Ah, the opera

As Bobby mentioned in his Sunday Summary, we were in Wisconsin last weekend visiting a friend of mine. We drove up Friday night (Alice slept most of the way and Chicago traffic was kind to us) and spent the night in her cute house. Bobby was kind in his summary, neglecting to mention that I volunteered to do ALL the packing this time and FAILED miserably. Namely:

• I packed TWO toothbrushes for Alice but absolutely no underwear for myself.

• Plenty of diapers, but no wipes.

• Travel shampoo, floss, and extra socks for everyone, but not Bobby's electric razor.

• I meticulously packed complete church outfits for all of us, including shoes (I was so proud of myself for remembering to pack the Sunday shoes!), and forgot to put THAT particular bag in the car. Julia had some clothes we could wear but Bobby had to go to church in jeans.

The food this weekend was excellent! I love food. On Saturday, we prepared fabulous meals like cinnamon vanilla pancakes for breakfast, broccoli cheese soup for lunch, and a ham feast with asparagus, herb-laced mixed salad, and potatoes for dinner.

Saturday night, Julia took me to see Madame Butterfly. There's nothing in this world like a tragic opera! I was sobbing LONG before the end and couldn't collect myself until after the whole cast had taken a few bows. The man sitting directly behind us enjoyed it thoroughly, shouting "BRAVO!! BRAVO!!" at the top of his lungs throughout the entire applause period.

As delicious as the tragedy was, I enjoyed the ride home best. An odd couple in the parking garage elevator had rubbed me the wrong way. One look from Julia told me she felt the same. It was instantly like we were in college again. All the memories came back...all those years living together...I felt like close friends again. Reconnected. It made me laugh. We laughed and talked all the way home. We stayed up late watching MORE opera (Merry Widow this time, a comedy) and finally went to bed too tired to converse any longer. That was a good day.

I've got this crazy brain, y'know, that forgets all sorts of things. This odd little brain that remembers only snippets of entire years gone by and creates teeny snapshots of entire relationships. Without constant reminding, it eventually reduces all past experiences into a dull glow of general pleasantness or unpleasantness, no peaks or valleys of emotion remain. A blessing and a curse, to be sure. It was great to remember something so fully for once.

Here are a couple more pictures from our time in Wisconsin. Hanging out in our PJs! Alice was the only one dressed because her clothes get changed with the first diaper of the day.