MEET US

HI GUYS!

Before we get into the lengthy “who are we”, we’ll give you the cliff notes!

• Married Couple 
• Known Each Other Since 5th Grade
• Parents to one amazing little girl, Trudie
• Former New Yorker’s living in LA 
• Dream Chasers
• Homeschoolers
• Foodies
• Coffee Addicts
• Bakers at Heart
• Free Spirits

We are Alycia and Zeshan – the creators of CCK (Coffee, Cupcakes & Kids) where we write about our obsession with coffee, raising kids, marriage and everything in between.

We have been on a wild journey for the past 17 years and we want to share with you our stories, our experiences, and what life is like when you follow your DREAMS and your ♥!

Zeshan’s parents are originally from Pakistan. After they moved to the US, they had Zeshan in NY and, in 5th grade, they moved to the little town I was born and raised in. (It’s also the same town my parents were born and raised in and much of their family.) 

Zeshan asked me out in 5th grade – well, I don’t know how much of a relationship it can be when you’re 10 – BUT, he was my first boyfriend and I was his first girlfriend. Although it would be awesome to say we have been together since 5th grade, we haven’t. We have always been friends, though!

We finished High School and I headed to NYC for school. Sadly, I lost touch with most people, Zeshan being one of them. And while I was away, I ended up meeting someone and getting married – yes, this is not my first rodeo!

HOWEVER, it didn’t work out. We can chalk it up to too young, too immature, too stubborn and really, just not the right fit. 

While I was off doing my thing, Zeshan was also doing his thing. He stayed in the same area we grew up in, found himself in a long relationship and was trying to figure out his life. Since he was 5 years old, he wanted to be an actor, but… 

Life ended up being a bit more complicated for him. When we were 17, his mom passed away after having his baby brother and he ended up helping to raise his younger brothers. He’s a VERY loving and devoted person and couldn’t leave them.

He put his life on hold to be where he was needed, and for that, he deserves the world! He’s a warrior, he’s ride or die and he’s SO AMAZING – I’m proud to call him mine 🙂

When we turned 27, Zeshan decided it was time. He had to follow his heart, follow his dream and follow his true calling. He moved to NYC and started his acting career. 

While he decided to move to NYC, I on the other hand had decided to divorce. This was HARD, and something I talk about on this blog. I learned a lot through a marriage that shouldn’t have happened. HOWEVER, I wouldn’t change anything. It’s my story and that’s that.

ANYWAY, back to the good part!

Zeshan had posted on Facebook that he was part of a play in Soho and I was SO excited to see a friend living so close to me! Come Thanksgiving of that year, we finally met up for dinner and that was it! 

We basically saw each other almost every day, and either ate together or grabbed a drink or hung out at Target. It was like we hadn’t spent any time apart, we knew each other and we were just catching up on the details.

Old friends reunited!

While all of this was happening, I was working at an Accounting firm in Manhattan. After all, it’s what my degree was in.

Zeshan had an amazing idea for an Off-Broadway play, and me being me said: 

“LET’S DO IT!”

I had no idea how to produce a play, but guess what, we rolled up our sleeves and did what seemed like a logical thing: he wrote the script and we held auditions. Long story short, we put on a summer run that was SOLD OUT!

It was incredible. And for us, it was only the beginning. Our long term goal was to make a feature film, so we started with some shorts to find our rythym. 

A few years later, Zeshan had written the script for our feature film, White Horse, and off we went. And boy did we go through some crazy stuff! People came into the picture, some stuck around a bit, but no one stuck around long term – only ME and ZESHAN.

We were editing the film, Zeshan went away to Chicago to train (the movie includes bodybuilding) and it was actually the longest we had been separated since we reconnected. 

It felt like a movie when he returned. I saw him, he saw me and that was it. 

He said: “I think we should be married.”

I said: “Okay.”

And 2 WEEKS later we were married in Central Park with our immediate family surrounding us. It was just us, it was about our marriage and, quite frankly, it was perfect!

So now, we’re married, we have a kid, we no longer live on the East Coast but the West Coast, I’m not in an office anymore (I work from home and am a Mommy) and Zeshan is doing his acting thing!

This whole blog is about the things we LOVE – Marriage, Kids, Health, Baking (yes, health and baking totally go together!) and sharing our experiences with other mamas, dads and families.

You’ll learn MUCH MORE about us as you read and poke around the blog. And as always, if you have questions, want to know anything, or want to make friends, WRITE TO US!

We’re all ears!