The Unexpected Romance

Well, remember how I sometimes have sentimental posts? So here comes another one. Stop if you hate sentiment....

I warned you.

On New Year Eve, Scott and I were contemplating how we should ring in the new year. In so doing, we realized we don't have a "group" here in Seattle like we do in Salt Lake. We have many dear friends whom we love with our whole hearts (and that will be friends with life) but we do not have that group of friends that are your wonderful default for the all major non-family holidays (like New Year Eve for example). Of course our friends here happily invited us to go with their defaults but we decided it might make us homesick for our own and we would be "that couple" that someone invited into the group. Sometimes being with strangers can make you ache for the comfort of people who know you well. Does that make sense?

So in a bit of a missing-our-comfort mood we made plans to go out just the two of us.

After driving around for awhile, we ended up as the only patrons at a hole-in-the-wall Thai restaurant on Roosevelt which, as I think about now, made for a magical moment. We were the only ones in there. Well, just us and the workers who seemed to be family. They seemed so happy to have us. It felt like we were in a movie reflecting about what 2008 meant to us over Thai delightfulness. I swear the Phad See Ew tasted better because it was just us in there - made with extra special love for the only patrons.

Eventually, we found ourselves next door for some stand-up comedy at minimal capacity which is always an interesting experience. Two of the guys were pretty funny but there was one that we just felt so awkward for that you can't help but give him the forced courtesy laugh. Oh, to be a comedian. How scary and exhilarating at the same time.

The jokes and drunk audience members trying to be the comedian ended soon enough for us to head over to Gas Works Park and drive right in to a perfect parking spot where we stood in the rain for only a few minutes until the fireworks rang in the new year. 3...2...1...hugs, kisses...Auld Lang Syne... la, la, la....2009, already? Time; you know what I think about you.

Now for my sentiment and the point of my post (which I have been having a hard time getting around to lately): As we were leaving, I saw a group of girls doing the hold-your-arm-out-and-take-a-picture-of-yourselves-because-you-don't-want-to-ask-anyone-to-take-a-picture-for-you thing and as I often do I asked if they wanted me to take their picture. They were thankful and as I handed them back their camera one of the girls said, "we were just saying how cute the two of you looked down there." Aimee: "Ahh, thanks. You girls look pretty cute yourselves." (Because girlfriends can look cute together too, in my opinion.)

And as we walked away, and I thought about what they said and realized that romantic moments are best when you least expect them or don't even realize in the moment that you are experiencing them until you think back on them later. At the start of the night I was sort of bummed with our lack of official, elaborate, New Year's Eve plans but if I were to watch a tape of our night, it was romantic.

Very romantic.
And simple.
And wonderful.
And authentic.
And unexpected.
And not forced at all.
And just us.
At our best with each other.

And if I were those girls looking down at us standing there on the edge of the water, I too would think we were pretty cute.

So romance. And relationships. What does it all mean? Lately, I have been enjoying the idea that sometimes romance is best experienced when you are not looking for it or planning it out. The flowers, romantic gestures and get-a-ways are wonderful of course, on appropriate occasion, but they do not do it for me like holding Scott's hand in the pouring rain as we walked back to our car, after a unexpected great night, on the brink of the new year, realizing that I had made the best choice of my life by marrying him. Golden.

I know it is a little late in coming but I hope you all have a great 2009.

Random Updates:
1) My computer is fixed - all is not lost in the world.
2) I could've kissed the Apple genius guy today which is as sure sign of the unmanageability of my addiction.
3) The cell phone issue is on the way to being resolved. I might actually answer when you call me. Thank you Eagan-Heffernan's.
4) Today is my 2nd to last first-day of a new quarter. Yahoo!
5) I'm giving 29 a big, fat hug today. Happy Birthday to me. I freaking LOVE my twenties.