What I'm watching when I should be sleeping...

I am not generally a watch movies again and again type of person, (my gnat like concentration span barely allows me to get through them the first time), but there are a couple that I just have to watch every time they are on.

This one is one of them. I could never figure out why, because several of the characters are realllly irritating (including the leading actress) and the premise is ridiculous. Or is it? Dun dun duuuun......

This evening as I am watching it yet again, it dawns on me that the simultaneous frantic searching and being repeatedly thwarted is exactly what Aaron and I were doing the week before we met up again at Ricks college. I mentioned in the epic tale of our meeting/marrying that we were both sort of overcome with this intense (and extremely unexpected) need to find each other. I remember waking up one day and it being my mission. I even wrote it in my journal. "Today is going to be a good day. Today I am going to find my missionary". I remember telling my bemused newly found friend April about this goal. I clearly remember the determination and optimism that I felt. I'd had several days of malaisey home sickness but on that day I had resolve baby. I knew what I had to do. And I was not alone in my stalkerish ambitions.

Just before our wedding I remember overhearing Aaron talking to my mom, describing his search for me as "an ache, I needed to find her" (yeah even I was a little bit nauseated to hear it put that way, but really...I related, it had been the same for me). I don't know what all the big urgency was about but I guess this is why this movie works for me. Unlike that silly British girl who messed everything up in the first place, with her silly experiments, I don't think it was fate leading us, but I do believe the Spirit was involved in a big way.

And yes, granted, our union is not quite as wildly improbable as this movie..or was it? I mean when you think about the odds of a South African city girl marrying an Idaho farm boy, they are fairly improbable. Thankfully it did not require breaking any existing engagements or laws or major bribery to get together (although Aaron was starting to raise some red flags in the admin office with his obsessive asking for my class schedule).

Like the movie, it did require a good deal of traveling and an utterly complete and very rapid life change for me. (I still don't think I have recovered from the shock of it all..seriously. But worth it) .

An unfortunate non-coincidence was that it did not all culminate at Rockefeller Plaza. The Ricks college bookstore was just as romantic though right?

And you know that scene at the end when he is lying in the snow looking up at the snow falling? Well that first night after we found each other again (sounds so melodramatic considering how low key our initial meeting was) and we were in the library writing the ironic letter to my parents, I saw it snowing outside and I was wildly excited. I had only seen snow falling once before (and I was 5 at the time). We rushed outside and stood watching the gently falling snow in the street light. It was completely magical for me. I could feel the snow landing on my eyelashes which I thought was ridiculously romantic and I felt that it was appropriate that it was happening with the person I knew I liked more then anyone I ever had before. (It was probably completely lost on snow-immune Idaho boy though..I will have to ask...)

I know I have told this story before, but I don't think it included these little details so thank you for your indulgence.

In short (or very long), I now get why I love this movie so much. Not to mention that Kate Beckinsale and I could be twins. Totally. And Aaron and John Cusack? CLONES!

I have been to Serendipity in NYC with my sister Shona and it is magical. I have the most beautiful mug from there which I drink from most days. One day I am going to go there with Aaron. And then we will re-enact the rest of the movie. I can't wait to see Aaron grab the obnoxious Hermes guy from behind the counter by his lapels and shake him up a bit...That part is going to be awesome.

Another coincidence? I heard this song when I accidentally downloaded it to my iPod a year or two ago (one day I will explain how all this accidental downloading occurs), and it quickly became one of my favourite love songs of all time. I only realised it was from this movie quite recently. Also? Aaron bought me my first pair of gloves.



Post-Aaron reading addendum:

He remembers the thrill of the snow-fall in clear detail as he had not seen snow for 2 years. He says that he was looking at me with the snow falling on me and that there "was nothing else in the world". He also says he was thinking that he might have a slight chance with me at this point. I always thought our relationship was clearly established by then. It had been like.. hours.

Also: our first kiss was in a park, at night, in the snow.

Also: you get that I was joking about the Kate Beckingsale's twin thing right? Cool. But I'm totally serious about Aaron and John Cusack. CLONES I say. Ok maybe not clones.

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