Independence Day for the Single Gal

I had one of the best holidays today.   I turned down every invitation to attend  pool parties, the Peachtree Road Race, a local parade and various fireworks displays around town.

Instead, I slept in a little, made an enormous pot of coffee, had farmers-market fresh blueberries with my yogurt this morning, watched a few historic gems on The History Channel, made a flower arrangement and when I was sure it was going to remain sunny all day, I packed a beachy tote with all the poolside necessities and walked to my neighborhood pool which was blissfully devoid of neighbors with kids.

The appreciation for the day is never lost on me, considering what a history buff I am, and today especially so as it was my first Independence Day that I didn't have to work in about five years.    I spent the day in the sun with my Kindle and then returned home, bronzed and relaxed, to make a very July 4th-appropriate dinner.  Grilled chicken, salad, corn on the cob and (unsweet) iced tea.  Just like the barbecues we used to have by my grandparents' pool when I was a kid, minus the deviled eggs, potato salad, baked beans and the apple pie.  Oh, I miss apple pie.  I'm watching my starches - the corn was a splurge.  Incidentally, "unsweet" is the correct way to say you'd like your iced tea without sugar in the South.  We do know that "unsweetened" is grammatically correct but lobbing off a syllable or two is what keeps us cool in the summer heat - talking too much and too fast has a cumulative negative effect on your body heat; it's not scientifically proven but it's a known fact.  And you never have to specify "iced" either, we rarely take it any other way.  That would be silly.

I live close enough to downtown Atlanta that I could hear the fireworks going off as I watched them on TV.  So I got to enjoy the display without the crowds and traffic.  Honestly, the only thing that would have made today better would be real surf and a few palm trees, but the pool and hot pink crepe myrtles that line it were just fine by me.

The Story of Carl & Ellie

I might as well come out of the dork closet early on: I am a HUGE Disney and Pixar fan.  If I could move into the Magic Kingdom, I would.  I'm not a pin-trader or a figurine-collector and I don't attend conventions but I am a professional memory-collector. 

The first movie I ever saw in a theater was Mary Poppins with my mom.  The first time I got scared at a movie in the theater was during Night Crossing, resulting in an unfortunate spillage of an entire box of red hots, with my mom.  The first 3-D film I ever saw was a Chip & Dale/Donald Duck cartoon with my beloved, dearly missed grandparents.  The first drive-in movie I ever experienced was a double-feature of Snow White and something else that I fell asleep during, with my entire family.  (They still have drive-ins here in the South and they were rampant in the late 70's/early 80's.)  My first record was Mickey Mouse Disco.  I remember walking down Main Street USA for the first time in 1981, holding my little sister's hand.  I had my first panic attack in a bathroom stall in Fantasyland behind Peter Pan's Flight on my 30th birthday.  See the pattern?

I didn't really intend this to be a love letter to Disney but, honestly, it's been my longest commitment next to my little family.  I have even refused to continue dating men who take a political stance against Disney.  (To be honest, I generally don't date men who boycott stuff just to be "cool" or controversial.)  And you don't want to get me going on what a visionary Walt was and how thorough the Imagineers are or how detailed Pixar is.

So as I was putting my blog together this morning, I had UP playing in the background and just hearing it playing brought back the flood of emotions I felt when I first saw it.  Only five minutes into the movie and I'm bawling, my throat is killing me and my heart is at once breaking for Carl & Ellie and in love with Carl & Ellie.  I'm not giving anything away but this movie fully captures the essence of life and love in just a few minutes of frames.  The most artful and tender way to tell a love story I think I have ever seen.  Ever.  More impactful than a two hour movie.  No dialogue, just the unspoken narrative of beautifully animated character development.  I. Was. On. The. Floor.

It amazes me how affected I am by this scene every single time.  It's just so expressive that I can't help but turn to mush.  The love Carl & Ellie have for each other and the love the animators must have had for these characters just shines through.  I need to remember to put this movie in when I wonder what it's all about, what the meaning of life is.  It's the story of Carl & Ellie.