An Outdoor Excursion

At last, I have the chance to finish up this post I've been working on all week! :)  I sooo need my own computer. ;)

As I shared briefly in my last post, I've been stuck in the same spot for quite a while.  This is why:

Beast'sbelle has been in the middle of eBay sales for a couple of weeks now, and the dresser has become the catch-all for everything that is waiting to be boxed up.  (Don't panic, everyone, not everything on the dresser is for sale.) ;)  I find it rather disturbing, myself...watching fellow dolls and toys being sold off to the highest bidder.  Beast'sbelle says they're going to better homes that have more room, but how does she know?  Has she met everyone on eBay personally?  Sorry to sound so harsh, but I'm just having a hard time with it.  

As if that didn't make things crazy enough, Beast'sbelle has also been on a bit of a nostalgia trip lately, so she brought out several of her old toys and dolls from the 80s and 90s and her old Barbie collection.  She's thinking about finding a way to display those, too.  Great.  Now that I'm finally starting to remember all of the Belle and Rapunzel dolls' names, I'm going to have a whole slew of new names to remember, too! :(

With the dresser being covered the way it is, Eugene, Rapunzel, Robby and I have found it easier to just stay put on top of the curio.  Which, I might add, is not good for Robby's hip and knee.  He needs to keep moving so they don't get too stiff.  I wish Beast'sbelle would remember that!

You probably noticed the new deboxed doll on the curio with us.  She's a Disney Store Snow White that Beast'sbelle took a fancy too.  She goes by "Snow" for short.  I'm not sure what happened to Beast'sbelle's claims that only Belle and Rapunzel dolls would be added to the 12" doll family from now on.  Oh well, Snow seems really sweet and should fit in with the rest of us just fine.  I think she kind of feels like a fifth wheel up on the curio with us, though. :}

Oh, and just in case you're wondering what Beast'sbelle did with all of the Rapunzel and Belle dolls, they're now over on the shelf next to her bed.  They've been happy there so far.  I can't imagine how happy a display doll can truly be, but maybe they don't know any better.  I don't think I could handle never being able to escape a doll stand and always staying in the same outfit.  They don't seem to mind, though.  

I've noticed some interesting developments with that set, too.  I don't think Beast'sbelle has noticed yet because she would be completely freaking out.  Rowena and Ike seem to be getting rather close.  They're always talking together, and just the other day, Rowena was stroking his hair gently.

Maybe it was nothing, but he didn't seem to mind, and there was more to that gentle caress than just mere friendship.  I know I promised not to meddle, and I'm doing my best, but it's so hard when you see a couple take an interest in each other! :}  

I haven't said anything to Robby yet.  He doesn't like prying into other doll's affairs, and doesn't like it when I do either.  And I haven't had a chance to mention it to Rapunzel alone yet (Eugene doesn't like matchmaking either). ;)

I have to admit, I'm just the slightest bit disappointed.  Ike seemed really nice, and I was hoping that he and Isabella might hit it off since Ben is still giving her the cold shoulder.  Oh well.  I guess that would have been meddling, too.  It's not like Ike or Isabella seemed to be interested in each other at all.

I'm just wondering how Beast'sbelle will take it.  She's such a purist...I'm not sure if she'll be able to handle having a Beast/Prince doll and a Rapunzel doll together.  It wouldn't make sense in the display, you see. ;)

Now you know how desperate I've been for entertainment.  Why else would I be sitting there matching my fellow dolls up in my head and imagining Beast'sbelle's mental breakdown? ;)

Robby and I finally had a quick chance to escape earlier this week.  Beast'sbelle had shipped enough of her items that there was a bit of space on the dresser.  We climbed down before anything else could happen.  After some discussion, we decided that we wanted to try a trip outdoors.  Robby grabbed his cloak and I changed into something warmer, and then we were off.

Unfortunately, we didn't realize what a windy, cold day it was outside.  We hesitated at the front screen door.  Robby turned back to me.  

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.

I eyed the yard for a moment.  The wind looked like it was hard enough to blow us away, but I was so desperate to get away!

"Let's at least try it," I finally decided.  "If it's really bad, we can make it a quick trip."

He nodded in agreement, and with that, we pushed open the screen door and stepped out into the wide world.

We were instantly hit with a blast of icy wind that cut right through our thin clothing and chilled our plastic to its core.  Shivering, we quickly rushed over to the nearest clump of shrubbery, hoping to block most of the wind.  When we'd stayed there long enough to get used to the cold, we walked towards our wedding tree, stopping to observe a huge clump of mushrooms that had sprung up in the lawn.

That was the first time that the wind blew us over.  

