Cars, Cars, Cars.

There are certain perks to being Adam's girlfriend.  One of them is the guy himself, obviously.  Another one is that we get to attend some really awesome events through his work.  This last weekend I joined him for the Concours d'Elegance at Pebble Beach.  The scenery was gorgeous and the cars were seriously amazing.  Of course, the difference between Adam and me is that he'll be able to look at a car, tell you who designed it, what year it was built, how it's different or better than other models, and use words like chassis, pistons, and Vignale.  I, on the other hand, walked around saying stuff like, "Ooh! Look at that pretty red one!"  Hey, I'm a work in progress.  Needless to say, my appreciation for and knowledge of cars is ever growing beyond the realm of how it rates on the drool factor.

Though I'm sure we were surrounded by gazillionaires, celebrities, and people who've invented things that make this world turn round, the only famous person I saw (because he nearly bumped right into me) was Dax Shepard.  He's no Cary Grant, but I'll take it if that's as close to brushing fame as I'll ever get.  Unless my blog becomes viral overnight.  Hey, a girl can dream.

Discovery.

Once upon a time, exactly three years ago today, a very amazing (and very handsome man) asked me out at a coffee shop.  I said yes.  I'll save the other delightful, sad, hard, and romantic details of that story for another time.  What this little tale is about is how one day, shortly after we had just met, he surprised me by picking me up in his Discovery and taking me to San Francisco and then to a lovely place north of the city called Stinson Beach.  When we got there, he pulled out a bottle of wine and a blanket and instructed me to grab something he had stowed in the glove box.  What I found in there caused my mouth to fall open in surprise.   There was the latest book of my favorite poet, Billy Collins, whose name I had dropped once in a conversation and forgotten all about.  We sat on the beach, sipping wine, watching the sunset, and reading poetry aloud to each other.  It was one of the many ways in which Adam won my heart slowly but surely.

Much later, I came across the book again and wrote this poem in a moment of nostalgia.  Our happily ever after didn't begin that day on the beach; we took a long time to get where we are now.  But again, that's a story for another time.  The beautiful part is that we finally did make it to the beginning of our story.  I am the happiest girl alive knowing that I get to intertwine my hand with his, that I get to discover new things about him every day, and that our journey has just begun.

This morning as I was buzzing awake to the smell of espresso,

I reached for a book I had not read for awhile.

As I cracked it open, sand fell from the pages --

granulated memories of that day you surprised me

with the new hardcover and a trip to the coast.

We read the passages aloud to each other on a blanket

and I watched the unabashed light of the sun

reveal every imperfection of your face

that the softness of candlelight conceals.

I discovered that day that I loved you more for it.

I was intrigued with the different shades of your eyes

more than the sunset sky,

the lines of your face more than the cascade of waves beyond.

And later, when the orange slice of the moon above

was balancing on the rim of the martini glass of the world below,

you interlocked your fingers with mine,

your other hand on the steering wheel,

my other hand on my book.

By the way, if you have never read Billy Collins(my Muse in many ways), you are missing out on a delightful adventure.  He is a master of mixing melancholy with humor and wit with substance.  Fall in love with words all over again or fall in love with poetry for the first time, as I did when I read him.

TGI Monday.

Oh my goodness, where did the summer go?  Yesterday was my last full day with the girls before they start school up again.  We headed to Miabella Gelato at The Fountains in Roseville for a delicious afternoon snack.  It was over 90 degrees and gelato seemed the perfect treat.  What made it even more perfect was that Boyfriend met us on his way back from a business lunch.

Pretty good Monday if you ask me.

The Poppins Perspective: Monster Crowns.

Ever have the feeling that you are taking care of (or have given birth to) little monsters?  Ever want to tell them that you think they are monsters to their faces but then think better of it so you don't hurt their blossoming little egos?  Here's a fireproof way of getting exactly what you think of them into their subconsciouses and fooling them into thinking it's just another craft!

What you'll need:

* Construction paper
* Scissors
* Glue stick or tape
* A little monster (your own or borrowed)

First, cut the construction paper into thick strips and fit it around your little monsters' heads.  Tape or glue at the proper size.

Second, let your little monsters be creative!  Glue spots, eyes, horns, spikes, or what have you to the crown.

Third, let your little monsters run amok!  You may be forced to join them; they are monsters after all.  Also, take pictures of them that they can come across when they're older.  They will be able to show them to their psychiatrists who will reveal to them why they have so many problems.  Or how they've been unable to let go of their childhood and that is why they are currently nannies.

{Let it be known that this post was written with irony and was not about any person living or dead (especially not my adorable little charges).  Do not take me to court for saying that your child is a little monster.  And no, I don't see a psychiatrist.}