It's Your Life. Live It!

The following showed up on our Facebook memories from 11 years ago. As Judy read my post from what seems like ages ago, I couldn’t help but think, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

From February 21, 2015 (names have been redacted for this much more public posting) …

Warning … long, thoughtful post ahead (hey, FB asked me what was on my mind).

    One of the many things I love about Judy is that she has taught me to be much better at rolling with the punches and going with the flow.  Today is an excellent case in point.  We were scheduled to join Paul Schlatter and his lovely wife Katie at their home in Gaithersburg (Maryland) to celebrate the birthdays of Laura Eikermann-Furgione, Christina Crowe, and Jennifer Moore Sprague, eat some great food, and watch a bit of Sharknado marathon.  

     Alas,, the forecast from the US National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington was not looking promising.  As most of you know, we have but one car, a 2009 Pontiac Solstice roadster that was made for summer, not winter. Our original thought was to take Metro to Shady Grove and take Uber over to Chez Schlatter, but a quick online check showed that we could rent a more winter-friendly car for a mere $45. So we booked the car at KDCA and made our plans to stop at Crate & Barrel to use some of our wedding gift certificates to buy some pots and pans off our registry (thanks David Scott Howe and Michele Armstrong and Crystal and Jason Seal!).  

     We walked the long two blocks to Metro for our short trip to the airport and only had to wait a minute before the train showed up.  Donald King at the Budget Fast Break Counter at DCA was awesome.  He apologized that the car he was giving us was dirty, but what did we care?  We were headed into the clag, with snow, ice and salt the norm. But the Mazda 3 had a suspicious engine light.  We had to wait a few minutes (okay, more like 15) while Donald dealt with some other customers and other issues…he was not having a good day.  But we kept our good spirits and in the end, he gave us a much upgraded Ford Explorer for our trip into winter’s maw. That’s why we’re drinking buddies with Kharma … being nice and patient reaps its rewards.

     As soon as we exited the parking garage, we knew the drive was going to be slow.  The GW Parkway was slick with snow … it had clearly not been plowed yet.  Same for Route 50 in Arlington.  The side roads were even worse as we slipped our way up a short hill.  But we made it safely to C&B and JoAnn was a great help in getting our purchases together.  We decided to have a quick lunch at Circa and while there, exchanged texts with Paul and Christina, realizing that the storm was causing all kinds of problems on the roads.  We decided to stay safe and hope for a better day.  

    We walked over to Whole Foods for a few staples and returned to the car for the slog home, but not without a stop at the local ABC store for some staples of another kind!

     Frankly, the drive down the GW Parkway between the Arlington Cemetery and the river was magical. The road was treacherous, but there was nothing but white surrounding us.  The river, already completely iced-up the past few days, was now covered in snow, and the flakes were falling big and fat.  THIS is what winter is supposed to be!

    Now we’re home.  We’ve built a fire (okay, we really just turned it on), put on our PJs, and have hunkered down for a quiet, romantic evening.  The snow falls quietly outside and the birds outside our window are hoping for the best.  We’re just like them…not worrying about what we were supposed to do but enjoying what the day has given us.

     Yes, folks, life is good.

Much has changed since that snowy day 11 years ago. We’re now living in Phoenix where snow is something you go to, not something that happens. And even if it did, we have an SUV now that is much more suitable for all-weather travel than our previous roadsters. We live far from the hustle and bustle of the city, meaning we must drive to get where we’re going. Using public transportation is a distant memory. 

As the saying goes, however, the more things change, the more things stay the same. Thanks to Judy, I’m still pretty good at rolling with the punches. When the weather turns foul (or even when it’s nice out!), we like to hunker down for quiet, romantic days and evenings at home. We listen to the birds and the occasional howl of coyotes, enjoy the the view outside, and feel blessed every day that we’re in this life together.

Yes, folks, life is good.

©Judy and Greg Romano – All rights reserved.