Weeks 8 & 9: Doubling Up On New Things

Sometimes, I'm able to squeeze in more than one new thing per week:

Back in October, I was touched by a condolence message that I received from the wife of one of my husband's colleagues. I had only met her a few times over the last five years, so I was surprised to hear from her. At the time, I mentioned that we should get together for coffee after the holidays. I finally took the initiative this month and got in touch with her again. I'd say this is a new thing for me because I don't normally step outside my comfort zone like that anymore. It was something I'd do in college, but at this stage of life, I sort of feel like I have enough friends. Not sure why I got into that mindset!

I told her about my New Things in 2019. She lives a few towns away from me, so she said she would try to come up with some coffee spots. She messaged a few to me and we settled on a coffee shop/bakery that was convenient to both of us.

It was a warm and friendly place, owned by a local family. I appreciated that they had two choices of fresh brewed decaf. I chose the snickerdoodle flavor and it was delicious.

Lots of homemade bakery choices, but we both ordered the broccoli quiche. Very enjoyable breakfast and they didn't seem to mind us sitting there for almost two hours. We are the same age and ended up having plenty to talk about. I would visit there again and I would for sure meet up again with my new friend.

This past weekend, I did something HIGHLY unusual for me, but not for the rest of America. I actually watched a movie! Well, it was more like a documentary, but still! I know it's hard for most to understand, but I just hate sitting in a dark movie theater for hours. It's boring and uncomfortable to me, plus omg on the decibel level. I spend more time looking at my watch than the screen. And it never appealed to me as a date choice because I'd rather be having a conversation with my date than just sitting there.  Add in the fact that I'm not interested in violence or sci-fi, and I think the book is ALWAYS better than the movie, so I'm not left with many choices. My husband gave up on me back in the 90's when I would go to Blockbuster and always bring back a movie that featured someone from the cast of Friends. LOL!

He managed to talk me into watching this:

The first half hour was boring to me, but I did end up enjoying it, plus shed a few tears. My oldest daughter watched Mr. Rogers, but my younger two had more choices in the mid to late 90's.  And I don't think we had access to a PBS station when I was a little kid. What stood out to me the most was what a truly kind hearted man he was. I didn't know that he was bullied as a child. His wife even claims that if it were not for the taunting of 'Fat Freddie,' there probably would never have been a Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. Very interesting interviews and footage from the show. I'd recommend it, but have tissue nearby.

One more new thing for me: I saw on facebook that my local grocery chain had a contest to name its new wine section premiering this spring. Normally, this is something I'd pass right by, thinking I'm never going to win. However, there will be 4 runner ups besides the grand prize winner, with $100-$500 gift cards and a VIP wine tasting event. I figured there were a limited number of people following them on fb, and even less than that would care about wine, so my chances weren't too shabby. Plus, you could enter as many names as you wanted. I came up with 12 ideas and hit submit. Wish me luck!