Weekend Inspiration: Finding Love Here

I woke up so full of love this morning! I had a "smile in my heart", if you will. I've never been a zippity-do-da kind of gal, but sometimes I'm overwhelmed by the beauty and love and friends in my life, and it makes me want to whistle a happy tune. It makes me want to smile at strangers. It makes me want to throw on a simple white cotton dress and ride around on a bicycle with Andrew singing "Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head" in the soft light of the countryside.

So, Love is my inspiration today, and that video reminded me that I love Paul Newman. What a hunk.

His 50 year marriage to Joanne Woodward was remarkable, and obviously an anomaly in Hollywood. Paul was quoted as saying their marriage lasted "because of great impatience tempered by patience. When you have been together this long, sometimes you drive each other nuts, but underneath that is some core of affection and respect." (Source: Nancy Griffin, "Newman's Luck",  AARP Magazine, 6/2005)

It was rumored that Joanne was engaged to Gore Vidal before she married Paul, but Vidal later claimed that it was just a stunt to capture Paul's attention. Yeah girl! I'm glad that worked out for ya.

She said of their marriage: "sexiness wears thin after a while and beauty fades, but to be married to a man who makes you laugh every day, ah, that's a real treat" (Simrhan Khurana, quotations.about.com). Andrew frequently makes me laugh so hard that I fart, or pee in my pants, or both, so I know what she means.

After being asked how he stayed faithful to Joanne, Newman is famous for saying: "why go out for a hamburger when you have a steak at home?" Ain't that sweet?


I learned about Paul and Joanne's altruism through my mom, who for several years, took a group of kids from her school district in East Salinas to the  Hole In The Wall Gang Camp in Connecticut. It's a non-profit camp for children with cancer, started by Paul and Joanne 20 years ago, with the intention of creating a place where  sick kids could reclaim some of their youth and "raise a little hell". You should really click on that link above to find out more about the camp-- what they do there is so inspiring.

My mom stood next to Paul at the salad bar in the cafeteria once.  She said he was probably 80 years old, but he still made her knees weak. It could have been those famous blue eyes. But a man committed to his wife with a kind heart and a sense of humor? That would make my heart flutter any day.

Here's another inspiring couple that was in "Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid":

Sam Elliot  was an extra while Katherine Ross' character was busy choosing between Robert Redford and Paul Newman (who would you  choose? I lie awake nights pondering this. Please discuss in the comment section.) He said "I was just a glorified extra. Being an extra, I wasn't going to accost the leading lady, although I sure watched her work a lot." I'm sure you did, Sam.

Well he had to wait a few years, but they've been married since 1984. 

My mom and I attended a party in a very rural part of Carmel Valley and the Ross-Elliots were there. (Hang out with my mom, you'll probably meet a heart throb.) I was introduced to Katherine and I said "you look so familiar, do you come into r.g. Burgers a lot?" My only frame of reference for recognizing people at the time was having waited on them. She replied with a grin "no, I just have one of those faces." My mom's friend overheard the whole thing and pulled me aside, hissing through her teeth "That's Katherine Ross! You know, from The Graduate???" 'What the heck was she doing at a party on a ranch in Cachagua?' I wondered to myself. Then I saw Sam and swooned. I mean he looked just like this, so I guess maybe he really is a cowboy.

Speaking of swooning:

In other news, I'm thinking of taking up Ping Pong.

Don't even get me started on Robert Redford. No seriously, don't. I'm trying to write a blog post about love here, not post gratuitous photos of hot babes. I think.

But back to my point, I'm just a big ol' dork for love right now. I'm in it. With Andrew, with my friends, with Santa Barbara.

I feel like that annoying John Mayer monologue from "Where the Light Is". Not that I have that album and listen to it all the time or anything. Not that I inadvertently memorized the part where he says "So I'm gonna experiment with this love thing. Giving love. Feeling love. I know it's corny but it's the last thing I've got to check out before I check out." Oh John, you're so simultaneously fascinating and full of shit.

A real lover.

SO! My mission for myself and my mission for you, my dear and faithful reader, is to go out and focus on all the things that bring you love this weekend. Whether it's romantic love, friend love, pet love or love of shirtless men in cutoffs playing ping pong, feel it! Focus on it. Hold it. It's a big beautiful world out there, ready to fill you up with wonder, if you let it.

** For the sake of the blog, Andrew loaned me his old camera and is very patiently teaching me how to use it. I went to the park near our house yesterday and caught some sweet moments, I think. Pardon the beginning photography. 

Lindsay and Prada: Pet love!

Cute kid and ducks love!

Insert pun here.

Love Meghan