Hi friends–

We are experiencing a rare week of 40-50 degree days here in Vegas, so that has been an interesting change.

Baby and I have been trying to get out of the house every few days–in addition to the physical and mental healing that I’ve been experiencing, one thing I didn’t anticipate was the loneliness and isolation of not working for a few weeks.

I don’t mean to say that I’m not enjoying getting to know our new baby–but being alone for 10-11 hours a day after such a large life change is hard, especially when I’ve been working since I was 15.

The sleep depravation, always being on call, and the hormone changes have been hard and have made me think about drinking again.

On top of that, there is SO MUCH mom culture dedicated to drinking…recently a friend sent me this article “Moms Tell Me to Drink” by Katie Bickell which explores the complicated relationship between new moms and alcohol.

And it’s not that I actually want to drink again–but my mind will sometimes tell me lies like, “Wouldn’t it be easier to get through this long lonely day with a little whiskey in your decaf coffee”.

TERRIBLE LIES LIKE THAT.

So, like I said, we’ve been trying to get out the house.

And coffee shops–OH COFFEE SHOPS–especially those with drive thrus have become my sanity place.

So today’s post is dedicated to one of the absolute BEST coffee shops in town that godblessit has a drive thru, Sunrise Coffee.

Located on the east side of town across from Sunset Park, Sunrise Coffee has kind staff, ample parking, an outdoor patio, a great food menu, and free wifi.

The coffee shop opened in 2008 (and for any of you living here back then…the fact that this place survived some pretty rough years economically here in Vegas tells you how great it is) and according to their website:

“Juanny and Josh started Sunrise Coffee and Mothership Coffee Roasters…with the idea of bringing the neighborhood coffee shop to Las Vegas.  Coffee roasting, producing world class coffee, and cultivating a true sense of community have all become an integral part of Sunrise Coffee. The goal has always been to strive for ethically sourced coffee beans, fair trade practices, and eco-conciousness while having fun along the way!”

A few months ago some friends were visiting from out of town and their flight landed early.

They’d asked me where would be a good place to kill a few hours while they waited to meet up with friends–and Sunrise was my first suggestion.

Later that week when I saw them, they commented how welcome they felt spending a few hours here hanging out on the patio with other people’s pets and catching up on emails.

For someone not part of this community to feel at home here was touching.

Right now, there are some days when I feel able to go inside a restaurant, dressed and showered, but many times I’m just grateful that I can drive thru and grab a healthy bite to eat here once the little one has been lulled to sleep by the hum of the drive on the freeway.

I know that once I get back to work, things mentally will be easier.

I’ll miss spending time with the little one–but I also think it’s okay for new moms who’ve been working to admit they miss it if they do.

One thing I’m finding is that whatever you do as a new mom, someone will disagree with you, be horrified at your decision, look down on you, tell you that you’re doing it wrong, or give you a judgmental look.

So, my suggestion would be to put the baby in the car, shed a few tears, drive thru your favorite coffee house and ask for the biggest decaf latte they’ve got–and remember that you’re doing your best and that’s enough for today.

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Thank you for reading and happy sobering friends!