Turn Down the World Tonight

Caught up in living
Getting through each day
When all the tomorrows become faded yesterdays
Are you slipping away?

Lighted by our schedules
Rushing here and there
Become strangers to each other
Miss you everywhere
How did we get this way?

Spontaneity, is who I am referring to as I recall Journey's lyrics. As many of you may have noticed I enjoy schedules, thrive on planning, and relish in research. The excitement of creating such a perfectly planned day gets me all worked up.

Man that is sad, just as I reread that, I felt sorry for my pitiful self and for Jay. But to his credit, he does battle my anal methodical mind by hyping up his dear friend, Spontaneity. He presents it as such an attractive raw alternative to a safe sure thing. He claims it's more exciting, it gives such a thrill, it really knows how to curl your toes, and it creates memorable experiences like you could never know amidst a planned day. And when I rebuttal with my 'what if's and 'but's, he swats them away with a well known mantra he encourages me to chant along with him daily..."Screw It". Supposedly this minimalist two word phrase can solve all my anxiety towards a hap hazard way of life. Two measly words will make up for all the options A, B and C's; the rainy day plans; and the reviews from experienced patrons. Ummm you've got to hear the scepticism in my words, right!

Well I subtly ventured in to the relaxed way of life this weekend, and in more than one way, I might add. Friday night, Jay and I talked about having a date night. We tossed around some options but never narrowed anything down, so come Friday afternoon as you would guess I would typically be researching reviews of restaurants and menus, but no, I decided to just wait it out and see what happened. Jay called on his way home and asked if he could pick anything up for a toast to the weekend, and what did I say..."Surprise Me". Yeah that's right, I didn't even think three times about it, I just thought once, twice, and then said it with a very "screw it" tone. However, when he arrived with my favorite beer, I felt awful when it just wasn't what was tempting my taste buds that evening. How great a husband was he, when he went across the street and got me a mini bottle of wine. Okay, so give me time...I'm getting to the really crazy stuff.

We ended up at a new sushi restaurant and martini bar. An exciting choice since it was so new there weren't any reviews or menus online. We went in blind and after a long extended evening there, decided it had decent sushi with better drink options than service. A decent date with Spontaneity.

The next day we planned (haha sometimes I rub off on him) on celebrating the dogs birthdays since there were no formal parties this summer for either of them. Daisy's big one was in June, literally she turned 1 and she's huge, and Killer turned 3 in July. So as we were talking about what their birthday weekend was going to entail, I casually mentioned that there was a wine festival at a nearby vineyard. We decided on the fly that we would check it out and postpone the dogs' day to Sunday. We grabbed our gear, being each other and our 'screw it' attitudes, and headed west into the thunder mountains, to which I believe they are referred.

Sonoita Winery

Sonoita Vineyards was a lot of fun. Wonderful panoramic views and great weather set the scene for wine tastings, vineyard tours, wine pairings, live music, and grape stomping. We thought the spontaneous afternoon was a hit, very romantic and a tasty treat. Later that night we headed back to the house to grill some turkey burgers and watch some Triple D. (if you don't know what that is, you are missing out big time!)

Sunday was puppy day, and we started off at the doggy park we found in town. It was expansive and deserted, perfect! The dogs loved it, they could run for days, but really it was barely an hour before they were both tuckered out. The sun was beginning to make it unbearable for our little Killer. We got them two new frisbees and were headed back to the house for a big succulent bone. As the dogs slept off the morning, Jay and I headed off to take in a movie on the fly. The first showing of the day=great matinee price! We slapped our legs and laughed our heads off at "The Ugly Truth", mimicking my sister's reaction.

Dogs

What happened next was sooo unlike me and I loved it! Jay suggested we jump in the car and drive north to Tucson for the evening. I shockingly retorted, "But, it's Sunday!". Obviously a day when I never saw, thought about, or even flirted with Spontaneity. But Jay had that 'screw it' sparkle in his eye, combined with a killer smile and I couldn't say no. We had no idea where we were going once we got there, just thought we'd find some shops to look at and then maybe have dinner.

To my surprise it worked out really well, the shops were open on Sunday afternoon which is always a gamble. We found an Olive Garden right near by and I just happened to have a gift card from my parents in my purse. Um yeah that's what I'm talking about, when everything just seems to fall into place! That's what curls my toes! So me and Spontaneity rubbed elbows a little bit this weekend and I must confess, I kind of enjoyed it. I'm glad we could reunite and combine forces to create a fun filled, non-chaotic, and romantic weekend. It may have even helped me and Jay enjoy each other even more. So lesson learned, less time planning can sometimes lead to surprising more fulfilling experiences.

Help me turn down the world tonight
Take a quiet moment, somewhere we can unwind
Losing touch, we forget to take time
To share what's in our hearts
Speak what's on our minds

So much information streaming at us fast
What I really need to know is if
We can make it last

I wanna keep you close