Spontaneous Weekends

This weekend, Pete and I got to experience the joy of the spontaneous.

We didn't start out with any plans for our weekend. Just the usual, "Yay, we don't have to work," and a plan to finish moving my office around before the Free Indeed Concert on Friday evening.

Then I found out that Free Indeed didn't have any decorations. And that my desk wasn't going to be ready to be moved in until Monday. And that no alumni moment had materialized for Free Indeed.

We went to work. As soon as we established that I would not be able to finish cleaning my office, we left to pick up some decorations and door prizes for the concert and the alumni moment. As we were decorating, my cell phone rang. It was theKate, calling to tell us that she and her best friend were going to be coming up to stay the night so they could go Christmas shopping--with their own spontaneous ideas.

"Sure, not a problem! You know you're welcome!"

After the concert, I was talking with Gabe's dad, who mentioned that he would see me on Sunday. Surprised, but not altogether in the dark, I realized that Pete must have told Gabe we would come up with him to see some highlights from Handel's Messiah with his family. While my brain was still wrapping itself around that plan, we were invited to stay for pizza with Free Indeed, which we did. We then topped off the evening with a spur-of-the-moment trip to Magnolia's for dessert and a date.

The next day, I was planning to meet my friend Heidi to talk about weddings (she's engaged now, btw--see my post about my wedding...). On the way home, I called to ask Pete if we could just go out and pick up our Christmas tree that afternoon--so we did, and we took Gabe with us too! We had bought and then returned a tree stand, thinking we wanted to get a fake tree instead of a real tree, so we needed to get another tree stand for our tree, which turned out in the end to be real.

Then we decided at the last minute before returning home from picking up our tree stand to meet up with Kate and Kristi at the Kobe Japanese Steakhouse in Leesburg. Then Kate and Kristi spontaneously stayed another night to help us decorate the tree. While we were decorating, it began to snow.

The next morning, we went to church in Pennsylvania and spent the day with Gabe, his family and our friend Katie. The community performance of the Messiah was worth the trip. It was held in a huge old Methodist church in Carlisle, complete with even more snow.

Sometimes, I suspect we just need spontaneous weekends, to remind us how fun living can be. Ask us about our new memories sometime!

Kate's Take on the Wedding

http://crownsathisfeet.blogspot.com/2005/10/wedding-one-i-was-gonna-crash-one-that.html

Delightful perspective...

Pride and Prejudice

So last night, Pete and I watched the new Pride and Prejudice, a movie that had a lot of ground to cover after its previous versions.

Overall, I think I liked it, though with the time constraints, you lost a *lot* in character development. And then there was the slight issue of Elizabeth Bennett adopting the mannerisms of Keira Knightly. While Matthew Macfadyen delivers a very fine Darcy--more mysterious, and more passionate than Colin Firth--Miss Knightly couldn't really pull out of her 20th century self to fit into Austen's era. Donald Sutherland's Mr. Bennett was an affectionate, though badgered country man who dropped his lines out in such an understated fashion you almost wanted him to repeat them to figure out how they fit into the story. Mrs. Bennett was, as usual, annoying, and Kitty and Lydia giggled with the best of them.

I enjoyed the filming, and the sense we gained from the movie of being almost in the room with the story. The distinctions between the Bennetts' society and Darcy's society were much more clearly drawn. With the use of a bit more drama than other versions I have seen, I think the director achieved a flavor of high romance, if he did set propriety at nought for a bit with Lizzie's apparel. I will also admit that I left with a sense of cold and wet, which may have been due to the weather outside last night, but might also be attributed to several scenes filmed in the pouring rain.

I would recommend that you watch this film, but don't expect it to be like any other version you've ever seen. If you accept it as a movie on its own, it does an admirable job of capturing your senses, leaving you with an invitation to continue watching even after the credits start rolling.

Just had to get that out of my system.

Pete's LOTR Character

Congratulations! You're Pippin!

Which Lord of the Rings character and personality problem are you?

Colorado Memories

"And I would tell my children, 'Your mother has the wildness of the mountains in her spirit...'"

We were standing, holding each other, somewhere in the middle of nowhere, Colorado. On one of our many drives, we had stopped to visit the scenery (and use the outhouse) in Theodore Roosevelt National Forest. As the wind whipped through our hair and I huddled a bit closer to my husband for warmth, he began to share with me the beauty he sees in my heart. I will never forget that moment...

Pete took me to Colorado, the home of my heart, for our honeymoon. We had originally been planning a trip to Europe, but on Valentine's Day, Pete asked me if I wouldn't rather go to Colorado. Such a gift he gave! My first view of the mountains brought tears to my eyes--I didn't know how homesick I had been until I saw them, waiting for me with the red of the setting sun piercing through the blue and gray and green of the clouds resting on the peaks and drifting into the valleys.

We had arrived at the Denver airport in time to catch sight of the snow as we were flying in. While we were waiting for our shuttle, we enjoyed a rather...uh, lengthy kiss that caught the attention of some passers-by in the shuttle across the way. Pete kissed me to the tune of the whistles and hoots of encouragement! We were officially on our honeymoon, and didn't care if the world knew it!

We spent our days resting in the lodge at Estes Park or driving through the mountains--though Pete did cave and take me shopping a few times! I had my camera, and we were able to take a lot of pictures on our drives, a sampling of which I include below! We both agreed that it was the best trip either of us had ever taken--and it wasn't just because we were married, either! We watched lots and LOTS of movies together, but it was so nice to just rest!

So, without further ado, here is a little photo-journal of our trip!

The Happy Couple

(What can we say? We didn't spend time around people to get our picture taken together!!!)

Rocky Mountain National Park

*grin*

The Driver

Aspens

LONG, long ago, so the legend says, when Joseph and Mary and the Holy Babe fled out of Bethlehem into Egypt, they passed through the green wildwood. And flowers and trees and plants bent their heads in reverence. But the proud aspen held its head high and refused even to look at the Holy Babe. In vain the birds sang in the aspen's branches, entreating it to gaze for one moment at the wonderful One; the proud tree still held its head erect in scorn.

Then outspake Mary, his mother. "O aspen tree," she said, "why do you not gaze on the Holy Child? Why do you not bow your head? A star arose at his birth, angels sang his first lullaby, kings and shepherds came to the brightness of his rising; why, then, O aspen, do you refuse to honor your Lord and mine?"

But the aspen could not answer. A strange shivering passed through its stem and along its boughs, which set its leaves a-quivering. It trembled before the Holy Babe.

And so from age to age, even unto this day, the proud aspen shakes and shivers.

Me--STILL with my wedding pimple...

Colorado Elk: It was mating season... ;-)

Looking at me? Or the mountains?

The Hazards of Driveby Shooting...

Plains and Mountains and Sky

If I had my life to live over I'd like to make more mistakes next time. I'd relax. I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would perhaps have more actual trouble, but I'd have fewer imaginary ones. You see, I'm one of those people who live sensibly and sanely hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had to do it over again, I'd have more of them. In fact, I'd try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day. I've been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat, and a parachute. If I had to do it again, I would travel lighter than I have. If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds, I would pick more daisies. ~Nadine Stair