learning the weekend

so one of the problems that j. and i have faced since getting married is how to spend our weekends. since we're both so dependent on routine, we've found it difficult to shift from the week-day schedule to the unscheduled weekends. being a convergent thinker, i'm always asking for "the plan." but j. is a divergent thinker who likes to do what he wants at the moment and see where it takes him from there. this has led to many saturdays where i find myself panicking at about noon because we're just getting through breakfast and i have no idea what we're going to do for the rest of the day.

since i'm stuck in an office all week from nine to five thirty, i want to do anything that i can't do on a week day. this includes being outside, going someplace other than ipswich, going shopping, seeing friends, cleaning the house, cooking for fun, etc. mostly, i want to see the sunshine.

j. could be happy sitting at the computer all day.

a few weeks ago we ended up going to kennebunkport for a day trip. i packed some cookies and water and we drove in the sunshine to the ocean-side. we parked and walked down to the water, skipping stones and collecting shells. we found what we assume to be the Bush complex (it was huge with gates and checkpoints and security cameras) and looked at the gorgeous homes in the area. there's an incredible ocean resort with green lawns and terraces. anyhow, what j. and i discovered that day was that we both love day trips.

since then, we've traveled most every weekend and largely avoided our prior weekend scheduling issues.

today we traveled to portland. the car trip was such a bonding time for us between the singing and the chatting and the questions we asked each other, i really felt like we connected well. i was so suprised by portland, having grown up traveling several times a summer to that area and never having really explored the city. i found it a cross between boston and newburyport. trendy, with cobblestones and pubs and specialty shops. i can see why people would live there even though it's winter most of the year. j. and i walked around the streets and stopped into several shops: a pottery store, an art gallery, and a trendy clothing store that j. and i agreed held everything "me." we ate at a very irish pub called $3 dewey's before heading back home. the drive back was lovely with the sun sinking low and the colors in the sky.