COFFEE CREW OF A CUP OF COMMON WEALTH: ALEXANDRA CANADA (PART 2 OF 2)

Below are the rest of the questions we asked the zany Alexandra Canada.  Check it out if you want to know what makes her tick-tock:

11) What advice would you give to your 50 year old self?

Always stay young at heart and don’t let age or season of life affect how much you laugh and have fun. Also, invest in those younger than you – they don’t have a clue what they’re doing just like you didn’t at their age, so choose to help them grow as often as you can.

12) If you could hang out with anyone, real or fictional, past or present - who it would be and why?

Probably Julianne Hough, because she’s beautiful and can dance like crazy. It would be during one of her family’s annual Thanksgiving or Christmas Dance Wars (I’m a shameless celebrity Instagram stalker), so that she could teach me how to dance.

13) What are you reading right now or plan on reading next?

I just recently started re-reading the Harry Potter series, because it’s incredible.

14) Where do you want to travel to next?

Everywhere! If I get to go to a place I’ve never been, I am so thrilled no matter where it is. But specifically right now, I have my sights set on visiting the western United States (Colorado, Texas, California), and then I hope to return to London one day and visit my friends that I haven’t seen in three years.

15) Describe one of the items on your bucket list.

I want to have stepped foot in all 50 states and 6 of the 7 continents (I’m not much of a fan of winter, so we’ll let Antarctica slide).

16) What do you do outside of work?

This is a loaded question since there’s a lot I love to do, but to name only a few: I love traveling and hanging out with my studmuffin of a husband, Andrew. I also enjoy videography and photography and have had a blast getting to channel my creativity through them. Hanging out with my friends, family, and coworkers will always be something that makes my heart happy, so I try to do that as often as I can.

The Lovebirds showing their moves!

17) If you could be a Superhero what would your name be? Your Powers? Your Supervillain?

Alexington O’Canada and I would fly, be able to do flips off of buildings, and beat my nemesis named Joey Rathbutt Willis.

18) Describe your perfect day.

I can think of so many days that would make me happy, but if I had to pick just one, I would be on vacation with my family at the North Carolina Outerbanks with a beach front house, flying a kite, and building sandcastles.  Just hanging out in the summer sun with people I love.

19) In a perfect world - what would you be doing, where would you be living, what would life be like?

It’s hard for me to pick what my perfect world would look like, because I am easily contented and there are so many different things that get me excited. I have always wanted to live somewhere with a view, whether that’s of mountains, the ocean, a city…I would definitely be working in an industry where I get to come in contact with lots of people on a daily basis and where those relationships would build into strong friendships. I would also be making a decent amount of money for the sole purpose of being able to hop on a place or take a road trip to visit family and friends and see parts of the world I have yet to see. Or, maybe I’ll just learn how to fly. That would actually, probably be even more fun.

20) What makes you fun?

No moment ever has to be dull. It’s easy to get stressed and frustrated and I definitely have those moments, but if you’re bored or having a hard time with something, find some way to make it fun and enjoyable. I laugh ALL the time – ask any of my coworkers and close friends. I get overly excited about pretty much everything and maybe some people see it as over the top from time to time, but it makes life a lot more fun. I try not to let little things get to me and I make sure to go crazy once in awhile…or all the time.

Alex and Katie having some fun in a really weird place in Lexington, where color changes to this strange tint.

21) If you could only have one meal for the rest of your life what would it be?

Macaroni and Cheese. Preferably from Limestone Blue on a Friday (Grippose Mac and Cheese for the win!), but really from anywhere is delish too.

22) How do you unwind from a stressful day?

Beer and my husband. Sometimes, we watch movies or play Mario Kart; sometimes, we take walks; sometimes, we just read.  Whatever ends up happening it’s always the best way to end my day.

23) What's your philosophy on life?

We were never created to live for ourselves. We should take care of ourselves, but turn the focus toward others. So, serve people around you daily, seek to better yourself so that you can invest in people later, let generosity trump logic and reason, learn as much as you can, and unconditionally love and show your love to those you hold dear.

24) What makes you genuinely happy (when you can't help but smile at it)?

The warmth of feeling like you have a family relationship. Whether that’s with actual family, friends, or coworkers – being a part of a “family,” much like our big, old coffee family – makes me extremely happy.

The Coffee Family

25) What's your greatest accomplishment?

I think one of the coolest things that happened to me was during my senior year of college. At Asbury, they hold the Highbridge Film Festival every year. I had gone to it each time and always wished that I could be good enough to get a film in. It’s a pretty competitive process and no one ever really knows what the judges are specifically looking for…and, I’m pretty hard on myself when it comes to skill with videography. But, that New Year’s Eve (2013), I made the resolution that I would submit a film. If I didn’t make it, that would be okay, but I would submit one for sure. I ended up submitting three and the one I was most proud of made it in. I was able to be a VIP and get an all access pass to see my film play in Hughes Auditorium in front of the whole school. I was extremely proud and happy to have followed through with my New Year’s Resolution.

26) What is one of the most valuable lessons you have learned?

Give up things that you love for things you love even more. It’s a daily lesson of fighting certain tendencies, laziness, fear, comfort, apathy, and selfishness. This pertains to my faith, my work, my relationships, and just daily living.

27) What’s something you would like to do over again?

I don’t really regret much, but I would definitely go with the age-old try better in school. I really do wish I could have at least been fluent in another language or exceedingly knowledgeable about something in school.

28) What's your go-to entertainment right now?

I really love game nights with friends. This can mean board games or card games, or good old Mario Kart on Nintendo 64 or Game Cube.

29) Who are some of your mentors and why?

There are so many people who have invested a great deal in my life and I could go on and on about all of them. But to pick just one, it would have to be my dear friend, Abby Laub. I lived with her, her husband, and daughter for about four months before I got married and we have all stayed very good friends ever since. Abby is such a beautiful example of what it’s like to be an excellent, godly wife and mother, while still following her dreams by excelling in her profession (photography and journalism), and kicking ass in the gym on a weekly, and sometimes, daily basis. This woman needs to have a blog devoted to how awesome she is. She’s taught me so much about how to be a classy woman and a loving wife, and someday, hopefully, a great parent.

30) How do you stay informed with everything that is going on in the coffee industry?

Ever since I started working at A Cup of Common Wealth, I have begun to form a big interest about what I’m creating, serving, and consuming when it comes to coffee. I get most of my information from Salvador, Joseph, and Jeffrey and love to do a coffee taste test whenever possible.