"Oof," Robby grunted as I landed on top of him.

"Sorry!" I told him apologetically, trying to push myself back up.  But the wind was so strong, I could barely move.  Robby had to help me get to my feet.  

Gripping each other's arms for support, we stumbled across the grass to our wedding tree, and then tried different spots until we found the side that blocked the most wind.

Robby put his arm around me and gazed out over the lawn.

"It's changed a bit since our wedding, hasn't it?"

I nodded, pulling my cloak closer.  "It's still beautiful, though.  I love how the leaves look like a carpet!"

"It is still beautiful," he agreed warmly, but he was looking at me instead of the scenery.

I blushed and leaned my head on his shoulder.  "Whatever," I mumbled with a little half smile.

He kissed the top of my head.  "What, you don't believe me?" he asked playfully.

"Um, no offense, but not really," I admitted.  "You're my husband.  You're supposed to say that.  Besides, stuff like that always sounds romantic in the movies, but it's just weird in real life."

Robby chuckled.  "What, you don't feel like a Disney Princess?"

I gave him a look.  "Have you read my blog?"

The chuckle turned to a full laugh.  "I think I've read a few posts."

"Then you shouldn't even need to ask that question!" 

As if to emphasize the ridiculousness of me being an actual Disney character, the wind chose that moment to knock us to the ground again.

"Oof," Robby said again.  "I wish one of these times you would fall down first."

I laughed and kissed the tip of his nose as I helped him up.  "What are you saying?"

He looked as if he was trying to decide whether or not he should answer.

"I'd suggest you treat that as a rhetorical question," I advised him.

"I figured that was the safest way to handle it," he said, winking at me.

We stood together in companionable silence for a while.  It's funny, even though the wind was wild and cold, there was something exhilarating about being out in it.  I loved the way it tossed my hair and made my skirts billow.  In that moment, I felt, perhaps, just a little bit like a Disney Princess.   

Oh dear, and here it came again:  that ridiculous impulse to break into song.  I clamped my lips together, even as I could feel the song wanting to burst from my throat.  I would not ruin this perfectly lovely moment with my tone-deaf rendition of some random, fluffy soliloquy.

Robby suddenly took my hand, breaking into my personal battle. 

 "I don't care how you feel," he stated.  "You're my Disney Princess."

And with such a declaration, dear readers, I couldn't help myself.  The tiniest squeak escaped.  And then a few odd notes, jumbled together and not making much sense at all.

Robby lifted an eyebrow.  "Are you...singing?" he asked incredulously.

"No!" I blurted out.  "Just...uh...coughing...or something."  I gave a few rather obviously fake coughs to prove my point."

My husband stroked my cheek.  "Why are you so afraid to sing in front of me?" he asked tenderly.

I laughed nervously.  "Because it's not singing!  It's...it's croaking or yowling at best.  I'd just die of embarrassment if you actually heard me."  I looked down at my feet.  "And I couldn't bear to see the expression on your face as you tried to mask your horror at my hideous voice."

Robby cupped my chin in his hand and lifted my face to meet his.  "Dramatic much?" he asked teasingly.

I tried to turn my head, but he held my chin, gently but firmly, so I couldn't look away.  "I don't care if you are the worst singer in the world," he stated, his eyes gazing into mine sincerely.  "You are my princess, and I love you." 

And of course, I had to kiss him after that.  What doll wouldn't fall for such an amazing hubby?  Besides, it was either kiss or sing, and despite his promises, I'm still not ready to bare my soul and sing him an aria. :} 

As we kissed, the wind kicked up and whipped my cloak around behind me.  It all felt so cinematic that I almost laughed.  Instead, I embraced my husband and showed my appreciation for his loving words.

We didn't stay outdoors much longer after that.  As exciting and adventurous as the weather felt, it was very cold and we could feel our joints stiffening by the minute.  I was concerned that Robby wouldn't be able to walk at all if we stayed out much longer.  

When fat raindrops started dropping on our heads, we knew we couldn't put it off any longer.  We linked arms and slowly stumbled through the windswept lawn back to the front door.

As we stepped inside, Robby turned to me.  

"By the way," he began, "don't think I haven't noticed that you still haven't sung for me.  When you're ready, I'll be here."

If I'd had a heart, it would have frozen at these words.  Since I didn't, I just felt queasy instead.  He wouldn't let up on this.  At least he wasn't the pushy type.  "When you're ready", he'd said.  I knew he would wait until it was my idea.  I just hoped he realized he'd be waiting for a very long time.

P.S.  I'm changing my header again, so here's a copy of my 1 Year Blogoversary Header (which was one of my favorite headers EVER!!):