At the Table

I had a weekend full of long, unhurried and delicious meals. Is there really anything better than that? I seriously doubt it.

Dinner Friday night was spent with family, both immediate and extended, at a place with a great chef that my parents frequent. It lasted three hours over cocktails, wine, salad and potatoes (hi, we're still observing Lent over here) steak and fish for the others, all of which were praised. I sat and looked down the table at the group lingering over dessert, and wondered how many times I've sat at different tables with the same people. Countless, undoubtedly.

Saturday mid-afternoon I was with two friends, MK and FR, who I have known since the ripe age of nine. The three of us roamed in and out of stores in the downtown square of the city we grew up in, and settled on a bottle of refreshingly cold Pinot Grigio and salads in a restaurant bar as it was deserted and in between meals. We sat there as afternoon stretched into evening, talking, drinking and observing the other group in the room. It was men in their late twenties, early thirties, in tuxedos sitting and drinking before a 6p.m. wedding. I could not help but hope that the man I marry doesn't feel the need to drink four glasses of Stella Artois before tying the knot.

We left as the evening crowd started to roll in, and hours later met up in Dallas for dinner, Italian, with FR's family. I had not seen her older sister, who is married, nor her brother, who goes to college on the West coast, in a very long time. There were other family friends of theirs present and after a brief consultation with the wine menu, bottles of Chianti made rounds with everyone present. We had pizza and talked celebrated birthdays until everyone finally had to refuse finals rounds of everything.

Sunday morning after church I spent some time alone reading and drinking coffee before meeting up with a few friends for brunch. The place we went is not known for their attentive service, but I didn't mind so much considering I had not seen my friend HR in quite some time because she lives in Houston. She is hands-down one of the most naturally funny people I know. I think I speak for everyone else who was at the table that morning when I say we could just listen to her talk and tell stories about the middle and high school kids she works with for hours.

It is wonderful for me to consider that the company I keep does not become tiresome. I like that I'm at a place in my life where though everyone I know is working or in school or busy, people still enjoy and take advantage of the time that we do get to spend together. The experience is all the richer when it ceases to be an obligation to family or friends, and is met instead with a desire to talk and share and enjoy.

I know that this phase in life will not last forever; friends and family will age and marry, move and have kids and the opportunities for such time spent with my favorite people will become less frequent. I'm glad to savor it as long as it is willing to last.

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well."
-Virginia Woolf

Thanking the Academy

I wrote the post on commentary a few days ago in earnest thanks for anyone who has ever taken the time to read and respond to something I have written. Now, within the past week, two people have offered me blog awards, which is so flattering... it's like little league soccer all over again!

I seem to find that so many of these are making their way around the blogosphere, and since I cannot keep up with who has received something and who has not, I'm just going to list them here and give you all my X's and O's because I carve out time daily for great blogs. Everyone wins! (See? It IS just like little league- your Happy Meal and juice box are in the car.)

I don't deserve recognition for anything, but I do enjoy reading the blogs of both who tagged me, so I'd like to thank them for thinking of me!

First off, Erin at ...and her heart is in ireland , gave me the Honest Scrap award...



So the rules of the award:
1 - Choose a minimum of 7 blogs you find brilliant in content or design.
2 - Show the 7 winners' names and links on your blog and leave a comment informing them that they were prized with "Honest Scrap." Well there's no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon.
3 - List at least 10 honest things about yourself.

I love lists, and I will never spurn an icon, so here goes:

1. I still tie shoelaces Bunny Ears style. I learned the Loop, Swoop & Pull technique as well, just never liked it as much.

2. I could never be a vegetarian.

3. For as well as they know and love me, no one in my family ever remembers that I loathe blueberry muffins and sugar ice-cream cones.

4. I do not particularly love running, but I do it anyway. I do like how I feel afterward.

5. I have a widow's peak, which, in my mind, makes me look like Dracula if my hair is pulled straight back. I find it annoying because I cannot sport cute little faux-hawks or bangs. I do the side-part thing and cover it, but haircuts are tricky because of it.

6. I wear the same jewelry daily, with the exception of statement-necklaces which I wear on occasion. Tiffany pearl earrings, my Aggie Ring (seen below) and possibly a diamond band that my parents gave me for my 18th birthday. I love it but it has to be worn on my right hand, otherwise people ask if I'm married/engaged. Sometimes people ask anyway. I feel like it's elementary that wedding rings are worn on left hands, but who even knows what they are teaching kids these days...



7. My brother is awesome. I have amazing girl friends, a cousin KH who is like a sister to me as well, but I don't think I was cut out for an actual sister.

8. Buyer's remorse is not something I am familiar with.

9. I make a delicious margherita pizza. (Am I hungry? This is the third food reference I've made...)

10. Forgive my lack of eloquence: I have no booty. Or hardly one- it's there and all, but unremarkable and easily missed. Jeans are miracle workers these days, but most other pants betray this inadequacy, which means I look better in skirts and dresses. I'm doing just fine in the Upstairs Department, but if I were ever going to get plastic surgery, it would seriously be butt implants. Maybe after I have kids or something? Stay tuned.

And #2...

Sunny, at Walking the Sunny Side of the Street, gave me the Premio Dardos award!


Premio Dardos' significance is the following:
"With the Premio Dardos is to recognize the values that each blogger uses to transmit cultural values, ethical, literary, personal, etc.. that, in short, demonstrate their creativity through the thought that is alive and remains intact from their letters, between his words. These stamps were created with the intention of promoting fraternization between bloggers, a way of showing affection and gratitude for a job that adds value to the Web. ”

The rules for receiving the prize are:

1) View the image of the stamp;
2) Link the blog for which you received the alert;
3) Choose 15 other blogs to those who receive the Premio Dardos.
4) And tell everyone, of course

Like I said- I do not know who has received which awards, but I am happy to recommend any of the blogs on my Following list because they are always well-written.

Thanks for the blog love, girls!

"The only normal people are the ones you don't know very well."
-Alfred Adler