From Twilight, to Midnight, to Morning

New Year's Eve.  Dennis planned a wonderful romantic night away.  He got us a hotel, made dinner reservations, and convinced his mom  to spend the night to babysit and take over my night-shift nurse duties for one blessed night!  I was so excited!

It was wonderful.  We went to the mall to return a few things and get a few things.  I haven't been to the mall in forever.  I felt like a fish out of water.  Then we had a romantic Italian dinner at a small trattoria.  We reminisced about out trip to Italy together.  Anyone who knows me well enough knows that nothing speaks romance to me more than Italy.  I am a true Rome-mantic!

 Then we headed to the movie theater.  That's when things got iffy.

In the car he handed me a post-it note with two movies and playing times scribbled on it.  The first was a comedy, the second was a name I couldn't pronounce.  "Isn't that that Nazi war movie?"

"Um, ya, I think so." 

"But I told you I wanted to see Twilight."  I had so looked forward to the opening of Twilight, and then somehow I missed it when it came.  Where was I anyway? Oh, yes.  I was sleeping in a chair that night, wearing a yellow gown.

"I checked all the theaters.  Twilight isn't playing anywhere."

I was bummed!  So he chose the Nazis.

We get to the theater and up on the marquis it bold blue letters it says "Twilight."  Yay!

But it was 6:30.  Twilight didn't start until 9.  The Nazi movie started at 7.  He bought the Nazi tickets, and we walk into the theater.  I had lost a little bit of that loving feeling already.

"I heard this was a good movie," he offered.

"I'm sure it is." Silence.  " You know nothing turns me on like a Nazi war movie."

He frowns.

"Except, maybe... vampires."

He smiles as light dawns.

We trade the Nazi tickets for Twilight tickets, and go hang out in the hotel room for a few hours.

Brilliant move on his part!  Talk about win/win. Romance was rescued from the Nazi's grip.  My hero!

Now about the movie.  I have heard mixed reviews, so I was a bit afraid to see it.  But it turns out that I loved it!  Sometimes my literary training gets best of me, and I get nit-picky.  Drives Dennis crazy.  But last night, I just relaxed and went with my feelings.  Edward made my heart flutter, and the movie made me happy.  That's all it took to win me over.

When Bella sees Edward for the first time in the cafeteria, Dennis asks, "Do you really think that guy is good looking?"

"Edward?"

"Ya"

"Oh, ya!"

"Really?"

"Um...ya-ah.  Look at him."

"But I mean, the actor, if he didn't have the white makeup and the lipstick."

"Oh, ya."

"Huh."

I don't know why that baffled him so much.

Turns out Dennis liked the movie too.  Really.

We got back to the hotel room about 15 minutes before the new year arrived.  We were watching the New Year's Rockin' Eve in Times Square, as is tradition.  Some woman was singing (horribly) some nasty song.  The lyrics turned my stomach!  I was hoping my kids weren't watching.  So we turned the channel.  Found more coverage of Times Square on CNN, but they couldn't stop talking about the Clintons.  What a treat for NY, they said. Why?  Finally settled on an infomercial about a CD of 80's music.  Pathetic, I know.  I think we are old.

Midnight came.  Hurray for 2009!  We kissed and clinked the bubbly cider.  May '09 be better than '08!  Please, please, please!  There is a lot of wiggle room.  It can be a pretty crummy year and still be better than the one we just had.

2009 started out super great!  We went to sleep, and slept all the way to morning.  No alarms, no IV medicines, none of that.  What a treat to sleep 7 hour straight!  My Mother-in-law is an angel!!!

If the rest of 2009 is a good as what we have experienced so far, we are in for a treat!

Happy New Year!