We're back!

Gosh, I had such a good time the past 4 days!

Lisa went to Louisville, KY and had a great time meeting clients and customers. She went on an old-fashioned paddle-boat (river boat) dinner cruise the last night they were there and thoroughly enjoyed herself. I'm thrilled that she had such a good time!

I spent the 4 days with my aunt. Thursday we sat and chatted and, while she quilted, I knitted. Later we went out to dinner and had a fabulous meal at a place called Jack's Place Gaslight Grill. I had Chicken French that just melted in my mouth. It was served with mixed green and yellow string beans, and warm bread. It was awesome!

Friday we drove down to my hometown (Bath) and visited a couple of antique stores. She and her husband, Bob, bought a 105 year old house and she wanted antique doorknobs to put on all the doors. While we were down that way, I took her up the old Winding Staircase road, which has multiple switchbacks and hairpin curves, and is predominantly a dirt road. With the autumn leaves at what seems to be peak color, the drive up that road was just gorgeous! It comes out on top of Mt. Washington where you can look out over a large expanse of the Cohocton Valley -- a breathtaking view of autumn at it's finest!

I gave my aunt and uncle the free DVD player we got from DirectTV when we signed on with them -- their first experience into DVD usage. Bob is hard of hearing, with hearing aids in both ears, and he loves the fact that he can turn on captioning so he doesn't miss things. I also took down a dozen or so DVDs for them to view. Friday night we watched We Were Soldiers with Mel Gibson.

Saturday my aunt and I decided to go north to look for antiques. She'd picked up a couple of sets of old doorknobs at a junk-fest we'd found down in Bath, but still had the bug. So, we went to a place called The 1812 Store. Of course, it had antiques but was more of a craft/gift shop. I found a gift collection called Willow Tree and, to my utter delight, found this figurine, called Two Alike.



As you can see, it's two females, back-to-back, hands together, in a sort of intimate pose. I was thrilled with my find, and bought it for Lisa (or, as she later said, for us). I wasn't at all disappointed with her reaction when I presented it to her -- it was just as I'd thought it would be.

We went to another antique store and, while I walked away from it no less than five times, I ended up buying an old copper coal scuttle with ceramic (patina) handles. As you can see, it's in relatively good condition and won't need a lot of attention. I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do with it, maybe put a philodendron of some sort in it, maybe put it on the fireplace hearth and fill it with kindling.



Saturday night we watched the 4-hour, uncut version of Dances With Wolves. By the end of Saturday night, I'd put 140 new rows on my current knitting project -- not bad.

Sunday morning I got up early so I could sit and have coffee with my aunt and uncle before it was time to leave. I left around 11:30 in order to be back in time to pick Lisa up at the airport at 1:22. I got to the airport around 12:55 and was pleasantly surprised to find that her flight was expected in about 10 minutes early.

When I saw that red hair from so far away, my heart just fluttered. She always has that effect on me. And even from as far away as she was, I knew that her eyes had found me, as she broke into a huge grin. We got her bag from the conveyor, said goodbye to her boss and colleagues, and went to the parking lot. Once we had her bags stowed in the rear of the RAV4 and got into the car, she leaned over and put her arms around me and just held me tightly for a few moments. God it felt good to be back with her!

We got home and unloaded the suitcases and stuff from the car and, once everything was put away, we went next door to check and see how Mary was doing. We went back home and turned on the football games and took up our positions on either end of the couch (each end has a recliner) with Tigga purring contentedly between the two of us.

After dinner, Lisa drifted off to sleep and I let her doze for a half hour or so, to take the edge off. About nine-o'clock we decided we could stand a shower and an early bedtime.

I don't usually discuss our private moments here because I think it shows a total lack of respect for one's relationship, but I will say that I experienced a huge emotional release last night and, afterward, cried. I don't cry often after our lovemaking but when I do, I think it unsettles Lisa a bit. Last night, however, she just softly said "Tell me those tears are because you fell in love with me again."

And then some!

To say I love this woman is to merely utter words. I'm frustrated by my inability to find the words that can accurately describe how I feel for her. In that regard, I'm impotent, but let it suffice to say that this woman that I love so deeply makes me feel safe, secure, loved, happy, balanced, calm, excited, at peace, optimistic, valued, and complete.

Simply put, I love this woman with all my heart.