Research and Espresso

On Sunday, Jeff and I were driving along in the car drinking scalding coffee on a disgusting 94 degree day. We were still sweating with the AC cranked because of the ridiculous Colorado sun beating down through the window, and I kept taking sips of the molten liquid wanting to die because of the heat but knowing that I would surely perish if there was no caffeine in my system... which really makes no sense if you think about it, but don't think about it.

So I think aloud and say, "You know, I really need to figure out how to do an iced coffee properly.  I've tried and tried, but I just can't seem to get it right."

"Well," he said, "have you researched it at all, honey?"

"I think it has to have that syrup stuff to get it right."

"Maybe you should look it up when we get home."

We sat in happy (well, as happy as one can be in nasty heat drinking super hot coffee) silence for a few moments while I concocted iced coffee drinks in my mind and he, I'm sure, went to the baseball place in his.  And suddenly I thought, how cool that he just encouraged me to learn about this iced coffee thing.  I love it when he's supportive like that and wants me to learn about the stuff I want to learn about.

So I said, "That's really neat that you are so supportive about me wanting to make good coffee."

"Really?" he said, "because what I was really thinking was why haven't you looked it up yet, you idiot?  You know you can find out anything you need to know in about 30 seconds on the internet."

Which, of course, I found hilarious, but not quite as sweet.  Jeff tried to convince me that it was even sweeter since he thought that but didn't say it out loud.

But you know what?  It never even occurred to me to look up how to make an iced espresso drink without an espresso machine on the internet.  I was content to just keep concocting things until the sweltering heat/ coffee combined with Jeff's oh so loving encouragement inspired me to research.  Sure I know that if it was super important for me to get it right, I would've looked it up and gotten it right, but it wasn't important.  I was just playing.  And I love thinking that way... by playing.  What would happen if I add a little of this or mixed in a lot of that?

Not Jeff, no sir.  By golly, you want to know something or be able to do something, you find out how to do it right and you follow every single direction and if you miss something, no matter how important or unimportant, you take it all apart and start over.

And this, to me, is hilarious and weird.

I guess the fact that Jeff approaches life with a completely different and many times opposite viewpoint is what has always fascinated me about him, made him such a challenge to me... and we all know how I need to be challenged.

The other part of that is while I am busy trying to conquer this challenge of understanding the way that this mysterious man thinks, I forget how great it works to be with an opposite.  You see, I am sitting here drinking a very tasty homemade caramel macchiato.  This never would have happened if I had not been encouraged to research by my handsome data-driven husband.

Guess it will always "challenge" him that I want to play to solve problems.  And I'm sure it will continue to make me shake my head when everything he does, buys, builds, or creates is scrupulously researched prior to  making the first move.

Maybe that's why he was staring at me so much the night we met.... Research.