brokeback mtn and other ramblings

we’ve had company for the last several days (john’s bestfriend, zach, my best friend, gina, and gina’s friend, kate). the more, the merrier! here are some highlights from the last several days:

1. We went to see Brokeback Mountain last nite. It was, hands down, the very best movie i’ve seen in several years, if not ever. the acting and the chemistry and the cinematography was brilliant, beautiful, and moving. it was one of those movies you think about again and again for days and days. i cried at the beginning just for it’s beauty and i found myself crying throughout the movie for it’s story – it’s love story. they just don’t make movies like this very often. go and see it. you’ll love it. what a treasure. i can’t believe the acting in this movie. phenomenal.

2. Kimmie is pregnant! the word is “officially” out and it’s great news. gender unknown – it’ll be a surprise and the due date is early July. I’m headed to jville for my nephew’s graduation in late May and am hopeful to host a baby shower for kimmie while i’m home. it’ll be great fun. it seems that everyone is starting to have babies!

3. Garrett and i chatted on the phone last week for a whole hour. i’m always happy when that happens. he cracks me up and he’s the brother i never had. i know that is a cliché, but it’s true, so i’ll say it with enthusiasm.

4. John took Bella snowboarding in the backcountry and Bella cut both the inside of her mouth and her paw, causing massive amounts of prolonged bleeding. she has severe hemophilia which means she doesn’t have the ability to clot, so any injury is a big deal. this time we had to take her to Dove Lewis, the 24hour emergency/trauma center for animals. she spent 12 hours in the hospital and she had to have a blood transfusion, among other things. she is fine now, but for one entire day i was a nervous wreck. after it was all said and done, john and i agreed that Bella is officially retired from backcountry snowboarding adventures. it’s too dangerous for her. i joke that not only do i have a high-risk dog, but i also have a high-risk husband. as much as i love their adventurousness, it scares the shit out of me sometimes.

5. Still no word from rhode island (i cannot believe it), but john did get a letter from the University of New England (portland, maine) indicating that his application had been viewed favorably and was being forwarded to the interview committee with the recommendation that he be invited for a formal interview. so, we’ll see what happens with that. sounds hopeful.

6. Gina and i have had a great visit. She leaves tomorrow back to Iowa, but i was so happy she was able to come out one last time before she has the baby. our relationship is much like a sisterhood, that she feels like home to me. she is super prego with the big belly and all. it’s really great. we were able to hear the baby’s heartbeat with john’s stethoscope which was a bit freaky, but very cool. it sounded like a deep swoosh swoosh swoosh. we’ve been lounging around, shopping for baby/new mom stuff, eating, chatting, drinking tea. we went to gina’s favorite Ethiopian restaurant with her friend kate who stayed with us for 2 nites. Ethiopian food is so yummy. the spongy bread and the various beans are so good. next time i see her, she’ll have her little baby boy. i can’t wait to meet him and finally know his name (she saving it for a surprise).