The Tension We Live In

I am interrupting my reading and sitting in the Vanderbilt Programming Board office (otherwise known as the temporary GA office) to post. I feel like I can do that because I'm basically waiting for students to pop in until 1pm to pay their deposit for the Florida trip and getting my reading for Wednesday's policy reserach brief and Thursday's class done.

Speaking of class, I had my last weekend session for one of my courses this weekend. With one weekend down for another class and two left to go, I'm on my way. I feel like I have senioritis, though, or something. Because, while I am getting my work done, much of it has been last minute and I am finding it more and more difficult to pay attention in class (even with the computer shut!)

Other than class (which really wasn't awful), this weekend was wonderful. I swear, I need to change this blog to "living for the weekends" or something because I feel like all I ever do is talk about what we do on the weekends. (And I'm sure you've been sitting on the edge of your seat for Cliff's first post - I won't make any promises on when that will be...) Cliff treated me to a pizza and a movie on Friday after I got home from class, which was really nice. We watched "Astronaut Farmer" which actually was pretty decent, I mean, not a favorite but a good family movie. I got all choked up when the main character actually made into space and was talking to ground control (otherwise known as his family) and said how much he wished they were there with him (considering they stood by him so fiercely throughout the journey of getting there). I liked the premise.

After class on Saturday, I came home to a pristine-clean apartment (thanks to my worker-bee husband) and we got ready for the Predators game. Cliff had never been to an NHL game and we'd gotten the tickets from the VP of his department (who has season tickets and couldn't use these), so we were pretty stoked. And let me tell you, we were not disappointed. Two and a half hours of sitting three seats from the ice watching the Preds whoop up on the Dallas Stars was awesome. The hat trick (and subsequent throwing of hats onto the ice), two fights, cherry coke Icee, Vince Gill sighting, and sitting next to Scott Hamiliton were just a few of the highlights. And yes, I did just say we sat next to Scott Hamilton (who was the first person in a really long time that I've been sort of starstruck around)... he lives in Franklin with his family and has season tickets. Who would have thought it?! I pulled out the ol' "has anyone ever told you how much you look like Scott Hamilton?" line and got a "everyday of my life" response. He was very pleasant and since Cliff was sitting next to him, they exchanged comments throughtout the second period before he left.

So there was that, and then Rippy's with Casey and Sara and their neighbors. We appropriately ended the night playing card games, eating pizza and chex mix out on Casey and Sara's back porch. Casey made us breakfast Sunday morning before they went off to see the Titan's beat the Falcons and Cliff and I spent the afternoon out at the mills before going to pick up Zach and Jody from the airport. Cliff and I window shopped, mostly, except for this amazing pair of boots that I tried on, loved, and put back on the shelf to consider saving for. We spent a good thirty minutes in the food court drinking a coke, people watching, and talking about the dreams we have for each other and for our marriage. I loved, so much, the simplicity of that time... and then later when we watched the other move we rented Friday ("Catch and Release") and ate chinese food.

Sometimes the sense of companionship I feel with Cliff just kicks me in the gut so hard I end up getting all teary eyed and hugging him tight and reminding him how much he means to me and how grateful I am to know and love and be loved by him, like I did last night. I never want to lose that ability to just let everything else drift away and remember the core...

Waking up on Mondays is one of my least favorite things to do, because it feels like a reality check when the weekend was just as real. It was just a little bit more real, that's all, and a little bit more free.

And that's the tension we live in, I guess, in the world of work. Balance... freedom... reality... truly living. It's all worth it though, if one things makes the other that much more treasured, right?

At least, that's who I look at it.