My wife and I are due with our first child this Monday. 9 months have flown by, and yet it also feels like we, or that she has been pregnant forever. I can’t believe I didn’t get twins- that would’ve been the Ultimate 2-for-1 right? The whole thing already feels surreal but we’re very excited. So it may take me a week or so to get back to write  again, but only you will care since you’re probably my only reader. I would ask you to contribute to her college fund but assuming you’re an Axxess Member, you already have -so thank you! Let me know if you want me to post some pictures when She enters the world.

I’m thrilled to hear there’s a local blogger in town, independent of us at Axxess, that’s writing about her Axxess dining experiences. I guess she’s trying to get more mileage out of her Card than she got last year, so she’s committed herself to using her card once a week and then reviewing the restaurant on her blog. Hopefully, her experiences will be good ones. Check out her most recent review of China Pavilion (probably the best Chinese food in town) at Becca’s Backyard Blog.

And although I have no idea who she is, she definitely makes my life easier by publicly reviewing Axxess restaurants so that I don’t have to.  My reviews would probably be biased anyway.

If you’re ever looking for a comprehensive list of restaurant reviews, I think santabarbara.com is the best site for that.  It’s updated daily and the gentleman who runs it probably knows as much about the local dining scene as I do.

I love my coffee and every morning I have to have it, I need it before I can get my day started.  Some might think that’s a little pathetic and I can’t believe I have a true addiction, but I do and I’m okay with it.  On Friday I went and checked out the new coffee shop where Java Jones was on lower state; now called Jitters. A friend of mine, Ross  Cathie purchased it and is in the process of revitalizing it.  He’s cleaned it up and has a much friendlier staff than was previously at this location and while he’s not yet a part of Axxess  I hope he will be soon. I had the Hazelnut Coffee which was really good and I learned that one of the changes he’s made is the source of his beans. Not sure where the old Java Jones was getting theirs, but now Ross is buying from the local purveyor:  Green Star Coffee.

Green Star is an Axxess Merchant. I know the owners and they’re great guys who are extremely passionate about coffee. Their coffee is fair trade and it’s organic. Considering the fact that coffee is the one thing I consistently put in my body, I think the Organic Factor is extremely important. Apparently, coffee is one of the most pesticide laden crops in the world! Crazy right?  And us coffee addicts are ingesting this stuff  everyday.  It can’t be good for us but since I’m not ready to give it up I’m just going to do my best to drink organic coffee as often as I can, and that means hitting up a local coffee shop instead of a chain.

That means I have to break my Peet’s routine, and that sucks because I love my daily Peet’s. It’s a bummer but I’m going to try and you should too. And if you’re someone who gets your caffeine drink with a sugar treat,  all the local coffee shops who serve Green Star have plenty of treats available, just like the Starbucks you go to, except these treats are made locally – another added plus.

In addition to Jitters and probably several others, Green Star  is served at  Java Station on State at Modoc and the Garden Market in Carpinteria – both of which are Axxess Merchants.

The Santa Barbara Roasting Company, another favorite spot of mine who’s a long time Axxess merchant also usually has one organic brew on tap.

So break in your new Axxess Card and sip on an caffeinated cup of organic goodness. Enjoy.