Cups Cafe in Medina and some iced tea

 I love this Cups Cafe idea in Medina!!!  They serve free meals and drinks to all.  I had no idea this was here.  I was driving around and I was looking for tea and I discovered this place.  I think this is wonderful!!!!!

Cups Cafe serves:

• • free cups of coffee, tea, & hot chocolate
  • free cups of water, kool-aid, sweet & unsweetened iced tea, milk & chocolate milk
  • free cups of soup
  • free sandwiches, popcorn, breads, bagels, cereal & desserts
  • free ice cream sundaes, popsicles, & smoothies during the summer
  • free bibles, prayer & other literature

"The vision of Cups Cafe is: Serving Hope one cup at a time. The hope we serve is Jesus, and we serve him through our work and to our guests because we are His hands and feet."

http://cupscafe.org/

How wonderful is this ministry?  I love it!!

I ordered a half and half tea.  Then they have a tip jar, you pay by donations.  I think this is great!!  Way to give back to the community.  They are being the hands and feet of Jesus in a real and tangible way.  I think it is wonderful!  It inspires me with my tea place I want to do.

They are always needing donations, see the list below if you feel like helping out.

Mail to: Cups Cafe PO Box 83 Medina OH 44256

CAFE NEEDS

• Monthly donors for the cafe
• Hamburger Meat
• Hamburger Buns
• Hot Dogs
• Hot Dog Buns
• Mustard, Ketchup, Mayonaise
• Whipped Cream
• Popcorn Kernels
• Popping Oil
• Decaf coffee
• Regular Coffee
• Cookies, Brownies
• White & Wheat Bread
• Kool-Aid
• Tea
• Hot Chocolate
• Homemade Soups
• Chicken Salad sandwich spread, Tuna Fish sandwich spread, & Egg Salad sandwich spread
• 13 Gallon Trash bags
• Sugar
• Coffee Creamer
• Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, Napkins
• Dish Soap
• Non-Perishable Canned Goods (tuna, soup, etc.)
• Spaghetti Noodles
• Pasta Sauce
• Peanut Butter & Jelly
• Chocolate Syrup
• Milk
• Feminine Products for our Women’s Restrooms
• Cleaning Supplies (glass cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, floor cleaner etc.)

Totally tea - Taro Milk Tea

While in Strongsville- I did a bubble tea taste test.  I tried the Macaron Bubble Tea and then the Totally Tea Bubble Tea- hands down the Totally Tea bubble tea wins!!  The flavor was fantastic!!

http://thatbobatho.com/

Price was good.  Friendly service and fantastic flavor!!

They have lots of options for your tea!  I love this.

Check out Totally Tea while at the Strongsville Mall!  I am kind of over the tapioca bubbles, so next time I get bubble tea...no matter where I am...I think I will say, no bubbles.  And here the bubbles are .75 more.

My mom tried mine and liked it so much that she ordered one too.

My mom and I enjoyed our bubble teas on the way home.  

It is always a great treat to spend time with parents.  During the summer months I work a compressed work week and I have every Wednesday off.  Today was seeing a movie for Fathers Day and doing Thai in Strongsville together.

Later that night it was time for my town's 4th of the July parade.  For a small town of 8000 people we have a pretty big parade- it lasts over an hour. 

This year we had the Oscar Meyer hot dog show up.  That was fun and different.  It is a super cute car.

I always sit with my family.  We put our blankets out 3-4 days before the parade.  The entire town puts their blankets and chairs out.  It is a hoot.  This year, my high school friend, sat with me since her husband was out of town.

In the parade they were giving out ice cream and drumsticks!!!  Yep, my parents got drumsticks at the parade!!

Ahh, you have to love a small town!!!

The Coffee Colony, Medina Oh

Heading through Medina I asked google maps for tea in the area.  I was pleasantly surprised by this shop.  It was been here since the 80's.  No tea to taste, but lots to buy.

Open Tuesday-Saturday from 10-5.

http://thecoffeecolony.com/

There main item is coffee, but they also have a nice selection of loose leaf tea.  

I was on a schedule to get to the lake so I did not go upstairs, but I will do that on my next visit.

Lots of fun things to explore too.

Below is a list of the teas they carry.  As you can see it is quite extensive. 

I purchased 2-3 kinds of tea to try.  I suggest you check it out and see what you think.

The samples of tea are $2. and make about 8 cups of tea- that is a great deal and a wonderful way to see if you like a certain tea!

  The staff was super friendly and helpful.  I will be back again for sure.

Vermilion- Woodstock Coconut Tea latte and tea on the beach

I love Vermillion.  It is like a 2nd home for me.  And that is probably because I have been coming up here for 50 years.  Our church camp, Beulah Beach is here, so I have been coming since birth.  Also, I used to live and work at the camp.

I love the Woodstock Cafe for their coconut tea latte.  It is something I try to snag every time I am in town.

https://www.woodstockcafeandcoffee.com/

Great tea latte.  I love anything coconut and this one is the bomb!

I was up for the weekend for a benefit auction.  Saturday afternoon, after the auction, I had wanted to go to the pool, but it was closed, so I decided to do something I had never done before.  I rented a kayak and tried kayaking on the river.

I loved it.  The rental was about $16 for the hour.  It was great and I am so glad I tried it.  Do not be afraid to try new things!  Get out there, even if you are single, do it!!!  Don't wait for a friend or a spouse to do things with, you could miss a lot of things.

http://westriverkayak.com/

While there I took a walk and found this awesome heart stone.  I love heart stones and have a fun collection of them. 

Almost a perfect heart!  Sometimes I have to use my imagination, but this one is obvious it is a heart.

I had a little cabin by the water.  So, in the morning and evening I was able to take my portable tea pot and tea cup out with a snack and have some alone time by the water.

It does not get much more peaceful than this!!!

https://www.amazon.com/Alocs-Portable-Travelling-Quick-Cooling-Japanese/dp/B07NQ6QJ1X/ref=sr_1_9?crid=149J06G5Q03NC&keywords=metal%2Btravel%2Bkung%2Bfu%2Btea%2Bset&qid=1659975529&sprefix=metal%2Btravel%2Bgung%2Bfu%2Btea%2Bset%2Caps%2C70&sr=8-9&th=1

Above is NOT the set I bought, but it is kind of like it.  Although, I paid A LOT less!!!

Below, is the set I bought, it is no longer available on Amazon.  I think I paid around $15.00

I loved sitting there drinking tea, talking to God, and watching the water.  It was a beautiful evening.

I like this tea set, the cups are super small, but it is nice because it is metal and I don't have to worry about anything cracking or breaking.