My NaNo Best Friend

Al and I discovered Teavana when we visited the Mall of America in October 2010.  I'd heard about it before, but going into the store was...life altering.  We brought home a tin of their chai/chai blend, and later mail ordered the German rock sugar, youthberry/orange blossom blend, masala chai, earl grey, and a bunch of others.

Online ordering was necessary, since the closest store to us was in Vegas.  So last July when I stocked up on rock sugar at the Vegas location, I was THRILLED to learn that two Teavana stores were coming to Utah--one at University Mall in Provo, and one in Fashion Place Mall in Murray.

Al and I set out to Fashion Place this past Sunday morning.  Not only does Fashion Place have this Teavana store, they also have the only full-sized Sephora in Utah, as well as the only Cheesecake Factory.  (Coming soon, Utah's first H&M!)  We brunched at Cheesecake Factory, then did some shopping.

So what does any of this have to do with writing?  Well, I found this:

(I now own the gray one.)  For a $33 splurge on this Contour Tumbler, I can brew tea in the fine mesh strainer, then seal it all up in a spillproof, vacuum-sealed, super-insulated tumbler.  This thing is so crazy insulated that I can fill it with boiling water and it will be only slightly warm to the touch on the outside.  Anything below boiling, the tumbler remains deceptively cool.

I love hot drinks when I'm writing.  (Ok, I love hot drinks all the time, even in the summer, but they're especially nice when I'm sipping and writing.)  The problem is, I sure can nurse those hot drinks, so they never stay hot.  I will often place my mug on a candle warmer in an attempt to keep it toasty.  This tumbler keeps things hot for hours.  (I was still taking cautious sips 3 hours later!)  It is AMAZING.  I love it.  All $33, way-to-expensive-for-a-travel-mug inch of it.

So bring on NaNo.  Tumbler and I put in over 1800 words today.

And by the way, my birthday is coming up next week, and I've been eying the purple one...