To my favorite barista,

While what I usually say to you consists of "venti iced coffee with sugar-free vanilla, thank you," I have so much more to say to you when it comes to what you do for me. Although I only share a relationship with you because you are a Starbucks barista, and I am a 21-year-old female -- you, my friend, are my favorite barista. Sure, I have had other baristas who can whip together delicious drinks while also managing to spell my apparently difficult name correctly. But they are simply not the same, and I can't really explain why.

Beginning with the end of my usual request, a thank you is in order. Thank you for being reliable when dark chocolate covered almonds and pictures of golden retriever puppies aren't enough to get me through a Monday. Thank you for coming to the rescue by having my secret weapon already waiting for me upon entering Starbucks. Thank you for being there for me at my worst moments, whether it be when I stumble in at noon wearing sunglasses after having too much fun at open bar, or when I am crying and smiling at the same time because it is finals week. Thank you for our shared laughs over the last episode of "The Bachelor" as well as giving me the option of quickly running in and out when we are both busy. And above all, thank you for never judging me for coming in multiple times in one day, or for the lengthy request that is my drink order. Some people may only order something with three letters, such as a BLT, when ordering food or drinks. But we all know that "grande iced coffee in a venti cup with sugar-free vanilla" types of people are out there, and that they aren't any less grateful or polite.

Our relationship is just as refreshing as the beverages you craft, and can even be compared to Bruce Wayne's relationship with his weapon provider, Lucius Fox. You are friendly, but not overly friendly to the point where it is too much for a simple coffee exchange. You supply me with a powerful arsenal of tasty secret weapons to get me through my morning while avoiding unnecessary questions during early morning hours. We've gone through hangovers, midterms, finals, full-time internships, and jobs together, and I don't know how I would've pulled it all off without you. And you can bet that it was worth it each time I was running late somewhere with a coffee in hand signed by yours truly dripping all over my hand (and I used the, "Uh, yea, I was totally stuck in traffic" excuse).

Thank you for giving me my obnoxious, but totally necessary dosage of caffeine to keep the rest of the world under the impression that I am a pleasant person to be around. Baristas like you are the reason that people like me take the extra five minutes to drive to your Starbucks, rather than hitting up the one located inside the Target down the street (because we all know those don't count as real Starbucks).

XOXO,
Coffee Girl.