The Day of Two Pumpkin Iced Coffees

Hey, sometimes you have to do what you have to do, you know? Today required a little bravery, a good deal of suck-it-up-and-be-a-grownup, an inordinate amount of patience, quite a bit of determination, and two iced coffees. Who am I to argue with my cravings on such a stressful day?
To start, no day that starts with a doctor's appointment can ever be truly recoverable. I am an absolute wimp when it comes to doctors: they make me nervous and nauseous and I typically go to great lengths to avoid them. Today's appointment was with a doctor I'd never met before, and thankfully she was extremely sweet and quite efficient without being rushed. I wouldn't call it a wonderful experience, but it wasn't a terrible one either... and the best part is that it's over. On the way back for a long day at work, I celebrated by picking up my first cup of liquid strength: a pumpkin spice frappuccino from Starbucks.
For the rest of the afternoon, I sat at my desk trying really hard (and generally failing) to concentrate on work. Finally, my dad called to let me know that his biopsy had gone well and he would be headed home soon. It will be a while before we hear any results, of course, but I was so relieved that the procedure had gone well and he was one step closer to treatment. I am not very good at the waiting part of all of this, so I'm really eager to get him on the road to medicine and recovery... I know it's easy for me to say, when I won't be the one experiencing the sickness that goes along with treatment, but I'm enough like my dad to know that he is also looking forward to getting things started. For now, though, all we can do is cross our fingers and cool our heels for a few days.
After work, despite knowing that I hadn't fueled well today at all, I headed out for my normal mid-week mid-distance run. I knew there was a good chance that this would blow up in my face, but just couldn't face the guilt I knew I'd feel if I headed home to collapse into my couch like I really wanted to. Luckily it was cloudy outside -- still awfully humid but at least the sun wasn't beating down on my shoulders. I had to stop once or twice to work past some stomach issues, but was able to run pretty hard otherwise and was generally happy with the results. My average pace has been dropping quite a bit lately, thanks partially to the cooler weather and hopefully in part to my hard training. This week I've completely failed at getting out in the mornings before work, but I've fit in several great afternoon runs and am feeling good about my progress. Or is it just that I have bigger things to worry about right now? Either way, running has been, as always, an ideal escape from the perils of real life right now.
Before heading home, I just couldn't resist my second seasonal beverage: a pumpkin iced coffee from Dunkin' Donuts. So the real question:

Honestly, I never guessed that this might be a hard choice to make. In years past, I've been sorely disappointed by Starbucks' pumpkin drinks, and when I discovered DD's pumpkin iced coffee last year, I was sure I had found my coffee soulmate. It was the perfect fall drink and I've been looking forward to its re-introduction in stores for months. Shockingly, though, I was pleasantly surprised this morning by my frappuccino. I think Dunkin Donuts will always be my first choice, but I certainly didn't hate the frappuccino either... both made me smile today, and that's certainly all I can ask for.

   Love,

    Meg