High-Protein Godiva Pumpkin Spice Iced Coffee Bliss

I love getting mail. Coming home to a box on the front porch, wondering whose name is on the return address label ... the anticipation of what's inside just about kills me. Even if I know I ordered something, and I know it's just a used book, I'm still super excited. So imagine how exciting I find it when I pull into the driveway and see that the mail lady has left me a brown box I wasn't expecting.

That's exactly what happened a couple of weeks ago.

The weather was turning a little cool. We'd turned off the AC and were enjoying mornings with the windows open. It was starting to feel like fall and, lover of summer that I am, I was slowly embracing the change. I still wanted to wear sandals to work every day, but visions of Thanksgiving were starting to dance in my head. Wool sweaters, pie and stuffing, oh, how I love thee. But I wasn't ready to say goodbye to skirts and fresh local watermelon just yet. 

And then I got a package in the mail.

Derby Day Drinks

I can distinctly remember the sun was peeking out through the clouds. Mother Nature had promised a warm Saturday in May for us upstate New Yorkers. It was probably nearing 70 degrees, so I put on a tank top and my very fashionable denim overall shorts and walked into the living room to tell my momma I was ready to go to the party. She took one look at my shoulder, my left shoulder, and noticed bumps – tiny bumps I had not seen before. I had chicken pox and had to stay home, she told me. I cried. At 9 years old, I didn't even really know what the Kentucky Derby was, but I knew I wanted to be a part of the action.

Years later, one thing remains: I'm still up for any excuse to have a party. So I after chowing down on a little Chinese takeaway tonight, I spent the evening trolling the Web in search of drinks that I think will be perfect for accompanying tomorrow's race. (Hey, don't judge. It's been a long week.)