For Haven's Sake

chivalry at the grocery

I finished up with work yesterday and headed straight for the theatre. The smell of buttered popcorn and red vines makes my heart go thud thud and as soon as the lights went down I was in Paris and Queens, New York by way of a six dollar ticket. 

The movie was great, especially if you like to laugh, write, blog, cook, costume and set design, watch Julia Child (yes, Mrs. Streep was that good) and be taken in by the beauty and quaintness of Paris. I think I would like to live in New York for the very fact that I loved watching Amy Adams purchase her groceries from a market around the corner and walk home with two paper sacks in her hands filled with fresh cheese and bread and produce. How lovely. 

I've tried to do this here in my neighborhood but by the time I reached the grocery (on bike, with Lane in his trailer) I was exaughsted, way too hungry to make any logical food choice and when I went to pack up the groceries I found that there was no place (and I mean no place) for Lane to sit comfortably on the ride home. People were walking out of those sliding doors with such curiosity, asking if I needed assistance, wondering if I'd like to have the fresh bread taken off my hands. Here I was trying to go green with the bike and the re-usable bags, but no. My appetite was more than my little adventure could handle. And poor Lane, smooshed between the lettuce and butter with that adorable grin on his face, having no clue the sort of predicament his mom had just gotten him in to. 

This story does have a happy ending. You see, Mr. Smith and I hadn't talked about dinner plans so when he drove into the parking lot I wondered if he could possibly hear the furry in my head. He was actually running out to the store to get dinner and saw a devastated looking woman next to the cart corral and wondered if he could help. He said my smile was a mile long as he placed our bags in the back of his truck. Then he kissed us and said he'd meet us at home. 

Three cheers for chivalry and an afternoon spent with these talented women.

{image can be found here.}

With Love- V.

happy trails

Lane has had his eye on Dozer for a while now. How do we know this? Because he wears his collar anytime we give Dozer a break from his "shoes". And the helmet? He wears it around the house and the backyard (with the collar of course). We took a walk this morning towards the peaks, through the woods, following the trails made by fellow outdoor lovers (luckily Lane agreed to leave the accessories at home). I love living beneath the trees, especially when it's 110 degrees in my hometown. I miss my folks, miss my friends but I can't say that I miss the weather. 

Breakfast for dinner (aren't the eggs above just gorgeous, Mr. Smith brought them home from work today, a nice lady at the office has about twenty chickens roaming around her ranch. These are the beauties they delivered.) ice pops for dessert and The Bachelor in a half an hour! Apparently Jill encounters upset in the bedroom tonight. On public television, how mortifying?! Count me in! 

I've been humming the song from Beaches all day in her honor... "You've gotta give a little, take a little, let your poor heart break a little. That's the story of, that's the glory of love." Do you remember Blossom singing her little heart out during that scene? My favorite part of the movie no doubt. Would you ever go on a reality television show? To find LOVE? I admit, the dates are amazing, the travel, the clothing allowance. But did I mention that Jill will be facing bedroom meltdown on national television? I want to pull her aside and say, "Jill, there's a great big world out there. You're smart and pretty. Let's not do this. They'll recap this scene over and over and that great big world will see." The things we do for love... and a clothing allowance.

With Love - V.

In the pasture

Hello friends, it's been a rainy afternoon so while Lane climbs the couch and Ben watches the home-run derby I thought I might share the happenings of our Fourth of July weekend. 

We drove a few miles out of town near the Nordic Center. My lovely in-laws, Lou and Dorothy, rented a yurt (see first picture), which held two queen futons, a wood stove and a few tables and chairs. The yurt came in handy during the rain but most of our time was spent outside beneath the big, blue sky. Dozer chased cows, Ben chased after Dozer, we followed trails and relaxed in the hammock, read books and spent our nights around the fire pit listening to the crackles and watching the flames fade. Celebrating our independence. 

We have been hoping for rain and she has been flirting with us for the past two days. I married the weather man. He's taught me how to spot the storm clouds and how we can tell the rain is coming by the direction of the winds. I married a good man. He makes me laugh, he patiently answers my questions about science and history. I'm never too embarrassed to share with him what I never bothered to pay attention to in school. He patiently supports me as I learn these lessons in motherhood and domesticity, how to balance responsibilities and ambitions. And have I mentioned how great a father he is? I'm in good hands my friends, good, strong hands. 

With Love - V.