Sometimes the best adventures start early in the morning, with a gift card, a cup of coffee, a glazed donut, and time spent with your child. The other day at dark thirty Charlie decided it was time for us to finally go to Dunkin’ Donuts. Mind you my eyes wasn’t even opened and I hadn’t even thought of crawling out of bed but when I heard Dunkin Donuts my feet hit the floor/
Mind you, Charlie and I had been talking about going for weeks. David had given us a $15 gift card, and Charlie had managed to save it instead of spending it while he was out DoorDashing with his friends. Considering how easy it is to spend money when you’re out and about, I was grateful, thankful, and blessed that he had held on to it.
So, , we finally headed out for our Dunkin’ Donuts adventure! or our Mom & Son Road Trips as David calls them. And before you ask, yes, we were up ridiculously early. Apparently, the sun doesn’t need to be up for Charlie to decide that coffee and donuts sound like a good idea.
But you know what? I’m a mom, and sometimes you pick your battles. Other times, you put on your shoes, grab your purse, and go get donuts with your son. Yesterday was one of those mornings. We had our $15 gift card and another $4 in cash. I figured we had enough to get ourselves a little breakfast, but I was also keeping an eye on the budget.
Every time we go to the donut shop near our house, it seems like we manage to spend around $20. How does that happen when all we’re doing is buying donuts? I don’t know, but somehow it does! But that might be because I have a #Teen who likes to eat and eat and eat.
This time, though, we spent only about $9. Yes, you read that correctly. Nine dollars! That meant we had money left on the gift card, and we didn’t have to spend all the cash we had brought with us. Sometimes the little things make you happy, and staying within your budget is definitely one of them.
Our trip was also a reminder that we don’t have to spend a fortune to make memories together. We just need a little time, something good to eat, and a reason to get out of the house. Now let’s talk about coffee for a minute. Because mine isn’t so much coffee which you will see.
When I ordered mine, I asked for black coffee with sugar, sugar, sugar, and more sugar. Then I added cream, cream, and more cream and you got it more cream or milk. What ever you have will work. At that point, there wasn’t much coffee left in my coffee! What can I say? That’s just the way I roll.
Some people like their coffee strong enough to wake up the entire neighborhood. Which is David more times than not. Me? I like a little coffee with my cream and sugar. Charlie ordered a cold brew, and between the two of us, we had our morning drinks taken care of.
Now I’m curious. How do you drink your coffee? Are you a black-coffee person? Do you add cream? Are you a sugar person like me? Or do you fall somewhere in between? Tell me in the comments because I’d love to know! Just don’t expect me to try your Coffee if it has a flavor other than French Vanilla in it.
Of course, I couldn’t leave Dunkin’ Donuts without getting a donut. I ordered a glazed donut, and Charlie picked out one for himself. I also wanted to take pictures of the Halloween donuts. You know me: when I see something seasonal, especially something that might be fun to share with Greatful Moments readers, I want to take pictures!
I like seeing what businesses are offering for the holidays. Sometimes a picture can give someone an idea for a family outing, a seasonal treat, or something they might want to try themselves. Unfortunately, my picture-taking turned into an unexpected experience.
A man behind the counter repeatedly questioned why I was taking pictures. He suggested I could find the menu online and said that if he appeared in my pictures, I needed to delete them. He even mentioned charging me for the pictures. By then I was getting upset.
I showed him the pictures, but the conversation continued longer than I thought necessary. By the time we were ready to leave, I simply wanted to get our coffee and donuts and head home. The good news? The lady behind the counter was very nice, and I believe there was also a young girl learning the job. I appreciated the kindness of the people who made our visit pleasant. Which didn’t include that man.
Charlie thought the man might have been joking. Maybe he was. Maybe he was having a bad morning. I don’t know, and I’m not going to pretend I do. I just know that I wasn’t trying to cause trouble. I was taking pictures of donuts, coffee, and the menu because I was there and wanted to remember what I saw.
And no, I didn’t see the Halloween Boo Basket I had been hoping to find. I also forgot to ask the staff about it because, by that point, I was ready to leave. Perhaps next time I’ll remember to ask the next time I go to a Dunkin Donuts which will not be that one.
Here’s the part of our morning that made me smile the most. After we finished ordering, we realized we still had money left. The first thing Charlie said was that there was enough money left for Dad to get a coffee, too. Isn’t that sweet? David wasn’t with us, but Charlie was thinking about him. He wanted his dad to be able to enjoy a coffee as well.
As a mom, those little moments mean a lot to me. We spend so much time worrying about whether we’re teaching our children the right things. We wonder whether they’re listening when we talk about kindness, thoughtfulness, and remembering other people. Then, every once in a while, they do something that reminds us that they are listening after all.
Charlie didn’t have to think about his dad. He could have simply enjoyed his coffee and donut and gone about his morning. Instead, he thought about sharing what we had left. That made me grateful, thankful, and blessed and it made me want to go on a new adventure with Charlie soon.
We also decided to put the gift card in Charlie’s glove compartment. As we go through the week, we’ll add a little more money to it so we have something set aside for our next visit. We haven’t decided when that will be, but now we have another little adventure to look forward to.
We visited the Dunkin’ Donuts on Denton Highway in Watauga, next to Starbucks. Will we go back to that location? Maybe. Will we try the location in Hurst instead? Maybe. I don’t want to make a permanent decision based on one uncomfortable interaction. The employee might not be there next time, or perhaps things will be different on another morning.
And honestly, I don’t know what kind of day he was having. What I do know is that the lady was nice, the coffee was good, the glazed donut hit the spot, and Charlie and I got to spend time together. I’m going to leave the decision about our next visit in the Lord’s hands.
If we return to the same location, I hope we have a better experience. If we try another location, perhaps we’ll discover another place we enjoy visiting together. Either way, I don’t want one unpleasant moment to take away from an otherwise special morning with my son. And perhaps the next time we visit, I’ll finally remember to ask about that Halloween Boo Basket!
When I look back on yesterday morning, I won’t remember every detail of the conversation at the counter. I’ll remember getting up early with Charlie. I’ll remember that we had a $15 gift card from David and managed to spend only about $9. I’ll remember my coffee with enough cream and sugar to make somebody else wonder whether there was any coffee in the cup. But once it was done it was made perfectly and I wish I had a cup now.
I’ll remember my glazed donut which was so good and all the other donuts and breakfast sandwiches I saw and can’t wait to try out. As well as a glass of sweet Tea. Although, before we return I am going to make sure my app is working so I can use it and you should to.
Most of all, I’ll remember that Charlie wanted to make sure there was money left so his dad could enjoy a coffee, too. Those are the moments I want to hold on to. We don’t always need a big vacation, an expensive restaurant, or an elaborate family outing to make memories. Sometimes we just need to get out of the house, try something new, and spend a little time together.
Yesterday, Charlie and I finally made it to Dunkin’ Donuts after talking about it for weeks. Was everything perfect? No. Did I enjoy spending time with my son? Absolutely. Would I do it again? Of course I would! Even if he decides to go back at dark thirty.
Because I’m a mom, I love my son, and I know that these ordinary mornings can become some of our favorite memories. And if those memories come with a glazed donut and a cup of coffee, well, I won’t complain. I’m grateful, thankful, and blessed that I got to spend that time with Charlie. And I’m already looking forward to our next adventure.
Now tell me: What’s your favorite thing to order at Dunkin’ Donuts? And are you a black-coffee person, or do you like your coffee with plenty of cream and sugar, too? I’d love to hear about your favorite coffee-and-donut combinations!
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Grateful. Thankful. Blessed.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
