Things That Bring Joy – A Thought Over Coffee

“We read to know we are not alone.”

Published January 27, 2023

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.

Published January 23, 2023

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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The last 5 miles to Emporia

Published January 18, 2023

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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EVOKE: In OUR Words

Published January 13, 2023

It is funny how much more you remember when you begin to flip through the look book of time. That little spark that gets your heart and soul moving to a rhythm that you thought you had forgotten or that you didn’t even remember you ever had. I can see it in my own kids – my oldest and his memories of “the shop” and growing up full blown a coffee shop kid.. My middle with so many little memories of his older friends and drinking hot chocolate and collecting bottle caps.. My youngest who never really even knew life…

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This is where YOU come in.

Published January 6, 2023

This year, I am allowing myself to be nostalgic which, if you know me at all, is something I’m pretty uncomfortable with. Call it living in the moment. Being unattached. I’m not sure. I have really been pushing myself to remember. To remember all the things we got to do at EVOKE – the euphoric highs and the really tough lows. The relationships that we made. The coffees we drank. The excitement that got me up at 5a nearly every day for so many years. To remember the people that made EVOKE what is it both behind the bar and…

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It’s 2023 and with that comes a bit of housekeeping.

Published January 2, 2023

Welcome to 2023. I hope it is a year filled with more than just resolutions. Change if you need it. A constant. Something new… I wanted to do a bit of housekeeping today. I have added two new pages to this site: Media + Press and Reading List. The Media + Press page is actually a journal (maybe mostly for me) that keeps track of opportunities I (and my businesses) have had to share our story with the wider public. I am still working on getting this list filled out and I hope that there are more opportunities for me…

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I’m not running for Edmond City Council.

Published December 5, 2022

The filing period for Candidates for Edmond City Council just opened. I’ve been getting lots of questions, texts and emails (thanks for the trust and support!!) about this and figured I’d just write this here: I’m not running for Ward 1 City Council. Here is the strange truth of it all. I went all in for Edmond back in 2011. I never thought I’d actually be saying that but it’s true. We moved to the downtown area after signing a lease for the space at 103 S Broadway where our coffee company would call home. Since then, I have committed…

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It was a good old fashioned street fight.

Published October 3, 2022

We always loved strange yard games at EVOKE. Horseshoes. Washers. Cornhole. Ping Pong. You name. So, a few years back, we decided we needed to host something for all of our friends. What better than a good old fashioned battle on the street? Cornhole. Yep. The crew and I came up with this crazy idea to host a cornhole tournament outside on the streets of Downtown Edmond during the final night of Heard on Hurd in October. We researched official rules, court length, sign up forms and the works. It was huge. We charged $25 – $35/team and did a…

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It was a time to celebrate so many things.

Published September 30, 2022

For some reason, I woke up to my wandering mind taking me back to May 31st, 2012. It was one month after opening EVOKE in Downtown Edmond and was the day of our official “Grand Opening”. We had planned for weeks and came up with a day full of all the good things we had been working towards for nearly 1o years actually happening. It was day one but also day 1,000. It was for us. The community. The crew that helped us open. It was for me as I sit here now. This party was going to be special…

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Category: Things That Bring Joy