we first met.