Afternoon Coffee

By Sarah Duggan on July 14, 2017

When I married into the Duggan family, I learned about all-day coffee. Up until that point I believed coffee was strictly a morning drink. My dad was the coffee drinker in our house and I never saw him with a cup of coffee outside of the early morning hours. Of course, he could have been at work guzzling the caffeinated wonder bean by the pot, but I would never know that.

But the Duggans drink coffee morning, afternoon and night. My husband actually has the audacity to have a cup of regular coffee before bed. By before I mean right before. I’ve always been a morning coffee drinker, even after becoming a Duggan barring special occasions. Until now.

Just this week I said to Chris, “It’s about time for my afternoon coffee!”

“I didn’t know you drank coffee. When did that start?” He didn’t know what he was getting into with that question.

“Afternoon coffee started after Eilish was born. It’s how I get from 3:00 to 9:00 without much of a struggle. But I started in 2009…”

In the summer of 2009, my wedding date was set for July 11. I called off the nuptials two weeks prior to the big day (That story can be told over drinks at the Pub!), but of course I had already celebrated my bridal shower with family and friends, which meant I was the proud owner of many new appliances, flatware, and much, much more. So, began the awkward dance of attempting to return each item.

Some people took the items back quickly as to avoid any sort of unnecessary conversation that could make either of us uncomfortable or cause me anguish. Others insisted I keep the gift for the same reasons. This is the moment I gained my first-ever Mr. Coffee 12-cup coffee pot.

A few months later I was in my last semester of college and living alone for the first time. I always did my homework at my kitchen table, mostly because I loved the bright yellow walls. They were cheery, even on the gloomiest day. The assignment at hand was a paper, the subject escapes me, but I will never forget the moment I looked up from my computer and the unused coffee pot caught my eye and I thought, I’m going to try coffee today.

I drank an entire pot of coffee that afternoon. To say I was jittery is an understatement. After that day, I experimented with my “limit” and learned the ideal amount of coffee for me. Now its 2017 – nearly eight years later – and I have perfected my coffee game. One cup of black coffee after my workout in the morning and one cup of black coffee around 3 p.m.

And on special occasions I will even spring for a Bailey’s Coffee with dessert. Life is always changing.