Barny and I recently discovered that we don’t go out on date nights, or dedicate any nights to spending quality time together.  We made a plan today to change that! We’re trying to think of interesting things to do; not just dinner and a movie. Here’s what we thought of so far:

• Monty Tech has an awesome Continuing Education program, where they offer classes such as Soups and Chowders 101, Ballroom Dancing, The Basics of Sewing, and Socks on Circulars (so I can get better at knitting).  Alright, so not all of them would be for the two of us - but Barny could take Learn to Use Social Media Marketing to Grow Your Business, while I take Baking Breads and Rolls.  It’s INCREDIBLE that there is a place nearby that we can take classes on whatever we want! Most of them are bargain prices, too!
• Set a theme, so that we each have to plan one date under a different theme.  It would be a two week rotating cycle, and go Robin-Barny-Barny-Robin, so that the same person isn’t doing the theme first all the time. The themes could be “Spend no more than $10″ or “Someplace we’ve never been before”.
• We could host dinner parties, or host movie clubs where we invite people over to watch an interesting movie and then chat about it over wine and snacks.

I bought this book years ago - it’s wonderful for when you only need enough for two people.  I was craving cookies last night, and this recipe made only nine of them.  It is the perfect amount for two people.

I had to modify the recipe a little bit (my mom’s been making chocolate chip cookies for my entire life, so I know what cookie dough should look like).  They came out delicious.  I marked the changes in the book so I’d know for next time (more flour and egg, less chocolate chips).

Oh wow, really? Thank you for telling me in such a timely fashion.

While watching a movie from a projector on a white wall at Barny’s friends house, Barny and I had this conversation:

Barny: “Can you imagine what it would be like to have this at our house?”

Robin: “No.” (said very straight-faced)

Barny: “You can’t?”

Robin: “No.  It would be too awesome.”  (also said very straight-faced)

After brushing for so long with all natural Tom’s of Maine toothpaste, I recently used Colgate. It tasted like I was brushing with candy. I had forgotten how sweet toothpaste can be! it was very weird.

Maria and the dress we chose for her to wear. Barny is the one that found it!

80 degrees on Easter in Massachusetts? Hello global warming!!! We can have a nice outdoor Easter cookout and sunbathe all day. As much as I love the warm weather and sun - it just doesn’t sit well with me that it has been 70 in March.

The first day of MY week is Monday. At least, that’s what my pill box says. (Yes, I’m an old lady who has a pill box.)

But with it starting on Monday and ending on Sunday - isn’t that just going to confuse school aged children? They should be doing it correctly!

“Johnny, what’s the first day of the week?”
“Monday?”

No, CVS. It is not.

We’re suppose to get more snow tomorrow - 6-12 inches, and then another storm on Thursday!  I wish Barny was here for all of this snow - he arrives on Sunday.

It seems the older I get, the earlier I like going to bed.  I would ideally like to be awake at all hours when the sun is up.  So if the sun is up at 6am, I would like to, too.  Last night, I went to bed about 10:30, and meant to set my alarm for 8ish, because that way I wouldn’t get too much sleep.  I forgot, and stayed in bed until 9:30.

I have a lot going on in my mind - wedding planning, Barny coming to visit, Aunt Kathy and Uncle Dan coming to visit at the same time, dad losing his job, me graduating with my Master’s and needing a new job…. there’s too much going on that It would just take forever to talk about it.  And so, I just write nonsense that you won’t enjoy reading.

Maybe I’ll be able to have the strength to write about at a later date, but it’s 10:25, and I’m ready for bed.

Well, I’ve been fairly rubbish at updating my blog.  Not quite as bad as Megan - but almost.

I do have some big news - I am getting married!

I’m marrying Barnaby Peter Lanman.  He is a wonderful, hilarious, kind, darling person.  He cooks dinner, and I do the dishes; we sit quietly together while he plays video games and I read; and I scrub his back, and he scrubs mine.  We make a perfect pair.

We have been dating about seven months, but knew within a month that we were going to marry.  I’m not sure exactly how, but we just knew.  When I arrived home, I told my parents, and a few weeks later, I even told my uncle Dan, aunt Michele, and friends Dan and Beth who I visited in Ohio.  ”I have found the guy I’m going to marry,”  I told them in late August.  Nearly a month after meeting Barny for the first time.

We’re already applied for his Fiance Visa, and we’re hoping it will be approved by May.  We’re planning on having a British wedding celebration on 6/6/10, and a proper wedding ceremony in America on 8/8/10.  He proposed on 1/1/10, by drawing me a little comic book.

The book described things we had done during the Christmas and New Years holiday, and ended with this page.  When I got to it, Barny got down on one knee in real life, and produced my ring.  My speech bubble was left blank, and I had to fill in my answer.

Barny and I are both ecstatic, and can’t wait until we can finally live in the same country!