Enough with the food pictures for now, right? But with the bowl of berries, and the basic salad, you now have an accurate picture (pictures!) of my diet staples. This isn't going to become a food blog, though, insofar as I can look into the future of my heart.
The future of my heart is more family than food. Of course we all need each other, but I mean, in terms of my writing focus. So let me tell you about my future heart and family.
I'm totally in love with this guy named Ryan. I am going to marry him and have his babies. I'm not saying this impulsively, but with the certainty of gut feeling. I've been thinking this (hoping this!) for months, and it only feels more right, the more time we spend together.
Do you want to hear about him? And how I know this love is different? Or do you want to hear about my weekend?? Ahhh I have so much to say before I leave for work. We'll see what we get to.
Weekend first. On Friday night, we just relaxed and watched Midnight in Paris. His choice and I LOVED it. So good. He knows me well, to put that on.
Saturday morning, we hiked through Griffith Park, looking out over Los Angeles, Glendale, and of course tons of plants and dogs and hikers. I was actually sort of depressed at first on this hike, because it made me realize that I need to exercise more, which made me feel weak. But then Ryan reminded me that, hey, we can do this every weekend! And it was beautiful and fun. And hot, but fine. Back at his apartment, we cleaned up, then headed out of the LA heat and up to Ventura, where we strolled and went into antique stores and thrift stores. We sat and had a cup of iced tea at Palermo (pineapple green tea yummm), and I showed him my Pinterest board of wedding decor. Maybe because of this conversation, or maybe not, we strolled up the street after that, then he suggested we go into a jewelry store. This place, Fox, has really nice engagement rings. We talked to the woman about what to consider, and I was asked about what styles I liked.... When we walked out of the store, full of information, I was like, "Wait, can we just stop for a second?" And gave him a big hug. It felt momentous. Unforgettable. Talking to a jeweler about rings, and hearing my man say he wanted to buy me something that fancy made me feel really good, you know? Maybe some women would take this for granted. Like, yeah, aren't they supposed to do that? Well, maybe. But I also know that fine jewelry is a luxury, and it is a gesture of colossal love that filled my heart with deep gratitude.
Sunday morning, from his apartment, we walked to the Farmer's market. I got blueberries, and honeysuckle-scented soap. I was/am astonished at how closely the scent is to real honeysuckle. I felt like I was at my great-grandmother's old beach house, when I was a child, when it existed, where honeysuckle grew up these trellises in the front. Behind this place were the blackberries. I still feel close to these plants. Anyway, our excursion was about a two-hour walk, overall
News break: My cat, Luna, hopped up on the counter and was sniffing at the apple cake I made last night (no frosting). Cute. There was plastic wrap over it, but still I moved the cake to the stove, and put Luna on the floor, where she is actually allowed to be.
Ryan came home with me in the afternoon, and we had dinner. Then, he read; I baked: granola and apple cake.
In recounting my weekend to you, I feel like I have not done justice to the wonderment wrapped up in each moment. There is this magic, this gratitude and awe that I have this love that is so funny and kind and smart. He looks out for me, and makes fun plans. We believe in each other. We love each other. He is stable and will be a good father when we have a family someday.
So that's what I've got on this Monday morning: a heart fluttering, in love, a bowl of berries in my belly, these two super cute cats, and a drive to work ahead.
Love,
Katie
