Give me a cup of Gevalia, and I'm a much more chipper person in the morning.

I've taken to bringing back caffeine from vacation, which is fun (if you're a coffee nerd). I've loaded up on coveted Kona coffee from Hawaii, for example.

Then again, I think part of drinking coffee has nothing to do with coffee itself. I like slowly waking up in the morning, or a quiet conversation with friends at a coffee shop.

Perhaps, it has more to do with a lifestyle choice than imported beans? (Although, I plan to continue my beans-around-the-world tour)

Save some change at Caribou Coffee - if you're a regular.

Step 1: register your Caribou Coffee card on the Web.

Step 2: pay for coffee with your card during visits through May 6th (qualifying purchases must be $1.35 or more and be two hours apart)

Step 3: visit 10 times, and you'll be reimbursed $4. 

For more information on caffeine promos, visit www.cariboucoffee.com/promo/cariboucard10free2.asp

As I write this, I am still sipping my morning coffee -- which, despite being in an insulated mug, is actually quite cold.

I don't know what kind of coffee it is but I know that it is a flavored coffee and that my husband smells like maple syrup after he grinds the beans. I am spoiled by the fact that my husband makes the coffee daily (I just can't seem to get the hang of it!) and has supplied me with a Caribou gift card for those mornings when he is out of town overnight on business trips.

I also realize that nursing the same old cup of coffee all day has officially turned me into my mother, who used to drive me crazy with her endless -- and often cold -- cup of coffee that she carted about all day long.