Allow me to explain.

Since I'm going to be talking "Hot Chocolate" quite a bit over the next few months, I thought I would take a moment to clarify what I actually mean by that. Because when I say I'm going to have a cup of hot chocolate, I don't actually mean that I'm just going to wander into the kitchen, grab a mug and pour in some cocoa and some milk. No, no.

"Hot chocolate" means something bigger.

To me, hot chocolate stands for one of my FAVORITE traditions with Levi.

Here's a little glimpse.

[PS: We're going to proceed as if the name on my cup really does, by some miracle, read "Amalie". Deal?]

Hot chocolate from Starbucks. "Hold the lid, extra whip, a swirl of cocoa syrup? Oh yes. And don't you dare forget the gentle dusting of cinnamon my dear." If they nail all that, you can bet I'm letting the name-spelling-mishap slide.

More than that tongue binding bitter chocolate flavor though, it's detox.

It's laughing with Levi. It's smelling Seattle. It's the cold outside. It's watching people. It's remembering the space needle and it's imagining the future. It's the reality that everyone is fighting their own battle and yet it seems to also remind me that we're all in this together. It's those sweet parts of life that you can know without a doubt you'll be missing when summer temperatures come around again. It's the pictures that you can't help but smile at when you see. It's everything I love.

To sum up? I adore these date nights with my man. Sitting. Laughing. Planning. Chatting. Sipping on a little taste of love wrapped up in a cardboard cozy, because honestly that is what it tastes like to me. Now that I have these memories floating along in every red grande cup.

Anyway, so now you know. This is what "hot chocolate" means to me.