#100cupsofcoffee // HRH 🇬🇧

100 Cups Of Coffee is my journey through divorce, dating & self-discovery. 

My single journey began in 2015 when I decided to leave my husband & again when Ocean Eyes broke up with me in May 2020. It all feels like forever ago. The ghosts of a life in transition.

The days since have brought all the self-love. I'm proud of where I am, guided by therapy, and a newfound self-awareness, boundaries in place. May the odds be ever in my favor. 

I’ve never written an in progress cup. Here we go. But make it tea.

 

2020 has been the year of never ending 1st dates. Did J3 jinx me? My birthday rolls around and I’m deep in a dry spell. Mid-March hits and I find myself eye rolling time and time again. Hinge, over it. Coffee Meets Bagel, not great. Fine Bumble I’ll give you a go. 🐝

 

Swipe, left, left, left, left. Repeat until forever. 

 

Then I stop in my tracks. Cute smile! I smile back to myself! Let's read the bio shall we? I LOL, lots of head nods.

 

SWIPE RIGHT! Finally... 

 

We match!

 

Meet His Royal Highness (HRH) 🇬🇧

 

Now I have to make the first move. Ek. Don’t be boring. We’ve both lived in Denver the same amount of time...try that?

 

Success! 

 

HRH writes back immediately. We chatted for a couple hours, finding so much in common: non skiers! YAS! Hiking, reading (I’m doing my best this year) + he knows about the Libby app I’ve been using, running (we’ve both conquered the ½ marathon), he knows Gavin DeGraw and even has a favorite song! We end our intro chat planning to meet up. 

 

The following day I give him my number.

 

HRH texts immediately. 

 

He jumps to the chase and we make plans for Saturday. I love HRH's take charge attitude. The confidence and assertive nature is blowing me away. But today, I am in a weird place. I really enjoy chatting with him, I think we have a lot in common and am excited to meet up on Saturday. I tell him as such and he agrees to my boundaries to text later in the week.

 

I’ll say that again. 

 

He 👏🏻 Agrees 👏🏻 To 👏🏻 My 👏🏻 Boundaries 👏🏻 

 

Cheerfully I might add. It isn’t as common as you would think. One year in, I’m finally seeing it with my own eyes. I knew it existed. 🙏

Later in the week I get the promised check in.

Saturday arrives. We can’t meet up because of a COVID exposure. Better safe than sorry. We make plans for Tuesday and we chat until then only stopping to work and sleep. HRH makes me laugh a lot and I feel hopeful for the first time this year. Since last May. My entire life?

On Tuesday I’m nervous. I don’t feel like myself. Finally the 🍷 kicks in and we LOL for 3 hours. 

As we part ways, my heart smiles. As I arrive home, HRH is texting me for our next meeting. His take charge attitude is coming in 🔥 and I’m here for it.

HRH picks me up Saturday for brunch and the botanic gardens. That’s it my mind says. Short and sweet. HRH will not come up today. We spend the day together. He comes up (sorry, not sorry) and I cannot let him leave without a kiss. Yes, 🔥!

Tuesday we go out to dinner. 

Wednesday he comes over for Thai take-out. I tell him I'm not talking to anyone else. He agrees. 🥰

Saturday I dress to the nines and we go out for another brunch. I could get use to this. A cheers to Prince Phillip 🥂 and internally, to the feels that are flowing through me with every touch of HRH’s hand, each lean in for a tiny kiss on the cheek, head, hand. Every LOL we share. Every subject we align on. My heart begins to melt underneath the spring sun.

After our afternoon together, I delete my dating apps. Bye, Hinge, Coffee Meets Bagel and Bumble. I see that HRH has deleted his Bumble too. 🥺

Back in November, I was listening to the Coffee Meets Bagel podcast which asked daters to try this activity: 

What will make me happy long term in a relationship?

Write out 5 things you enjoyed most about the last 5 people you dated

White out 5 things that you disliked most the last 5 people you dated. Invert the dislikes. 

What traits show up more than once?

Here are mine:

✅ Wants a serious relationship +2

✅ Loyal + 1

✅ Career goals + 1 + driven to succeed

✅ Felt financially secure +1

✅ Wants a best friend + 1

✅ Likes Sex + 1

✅ Support me & cheer me on + 1

✅ Confident +1

✅ Good communicator +1

✅ Takes the initiative +1

✅ Truthful

✅ Finds me approachable and inviting

✅ Always learning + self growth

✅ Felt safe

✅ Wants to spend time with me + makes me a priority

✅ Funny

✅ Fitness goals + self motivation

✅ Can’t be boring

✅ Don’t force anything

Lesson: HRH has them all. 💖 

Soundtrack: "I hope you don't mind that I put down in words, how wonderful life is now you're in the world." - Elton John, Your Song

Drink more cups here ☕️