#10 Canterbury Road

Weddings, Honeymoons, and Folding Chairs

I have developed a daily ritual upon arriving to work each day: grab my CongressDaily AM publication at the door, log onto my computer (and inevitably type in the wrong screen name and password, as both have changed recently for the first time in four years), and run through my favorite blogs to see if anyone has posted. Since #10 Canterbury Road is tops my list of Web Favorites, it is always first, and though usually a quick read (what, did we decide that after writing two or three 10-page papers a week in Oxford we no longer obligated to write anything for the next five years? :)) it is my favorite place to see a new post. I decided that I cannot let Zack carry all the weight of this blog on his shoulders anymore, and must post something to relieve him. Even if, like Ryan says, I can only write about normal daily life for so long without boring myself and you.

I have had, of course, a rather extraordinary past few weeks and am still getting used to my new name. Last week, during a breakfast speech to the Idaho Credit Union League, the Congressman introduced me as "Malisah Johnson." It took both of us a few moments before we realized that this was all wrong (and he realized that he didn't actually know my new name after all!). Jason and I are settling into marriage. After almost a month and a half, we finally have all our new dishes put away and have two functioning bedrooms (as opposed to one room to sleep in and one room to fill with boxes, piles, and everything else we didn't have a place for). We would love for any and all of you to come hang out with us...though if you all came at once it might be a tight squeeze. Nor would we have anywhere for you to sit--we recently decided to get some new living room furniture, and in our fear of having two sets of couches in our one tiny living room, we quickly got rid of the old...and now the new will be here in approximately two to three weeks. Oops.

Our wedding was beautiful and perfect and a blur during which I couldn't stop smiling, and I occasionally feel the need to curl up on a folding chair (?!?) and watch the video and look at the pictures, just to make sure it really happened. It was beyond lovely to spend two weeks in Idaho with my family beforehand and have a little time to spend with them getting to know Jason's family. We had an Italian feast at my parents' home afterwards, with twinkle lights and opera and homemade cake and reportedly delectible food (not that I got any--am still bitter). I've attempted to attach a picture of us, about to cut into our pretty, crooked, delicious (if I do say so myself--perhaps my cooking skills have improved since Oxford "how many things can you make with rice"?) home-done cake--just to share the moment with you.

We spent our honeymoon in Croatia having the most gorgeous time (and sleeping a bit too much). Dubrovnik was the bluest blues and the greenest greens and orange roofs and roman arches, and a few needed history lessons from my husband who was paying more attention to world history during college than I was. Go there, I tell you--go! We also spent a day in the coastal town of Split, which started out as a palace for the Roman emporer Diocletian and is still a pretty freakin' cool place for history buffs. If I've managed to get my pictures on board here, you will be able to share in my utter appreciation for the place.


I will stop blogging on and on. It is fall and I think of you all a bit more than usual, remembering how we spent the first autumn of the millenium crunching through leaves on library walks and making that transition to sweaters and jackets together. I have been thinking frequently lately that I don't love my job, but today I walked back from a really pleasant lunch across the Hill and the weather was crisp and bright and the Capitol shone white and astounding as usual, and I thought, "Hey, what is there not to like?" In fall, very little.

I hope you are doing well. And don't let this blog be used only for momentous days like weddings and travels and "catching up" (though all of these are a must!). Let's use it also for keeping up, for perfect cups of tea and funny lawyer jokes and sudden clarity of thought and really good books (by the way, Laura, I didn't end up loving "The Virgin in the Garden," though I did push through to the very end. I tried to come up with laudable praise, but all in all it was just long and painful. Let me know if you find it any better.). I often fear that I have nothing interesting enough to say for a blog entry (and after this long ramble you may quite agree), but I eat up each of your entries hungrily.

Love,
Missy

posted by Missy Small @ 9/27/2005 08:11:00 PM