Posting this for posterity.

-Halloween 2006 Roll Call-

Spencer (7): pirate (because he wants to say "Arrrrrgh! Scurvy! all night long)

Kirby (5): Ballerina (every year since her birth has been some ballerina-fairy-princess variation/combination...sheesh!)

Elliot (2): Lion (complete with growl on command)

Brent: Clown (the old standby)

Me: Your standard Valley Girl...circa 1984

Looking forward to lots of chocolate tonight!

So, I am a fan of period dresses and costumes, particularly the Renaissance and Regency periods.

But I've never purchased anything...till today! I bid on and won this little number on eBay.

My P&P dress

Get me some authentic Regency undergarments, shoes, and long white gloves...and look out, Jane Austen!

Imagine: My house last night. Romeo and Juliet was done in a way the Bard would have never imagined.

I probably shouldn't go into too much detail...otherwise I'll have to change the category under which my blog fits (Random Thoughts to Adult)!

However, I must give credit to that certain someone (et al.) who gave me this idea. I made a list yesterday of 50 goals I wanted to achieve with my husband and idea #1 was to read Shakespeare aloud with him. So that is where I began.

The kids were in bed last night by 8:30, and I told Brent I had a great idea for a bedtime activity (he was VERY receptive). So, when we got in bed, I told him I wanted to read the famous balcony scene from "Romeo and Juliet." We read through it once just to get the feel...then we read it again, with emotion and gestures. We tried to keep in mind that these were two, love-struck, hormonal teenagers declaring their love for each other. The second reading took us much longer, naturally, because of all the kissing we were doing.

I will pause here to admit that I really get off on kissing. I mean, REALLY.

Anyway, we both readily knew that we would be doing an "extended" version of the balcony scene. We had worked ourselves up into quite a frenzy...after we'd finished reading, we kept going...and going.

So imagine clothes being flung about, a fair bit of rolling around our queen-size bed, and me finally ending up on top. Of course, don't forget this was our first time doing it since B's vasectomy.

Big smiles for a Monday morning.

Well, what to do now?

Tonight was the last night of our play...it is over. All those weeknight rehearsals are done. I shall have my evenings back. Whatever shall I do?

Well, I've got a list.

1. Hang out with husband and kids.

2. Grade freshman essays.

3. Clean my house.

4. Do my laundry.

5. Read a book.

6. Play video games.

7. Buy more stuff on eBay.

8. Write lesson plans for next trimester.

9. Lay on couch and watch TV.

10. Go to bed early.

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

So. Last night. Update time.

I get home from play practice and the living room (aka dance floor) is clean and Clapton is ready to go.

I asked him to dance and he did. And we did. And it was nice. I have to admit, I'm not much for slow dancing, because we just went around and around in circles. :) However, it was great just to be close.

We talked about how we needed to make more "us" time. So after our song was done, we got our family calendar off the fridge and scheduled a date night (November 3). We also set up Wednesdays as "family night" and went so far as to plan what activity we'd do each Weds. night through the month of November! Also, we decided that we needed to make a time every day to reconnect...so on the mornings I don't get up early to walk, we're going to start the day together with a shower (in the name of conserving water, naturally). On the other mornings, we'll probably just find a bit of time after the kiddos go to bed.

All in all, it was a very productive evening! Also, I emailed him yesterday during work, asking him how his day was and how I couldn't wait to get home. So, when I got home, I found a crockpot full of apple cider simmering, a box of rainbow sherbet in the freezer, and a new box of my favorite hot teas. He told me later how much he appreciated my email, that he just got this idea to do cider and buy my favorites because he thought it'd make me feel better (I've had a cold the last few days).

Anyway...day one of this new plan went well!