The Beauty of a Saturday...

I was raised in a family that revered weekends. My father worked a full time, regular, federal government employee schedule that afforded him a dinner time and some prime time TV with his family before he had to make lunch, iron a shirt, and otherwise prepare for the next day. My mother always assimilated to his schedule, choosing to work in some capacity that would allow us to spend time together on the weekend as a family.

When Nathaniel and I got married, over 100 whole days ago (long time ago, right?), we agreed on a schedule that would force me to diverge from that weekend luxury. Since he still is working on his dissertation, we decided that we would set aside one day a week to spend together, and the other 6 days would be devoted to working and otherwise preparing for our future (LSAT studying, program research, etc). I generally prefer to take Sunday as our day together, but we've been flexible about it so as to give each other the room needed to do what is on our plate.

This weekend appeared to be shaping up like the others. I had to be at a parent-teacher event at the elementary school where I teach in Wake Forest, North Carolina (about 30 minutes north of our house). A client from my full time agency who lives nearby also needed some assistance, so I was going to help her after I met the parents of the children I would teach this year. Nathaniel was going to work on his dissertation and try to focus on a few other things we have failed to focus on since learning about the happy little revision to our 10 year plan last weekend.

But, these 6 day work week plans were very pleasantly interrupted this week. My client called me last night, saying she felt bad about asking me to help her on a weekend (a LANDMARK feat of introspection for someone with Borderline Personality Disorder), and got her mother to help her instead. Thus, while I was still obliged to shake hands with the family of students, I was otherwise free. Nathaniel also has figured out a recent problem with his piece and is kind of at a stand still. So, instead of working, he went to the school with me, faced suburbia, and has spent the entire day with me.

A truly glorious Saturday, directly in the tradition of my childhood!

After the school, we met my parents for bagel sandwiches at a local deli and spent a leisurely afternoon discussing plans, revision of plans, should-have scenarios, and definitely-will projections. One of the "perks" to pregnancy in an Italian-Hispanic family is the belief that a pregnant woman should not be denied anything that will inure to her comfort and sustenance. Not only did my dad get me a DELICIOUS egg salad on sesame, but also a black and white cookie and TWO pairs of shoes, slightly larger than I usually wear, to last me into these 9 months. (This Italian-Hispanic girl intends to make her pregnancy healthy, so the black and white cookies will not be too frequent. So far, the only thing I've craved is MEAT... of any sort... My mother says she craved meat with me...)

Then, we went shopping. Nathaniel is still wrapping his head and heart around all of this surprise, but he is making TREMENDOUS progress. Today, he was able to discuss names we like and do not like and the art prints we want in the baby nursery. We are going to avoid more traditional baby themes like teddy bears or trains, instead opting for a particular artist, with whom we'll coordinate our decor. The current front runners are Matisse, Van Gogh, and O'Keefe. I'm personally in the Van Gogh camp (I have been since seeing each of his paintings in person in Amsterdam in 4th grade). I also have a very warm spot in my heart for Matisse. Nathaniel worries that Van Gogh won't be unique enough. He likes O'Keefe, as the colors could be subtle and it would be a positive American artist role model for our child. There are many weeks left to discuss the nuances. So, our shopping took us to Barnes and Noble, maternity clothes surveying (a girl has to budget), and ultimately Target.

We finally came home for a homemade fajita dinner, after which I fell asleep on Nathaniel while he watched "Short Circuit." Yeah, you read that right... He won't be happy I put that out there in public :) (Number 5 is ALIVE!)

It was a completely beautiful Saturday. It was a Saturday where our newly forming family spent time with each other in very personal, yet slightly idle pursuits. It was a Saturday where my sick feelings that I get everyday at 2 pm did not get the final say and, instead, we listened to the pace of our own desires. Tomorrow we're having a traditional Sunday pasta lunch with my parents, my brother and sister in law, and their kids. Never have we needed a weekend more and rarely have we given ourselves permission to take one.

Perhaps that is why I was able to particularly enjoy the beauty of this Saturday.