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A Thought Over Coffee Posts

There is NO PLACE like the Finish Line.

“When you finish these events, you inspire EVERYONE around you.“ There is no place like the finish line. A place that a few hours before was your start. Familiar but new. It transforms into something you can see and you can hear about but you can’t really FEEL until you have crossed it. The physical space transforms… so that you can transform. At one moment, a starting line. Hours later… a finish. At 8:00a, you will start and suffer and think you will fail and you either will or you won’t. But you won’t because you are made for this.…

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Just never could pull the trigger.

It’s funny to think back on things that we started at EVOKE but never could finish. Here is one of those things… Something that I don’t think ever caught the light of day so you get to see it here…. first! When we opened EVOKE in 2012, we invested heavily in custom NotNeutral ceramics for the bar. That was our focus and we knew we needed to be sure they not only were perfect for coffee but also felt right to drink from and represented our brand well on the tables. When it came to take away service, however, we…

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What happened to the creativity?

Can I talk a bit candidly again for a few minutes? It might be a rambling of thoughts and ideas but maybe that will be an even more transparent insight into my thoughts at the moment…. I remember back in college.. I first decided that coffee was what I was going to do and nothing could or would hold me back. It never felt like there were any road blocks that could hold back the tidal wave of creativity in my soul that that I was pushing towards my end result. It was a controlled recklessness. It was a passion.…

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I would never have imagined it.

(this has NOTHING to do with coffee or business or Edmond or anything more than something that is bringing ALL the joy at the moment) For the past 3 years, our oldest son – TUK – has jumped head first into the world of lacrosse and has since played day in and day out it seems. Last year, he decided to try out for Impulse Lacrosse based in Tulsa, Oklahoma and headed up by Pro Callum Crawford – one of the top forward in the National Lacrosse League and Ryan Fournier. None of that really made any since to me…

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It was the first thing I’d do.

Back in 2002 or 2003, I had this routine that would instinctively play out as soon as I hit the hotel in a new city or town I was in. No matter why I was there, I had to jump in the yellow pages on the side table at the Hotel or in the info provided to see what coffee was close and which places I needed to visit. (Yes, it was the Yellow Pages. Do you even remember those??) I would make a list of places that I need to go have a sip at and see in person…

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“We read to know we are not alone.”

C.S, Lewis said that.. or, maybe it was just his character in Shadowlands that said it but either way – someone said it and I like it. I actually first saw this posted on the sidewalk sign in front of my friend Ben’s bookstore in Downtown Edmond but that isn’t really what this post is about.. At the end of 2022, I was feeling drained and just plain exhausted. I found myself looking at my phone more and more per day and had that “fed up” moment with myself. In fact, it might have been a time when I got…

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What a dumb idea. No one will eat it.

I’m pretty sure this is how it happened. Maybe I’m going to make it more of a story than it really was but.. yeah, this is how it happened… Waffle Sandwich – the legend of EVOKE. Maybe the most popular thing on the menu and for sure the most popular personality at EVOKE (except maybe Kyle.. everyone liked Kyle, too….) Here are the characters: An EVOKE House Waffle.. Pesto Mayo.. Ham (and then at one point Turkey) and then Ham again (<– supply chain? Boredom? Who knows…) Egg.. Swiss Cheese Here is how I remember it all going down. We…

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You Will Never Guess What I’m About To Tell You..

โ€œThis is the first two-story, first masonry structure in the Unassigned Landsโ€ (Before I get into this post – the above quote talks about the “unassigned lands.” I want to be clear that this district sits on Gรกuigรบ (Kiowa), ๐“๐’ฐ๐““๐’ฐ๐““๐’ท ๐’ผ๐“‚๐“Š๐’ป ๐“†๐’ป๐’ฟ๐’ท ๐“€๐’ฐ^๐““๐’ฐ^(Osage), Wichita, Nส‰mส‰nส‰ส‰ Sookobitส‰ (Comanche), and Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo) land. It still is.) Back in 2013, The Oklahoman ran a story about the building that we – EVOKE – called home in Downtown Edmond. It was an interview with our landlord, David Hornbeek. I love looking back on these sorts of pictures to see what life was like on…

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The last 5 miles to Emporia

There were 201 miles that came before this. Hours and hours of riding. Bottles and bottles of Tailwind Nutrition. There is something about the finish line that I can’t really express or explain. That feeling of being done while knowing that this might just be the beginning. That reset of your “impossible” that happens with each line you cross. I don’t go to races guaranteeing myself anything. I don’t even really go to races knowing what I’m capable of doing. I more just show up to races willing to try something I’m not sure I’m able to do. Zach Miller,…

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Wait! I have never talked to you about 1708?

On Sundays (ok, really it isn’t EVERY Sunday but we do try to make it a weekly thing), a group of us and our families meet at Arcadia Lake in Edmond for coffee and trail time. The organizer of this whole deal is my good friend Josh McCullock. Yesterday, as we were slow rolling at the vans getting ready to go ride a lady was talking to Josh and mentioned his office in The Plaza District. All of that to say…. I woke up last night with this strange thought that I have never told you about 1708 – our…

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