Movie Night: Happy-Go-Lucky

2 sec. review: Loved it.

I met up with the gals for an evening of Mexican food and a movie-night at The Dragonfly Theater and Pub in Boone. What a bargain when compared to regular movie prices! Though I must admit I wished for some sort of "stadium seating" when my neck was hurting from craning it up toward the screen for two hours. Maybe some sofas will grow at the back of the room, too, instead of just tables. Oh, I hope so!

This movie was slow to start, but I never mind films like that. You can't help but fall in love with the quirky main character within just a few minutes and you worry about what awful thing will happen to her in the course of the film. No character that is presented as so simply-minded ever survives life unscathed. Reality will have it's way with her! Or, so I thought. Poppy, played by Sally Hawkins, is like that fancy pill that Alice takes in Wonderland to make her life become technicolor and full of joy. You have to smile. You really HAVE to - you can't help it! (Even when some guy is slurping on his drink and hacking up a lung directly behind your head.)
During our viewing, I felt at times that this was England's answer to Amelie or Breakfast at Tiffany's with the same sort of fabulous woman whose whimsy is catching and who manages to create a great life in the process of purposefully making each day a jewel in most ordinary lives. She was brilliantly cast and acted and you genuinely worry for her (as I've found - similarly - myself doing on many episodes of Pushing Daisies) but with mostly no need. The story is a good one, the characters are fantastic and you wish that you had such friends that are so true to themselves. So glad I went to see this with my very own happy-go-lucky friends!

My Long Lost Twin BROTHER!!!

Hey, so we had the Christmas party for Henry's office, Coldwell Banker Blair and Associates, on December 10th at Vidalia's and had a wonderful time. Next year I will be sure to sit far, far away from the gift table so that I am not in a hundred photos (unless, of course, I'm rocking some fab new body or even just good posture!). So, whatever the results, I had a great time at the party, ate great food, had good wine and we ended up with fun presents. However, I was a bit stunned to get some photos the following day and see what my slouchy self looked like to others. When I dressed that evening, I'd really thought my sweater was cute...


Alas, I discovered only hours after receiving this photo that Philip Seymour Hoffman and I shop at the same stores. ugh. Here's the photo and the link to his video on The Daily Show. Start at around 14 minutes in to see my twin brother and how well we matched - only one day apart! If we lived in the same town we could just share clothes! So funny!! :D
http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/index.jhtml?episodeId=213366

A Virtual Christmas Letter

Just a brief update on our life and times in 2008. We've both had an interesting year with the economy the way it is and are glad to settle into some semblance of a routine with the Winter now at hand. Libba is quite happy to mark the start of her third year at Grandfather Mountain in the Nature Museum and is looking forward to a very blustery Winter with lots of snow (fingers crossed!). Come and visit the mountain and see the changes taking place up top or just enjoy some warm soup or coffee at the Nature Museum. By the way, the bears hibernate in Winter - just in case you were wanting to see them when you visit...

Henry's big news is that he has landed a new job at Earth Fare "the healthy supermarket" in downtown Boone, NC. It is a great bit of serendipity that has led to this since that is the same store location that brought us up to the High Country eight years ago with Harris Teeter. Henry says it is a strange feeling to be back in the same spot but in a very different environment from what it was before. He likes it quite a bit and is just taking some time adjusting to the routine of a store versus his past six years as a full-time Realtor. He will still have his license hung at the office of Coldwell Banker in Boone and has plenty of time to devote to his clients - thanks to a flexible schedule at Earth Fare. He looks forward to making his real estate business a viable second income and savings booster for us.

We both work during the holidays (as per usual) and are hoping for some down-time around the house together before the new year. As the newbie on the job, it seems that Henry will be working New Year's Eve and New Year's Day and I will most likely do the same since we have no plans, but we certainly hope that many friends will make plans to visit us in the year ahead! We have a wonderfully cozy guest room and some extra space upstairs as well. Just give us a heads-up so that we know you are coming and we'll make sure we are ready for you! We love to have visitors and joke that our house is a B & B for our friends. We really do cherish the time we get to spend with friends in our home!

You can make yourself a follower of this blog (top right section of the page) to keep up with our adventures throughout the year or you can check in with us the old-fashioned ways of email, phone calls and the post office! We send holiday blessings to you all - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love, Libba & Henry