today i'm free

I want to record this day because it was truly wonderful.

Josh woke up extra early today to take a credentials exam for his job. He was gone by the time I awoke. I had set my alarm for 8am in hopes of going to yoga and aerobics. I woke up laid in bed and weighed my options. I decided to stay home and play computer games instead. Killer Saturday morning! I had the entire house to myself. I played for an hour or so. That's when things got interesting.

I put on my running shoes, headband, and gathered a few things in a sling backpack. I headed out the door and started running. We needed dishwasher detergent and I needed to workout. The grocery store is only 3 or so miles away and I have capable legs. The sling backpack made things a little awkward but it worked. It started to sprinkle and I greeted it holding out my arms. Until it started to pour. I ran to the nearest building and jumped inside. Thank goodness it was a laundromat with people that left me alone. I stood in the doorway for 2 minutes and wondered what I would do if it didn't stop raining. A moment or so it stopped raining. Score! I stepped out and kept running.

The sidewalks ended and I ran into some interesting people that were not walking on the sidewalk for recreation. I live in the suburbs and was running in an area that wasn't very nice. Everyone has a car. Everyone I met was more than likely walking on the side of the road because they didn't have a choice.

It seemed like I was the only person in the store that was sweating, damp from the ran, and crazy red faced. Being that it was a Saturday morning no one noticed me. I grabbed the detergent, paid, and headed out. I made a pit stop at Starbucks. Nothing like a Misto with 2 shots of pumpkin spice. I sat outside and enjoyed my drink. I called my brother, left a message, then called an old friend. We chatted and caught up. It was nice. It had been awhile and I didn't know if it was going to rain again so I hung up and headed out once again.

My legs aren't completely healed from the half marathon I did 8 days ago. I had to stop and walk. My right thigh was sore. I would walk and then jog. I decided to take a shortcut home and started walking. I called my brother again and we talked, more like I talked. I invited him to visit in a few weeks. Then we discussed keg prices. Not going to admit that one if anyone asks. Why my 17 year old brother knows more about kegs than I do is something I'm not going to press. Don't ask, don't tell applies here.

Josh's car was parked in the driveway so I rang the doorbell. No one answered so I let myself in to discover an empty house. I called him and he had gone out to run and catch up with me. Sweet except I took the shortcut home. Oops. At least he got a nice walk in. I hopped in the shower and washed off the mud that had kicked up onto my legs.

I was dressed and almost done with makeup by the time Josh came home. He failed his exam. It was the math that got him. He can continue to take the exam until he passes. He was also starving as was I. Finish setting makeup, shoes on, out the door.

Josh convinces me to be more adventurous and drive to the city for lunch. "Let's make it special." I say no at first but then see how hurt he is from failing. "I'm ready for an adventure." I head west to the city. Its only 20 miles away. He wants a BBQ place that's located in a gas station. Its the best barbecue we've ever tasted. Except we don't know how to get there. We take the familiar route until we get to an area that we don't recognize. I drive in circles. He calls a friend for directions. Its taken so seriously with great urgency. We arrive only to find a line out the door and almost to the corner of the building. I park and think. Josh is starving. No time to wait. He points me towards a familiar neighborhood. We discuss where to eat.

We finally decide on a Chinese restaurant. The food is quick and delicious. I order the candy sweet plum wine. I can't finish the glass but it effects me immediately. We enjoy going out to eat but we love eating dessert. I tell him I have a place in mind. He guesses it on the second try. Cheesecake Factory. He drives and I give directions. Its the same route I ran for the half marathon the previous weekend. We park a few blocks over. He holds my tiny umbrella over the both of us as we walk awkwardly to the restaurant. It stops raining by the time we arrive. We see people dining outside. After we're told the wait will be 15 minutes we ask for outside seating. Instead of seating us at dry tables he wipes off a table with standing water and puts me in a wet chair. I search for a dry chair. We order coffee with cream and a slice of tuxedo cheesecake. I place a plop of whipped cream into Josh's coffee. Its so sweet and delicious. Josh apologizes for being short with me earlier. I apologize for reacting.

We head back out towards the car. I see a toy shop that sells Hello Kitty. I make a deal with Josh. For each minute I'm in the store you'll receive a massage. Its a deal. He made me giggle at every corner. He wanted me to be in there for as long as possible. He kept encouraging me to look at silly things. He picked up stuffed animals and made them talk. I walked around the Hello Kitty display about 5 times. He would hold up cuddly stuffed Hello Kitty's next to me. I tested them out by hugging them to me. I went up each aisle three times each. After 30 minutes we left laughing and holding each other. I bought a ring with a bow on it.

We drove home listening to sports talk radio. As soon as we stepped in the house the cats let us know they were hungry. Josh fed the animals while I sneaked into the bedroom. Josh walked outside with Grace as she did her business. I undressed completely and slinked into bed. The sheets felt crisp and cool. I had left the window open and with the cool Fall weather the house was sufficiently chilled.I heard Josh come back in the house and upstairs. As he walked across the living room I covered my head int he covers. Josh slowly walked in the room and shut the door. He played along, "oh, I see I must have left the bed unmade with some lumps. I'm so tired I think I may lay down." He slipped into the bed and pulled down the covers. "There's my naked lady." "How did you know I was going to be naked?" "You always are." And with that I laid my head on his shoulder while he held me.

"Are you going to have another three hour nap?" he asked me. "I'm not tired at all," I replied. "This isn't going to be another nap where I sleep for 30 minutes and you sleep for three hours?" "No," I replied. Grace started barking at squirrels outside so Josh let her in. She jumped on the bed and shared my pillow with me. Josh and I cuddled. Three hours later I woke up to the dog scratching herself. I flipped over to see Josh lying next to me. In a snooty British voice I impersonated the dog. This went on for a bit until we got out of bed. And here I am. Its 9pm and I just woke up. :)

I have fallen in love today. I am completely enamored with Poppytalk and Dandelion & Grey. Both have beautiful, fun visuals and manage to spice up my creativity.

Dandelion and Grey designs events & prop styling. They create beautiful dreamscapes for weddings and make me want to get married again. A lot of their ideas are organic and dreamy. I was on this site for about 3 hours off and on. Seriously. LOVE IT. Plus they occasionally feature free downloads and DIY crafts.

Poppytalk is a collection of design featuring interiors, fabrics, DIY, and all sorts of talented artists. I've stayed on this site for a couple of hours and its hard to stop scrolling. Don't go to this site if you're trying to accomplish something! I read about DIY hard book covers, cute kitchens, etsy creations, terrariums, vintage inspired weddings, cupcake recipes, and so much more. This site actually introduced me to the next discovery.

8tracks is free user-created music mix tapes. Make your own mix of music or listen to someone elses. I'm listening to a chill station right now of music I've never heard before. I knew I wanted some relaxing music for the end of the work day to rejuvenate me. You can select the station by an artist, user, style, popularity, or age. I'm impressed. Its like Pandora except entirely user created.

Have a fantastic weekend! Enjoy the links above. They'll serve you well on a lazy Saturday or Sunday afternoon.