I don't blog when I'm busy. I get overwhelmed by my schedule — introvert syndrome, clearly — and cut out all non-necessities. And while a packed weekend usually stresses me out BIG-TIME, I not only survived this one, I LOVED it.
This has been my last few days:
Wednesday
Matthew was raised in the Catholic church and school system. Which means I've been reintroduced to the beauty of the liturgical calendar. Our little family will forever observe Lent. And I love it.
We went to an Ash Wednesday service at the Newman Centre — and then walked around the city with ash crosses on our foreheads.
We also printed our wedding thank-you cards. Etiquette dictates that we have to send them out before our first anniversary. We have two months left before we become non-classy.
Thursday
Valentine's Day. Because we knew that our weekend was going to be crazy-busy, we had a laid-back night at home. Matthew brought white roses and made sole meuniere; I made roasted caprese salad and lit candles.
And then we caught up on 30 Rock and watched the finale. *sniffle* Romance.
Friday
My Christmas present! Because I'd been craving a "fancy date" for a while, Matthew bought tickets to the symphony. Bonus: It was Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. And I have a thing for Beethoven. I blame this on Beethoven Lives Upstairs — books on tape are essential for road trips with kids, folks — and the fact that "Ode to Joy" was one of the first recognizable right-hand-only tunes I learned to play on the piano.
When 100+ choir members burst into "Ode to Joy" in German….STUNNING. Four stars.
Beethoven wrote the 60-plus-minute symphony 200 years ago. It came from ONE MAN'S BRAIN. And we're still freaking out about it. THAT is a creative legacy.
One of Matt's friends was also at the symphony, so we split a bottle of wine with him after the show.
Yes, it was fancy. I wore heels and liquid eyeliner. (Thanks, Karen, for the Stila recommendation. I love it.)
Late night.
Saturday
I went to a bridal shower in Willowdale while Matthew, who had already made me breakfast, showed off his "best husband ever" skills: he cleaned the kitchen, drew a little sketch for me, played shinny with his brother, picked up groceries and made dinner.
Then it was our second "Christmas" of the weekend. My gift to Matthew? Passion Pit tickets.
One of the best shows I've ever been to. Only lowlight: the girl with the frizzy hair in front of me. (Her curls kept getting stuck in my lipgloss. That's the problem with packed, sold-out shows.)
We got home very late. And very cold.
Sunday
We woke up early and led Kidmax at church. I turned into a director and Matthew turned into an actor; he was the "band of robbers" in our Good Samaritan reenactment.
Then we headed to Orangeville to hang out with the in-laws — and eat Lithuanian food. Cepelinai (potato-meat dumplings, sort of) is food-coma-inducing, but so, so good.
Bacon, onions and sour cream on everything. That's the way Lithuanians roll.
Monday
We slept in. It was glorious.