Walking and Talking

 Two weeks in a row makes a tradition, right? 

Two Sundays now, my oldest and I have taken a morning walk to our local Starbucks, justified in no small part by the "Win Starbucks for a Year" promotion and in part by a couple opportunities for bonus stars. As much as anything, though, the motivation is to get in some morning steps and spend time with my teen.

Mission accomplished on both fronts. 

Starbucks is 1.4 miles from our house, so that was almost 3 miles right there. And she's always talkative when we're heading to Starbucks. It's like anticipation is almost as strong as caffeine. 

We talked about the concert she sang in last night, which was just amazingly good. She sings with the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus, and I'm just continually blown away by what an experience she's getting. Their performance last night was closer in its repertoire and sound to a college choir than to a high school ensemble. 

And we talked about things going on with one of her siblings, and about her recent class trip to Columbus, where she loved COSI (Center of Science and Industry) and the chance to see the Ohio State main campus up close. We talked about next year, when she may be going off to boarding school. 

At home, it can be tough to get time on my teen's busy schedule, so if the cost of admission is over-priced coffee and sugary drinks, so be it.