All I Ask of You

Valentine's Day is coming, and I wanted to reflect a little about valentines past. But before I do that, Feb. 11 will be here tomorrow. Feb. 11 is a special day for TH and me - it's the day he proposed to me.

We had already decided to get married, and I had told him I didn't need a proposal spectacle or an engagement ring. It was enough for me that we had found each other. He, on the other hand, decided he wanted to do it up grand. I told him that in that case, he needed to surprise me. No problem, he said. So the days come and go. January turned to February, and Valentine's Day approached. I figured he would aim for Valentine's Day, or wait till early March, when my birthday is.

We had made plans with my parents to attend a showing of "Phantom" in San Francisco on Feb. 11. We take BART into the City, go to dinner, and head to the theater. At the theater, we get our programs and Cliff and my dad head to the seats while my mom and I make one last trip to the restroom. After we get back to our seats, Cliff hands me my program and I start reading through it. I'm sifting through the slips of paper announcing which cast members are playing various parts that evening, when something catches my eye. Wait a minute - that's my name! What...How...Ohmygod, ohmygod! It says, "Will you marry me?"

I turn to Cliff, who is valiantly trying to get down on one knee, in the narrow aisles of the Curran Theater, while opening a simple ring box. The next moments are a blur - adrenaline rush; Cliff's baby-blue eyes, shining with love; my parents grinning; my mom's voice, from far away, "well? what's your answer?"; the orchestra tootling; the people in the rows around us murmuring. And then, the cool slip of a ring on my finger, glinting in the low light.

So romantic! And that was eleven years ago, tomorrow.

I would say yes again.

Lenten Sacrifices

Many people use Lent as a time to sacrifice - give something up - or change - do something different, change a habit. After a couple of days of thinking about what I wanted to do in this season of Lent, I decided that I could use a sacrifice. It fits in the spirit of living more frugally and more simply. Since we bought our house, and I went through the purging of belongings pre- and post-moving, and realized I have way too much of everything, I've also decided to be more thoughtful about what I bring home. Also, the house is such a huge financial commitment that I've started examining how I spend my money.

So, I'm sacrificing this year. I'm not buying any new books or music. I have plenty of books, and I belong to booksfree (booksfree.com), so I'm really not hurting for books. But I still love buying them! It's such an addiction. And so easy to go to amazon.com, look up something, and order it. Voila. I'm calling an end to it. At least for 40 days.

Ashes to Ashes

Today is Ash Wednesday, marking the first day of Lent. Lent lasts for forty days and is a period of reflection and repentence. It ends with Easter. The ashes of Ash Wednesday are to remind us of our mortality - from dust we came, to dust we will return. Some people of faith choose to attend services where the ashes are mixed with oil and placed on the forehead in the shape of a cross. The cross is a reminder that by God's grace, we are given new life in Jesus. By his death on the cross we are forgiven our sins.

Whatever your faith, may your day be a blessing to you.

Today in California:

GO AND VOTE!!!!!

No excuses, no whining, people - just go for it!

Super Bowl, Schmooper Bowl

As I am evidently the only person in the United States who couldn't care less about football, I took myself out for lunch and a movie. It's official: James McAvoy is now on my hottie list. I saw "Atonement" - great film. I read the book a few months ago, so I was interested to see how the story played out onscreen. Loved it BETTER than the book - and I don't say that often.

Go see it before it's out of theaters!