Life is worth living. I refuse to merely exist. I pursue a life of meaning and purpose, fulfillment and joy. The world is not yet as it ought to be. Neither is my city. Neither am I. Yet, I reject apathy and despair. I engage the world, my city, and myself to make an impact for good.
– Credo House
The next morning, Kathleen asked if I would like to visit a non profit coffee shop in town. My heart skipped a beat! “I figured that would be right up your alley” she casually mentioned as if she had not planned this entire Galentine’s adventure already. So off we went to Credo House, where I was immediately charmed by the friendly welcome, clean coffee bar and romantic string lights (I’m such a sucker for lights!). Photos of Haiti by a local photographer hung on the wall, and large glass windows allowed all the sunlight in without any of the cold. Downtown Credo’s donation only coffee shop is an opportunity to drink a delicious cup of coffee with purpose. Credo’s website explains that as customers assign a value to their coffee, they become more conscious of where their money is going and are invited to consider the impact it makes. Credo House partners with fair trade Guatemalan farmers, and supports several projects within the Orlando community as well. The more the cute ginger bartender indulged us in their mission, the more we fell in love. We claimed residence on the oversized chairs by the window and spent the next couple of hours discussing life and happiness. We shared a piece of coconut banana bread, that could not have tasted any fresher or better. The world needs more businesses like this.
Fast forward a few hours later, we’ve walked through two malls too many and prepped ourselves for a night on the town. We gracefully landed at the Courtesy Bar, where the vibe was dark, romantic and vintage. The thought provoking art within the bar captured our interest and served as a beautiful backdrop for elegant lady conversation. A kind & knowledgeable gentlemen served us a tasty, classy cocktail. As he elegantly made each drink, he provided an eloquent summary of ingredients, and a brief history of the drink itself, making for an even more lovely experience. We were so fancy.
We strolled down to another bar briefly before entering the independent Bar for Mac & Cheese Night, featuring DJ Mac and promising the cheesiest music! Without question, we needed to check it out! After the doors opened at 10 PM, we entered the club without any cover, and ordered some drinks before heading to the dance floor, ready for whatever cheesy music may inspire us! The ’90s and ’00s music was off the chain! From Spice Girls, NSYNC, to Bon Jovi’s “Living On A Prayer”, the crowd belted out lyrics that they know all too well, and the date Kathleen met there may have been overwhelmed by our performance! As any incredible night should end, we crossed the street after the last call and fed our stomachs some vegan hot dogs!
As we always have it, our adventures came to an end when she dropped me off at the airport to head back home. Just after take off, I looked down to see a lake that’s naturally shaped like a heart, and thought to myself, “Love is all around us.”
