So, my wonderful husband has reinitiated "date night" in our house. We found that we were becoming so busy between friends, house and church that we weren't getting any quality time together. And for any one that knows me... that is a BIG deal.
SIDE NOTE: I'm not all about the love languages and I have found that a lot of people use this as a way to promote their own selfishness and another way of saying, "you have to do things my way". I've also found that at different times in my life I have wanted different types of love from different people. For instance, we took the love languages test in a girls group I was in during college. I scored a big fat ZERO for physical touch. I have never been a huge hugger (don't ask me how that happened in my family) and in high school I remember being forced into group hugs to build up my immunity to them. My girl friends in college, though huggers themselves, some how got the vibe from me that I wasn't a hugger and we didn't realize it until senior year but we had pretty much never hugged each other. I've grown a lot in this department over the years. However, now that I am married... I am a HUGE physical touch person. No no no... not that kind of physical touch... but sometimes I think I drive Drew crazy because I always want to lean into him, or put my legs across his lap or touch him with my feet. I melt away (aka fall asleep) when he plays with my hair or rubs my back etc etc. I love to hold hands and cuddle etc etc etc... you get the idea. So all that to say, these things change and are different depending on what relationship you are referring to. But across the board I think every one would agree that this little (or big) lady has always needed her quality time to feel connected. So.. that's a long way of saying, we are having Friday Night Date Nights! woooo hooooo
We decided it was important to start these now, before Stella is born because 1. there is a lot to talk about leading up to this huge change and I often need to just air out all my thoughts and doubts and joys etc. and 2. because we want to have it firmly established when our little bundle of joys pops in and turns our world upside down.
ANYWAY... wow, this is going to be long! Last night Drew took me to McAlisters (pregnancy all time favorite place to go it seems) so I could get mac n cheese and tea (yes I had a sandwich too but that was just a side note to the real deal). After that we went to the dollar theater and saw UP. I have been having some pretty vivid and terrible nightmares again lately so we wanted to be a little more picky about what movie we chose. I am usually down for any action, shoot'em up type film that my husband prefers but not in the middle of trying to get rid of these dreams. So, we saw UP. I had heard that just about every one I know cried in this movie but I wasn't really sure why. All I knew was it was about some old man and a lot of balloons. I figured it would be a cute and touching story with a tear or two at the end.
Boy was I wrong. It was the best and worst movie for this emotional prego woman.
It starts with a little boy watching a movie about his hero adventurer and then he meets this little girl who is spunky and happens to adore the same adventurer. She lets him be in her (one person) club and next thing you know it's their wedding day and then they get a house (a fixer upper mind you) and they start to dream about life and then their dreams are shattered *insert tears streaming down my face* and then an old dream is remembered... the adventurer and that place they always wanted to go... and a new dream begins. I won't ruin it all but just from the preview you can see... the man is now all alone. GO SEE IT (I just majorly edited that recap so I wouldn't spoil it for you so now you MUST see it!)
I was sobbing... silently... trying to nonchalantly wipe niagra falls off my face. It was too much, too hard, too beautiful and way too fast... just like life really is I suppose.
Finally, I couldn't hold my breath any longer and my nose was way too full of liquid to help in the breathing process and so I had to take a giant gulp of air, which came out as half gasp, half shudder... you know, the way babies (and most women) are after they've had a good long cry and can't quite stop their shaky breathing for the next half hour. So, here I was ugly crying and making sobbing noises in the middle of a PG children's animated film. I could feel the guy next to me giving me compassionate glances but I dared not turn my streaky face to the right or the left... I just stared straight ahead.
Anyway, the man is lost and lonely without his spunky wife and he feels like he disappointed her, let her down and broke his word. The world around him is changing and he can't go and he can't stay. It is sad.
**spoiler below**
I won't continue to narrate the whole film but in the end there is something very important that he realizes. The pages she had saved to write about their dream trip in her journal (that he could never open because of the guilt he felt over the empty pages he knew would be in there) were already filled... filled with pictures of their "mundane" life. Pictures of a lifetime of love and happiness. Pictures that told him she was not disappointed with their life together and that he didn't let her down. And in the end, she wanted him to keep on living when she was gone. It was such a wonderful moment... for hollywood to show that there is something beautiful and valuable in the every day moments. There is worth in the lives of people who never accomplish great fame or fortune. You don't have to go on expensive trips or live in luxury houses or drive nice cars to live a wonderful and fulfilling life! Of course, for us... this has to do with why we are here. We believe we are here to glorify God on the earth for a short time through his son Jesus and then go on to glorify him for eternity after death. We are not living for the world and all it has to offer, but for God... and all the joys and love we receive here are grace upon grace... blessings. It's so easy to become discontent with life... with this crazy house or our boring jobs or our lack of accomplishments... but really there are so many wonderful things happening to us (universal us) every day. For me: Laughing with my husband over dinner. Spilling food down my clothes for fifth time in one day. A cool breeze on a sunny day. Kicks and pokes from a baby growing healthy inside. Friends delivering babies. Ice tea... ice in general! Lemonade and chocolate cake. Homemade banana bread with streusel topping. Cuddling til you fall asleep. Laughing so hard your sides hurt and you cry. Changing leaves. Naps in the afternoon. The color pink...LIFE!
I loved this movie because is also promoted marriage. This couple, though never achieving the perfect life, stayed together through it all. They were very different. There were lots of trials. There was disappointment after disappointment. And yet, in the end, their love was stronger and deeper than at the first. There is also a little boy that attaches himself to the old man and you come to discover that his parents are divorced. He paints a bleak picture of a distant dad whom he adores and yet has no time for him. He talks about his hopes of adventures with his dad but well, he is really busy and his new girlfriend/wife already told the boy he was a bother. His mom can't do everything and pay the rent too! Wow! I was shocked that Hollywood would be so very un-PC about divorce. I feel like the world constantly tells us that divorce is the new normal. Kids aren't affected by it. People get over it. No big deal. But this movie showed that it is a big deal... this kid's life was forever changed.. and not for the better... because of his parents' divorce and his dad's preoccupation with work and his new life. sad sad. Thankfully that part has a semi happy ending.
So, though it made me ugly cry, I really enjoyed this movie. It made me think. It made me look at the way I respond to trials and disappointments in my own life and re-evaluate. It made me thankful for the wonderful, loving, compassionate, hard working, and mighty handsome husband that God has blessed me with.
So, if you're still reading by this point you deserve a prize... and that prize will be new belly pics! yay! I am in my 35th week, which is hard to believe. Only a couple more weeks and Stella can make her debut with out a worry. Today is a good friend's due date and so we are all on pins and needles waiting for their little one to come... it will be such a special experience to meet their little girl when she arrives because we know that we will have one very soon just like theirs (okay a little different I'm sure). These are some friends that we talked with years ago about "when we have kids" and she and I joked about having our babies together and now.. here we are ... having baby girls a month apart. They are moving soon and I am so thankful that the Lord kept them here long enough for us to travel this part of the journey together.
With out further ado.... (I granted a few requests and included one with my face this time...)
2 comments:
You're so, so cute!
Joanna :)
You look so beautiful! These next couple of weeks are so special so take it all in. The whole birthing process is also very special so take that all in too! I would live Braxton's birth over and over again. The thing that I was the most surprised about was how emotional I was the first few weeks after Braxton was born. You feel like a crazy person for crying a lot for no reason. Nobody warned me about that. Just enjoy every bit of it! That's my advice!
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