Tuesday, February 16, 2010

My Happy Place

Ever since I can remember, my mom referred to Barnes & Noble as her "happy place". She would frequent the store, sometimes shop, and usually grab a magazine she didn't want to buy and read it in the cafe. It was a place that made her feel so good and comfortable. After a really dramatic, odd day (funerals, major medical issues, etc), she would want to do something that made everything feel "normal"...and shopping did just that.

Although I'm extremely fortunate to not have had any dramatic/odd days lately, my own personal "happy place" is still a wonderful and comforting place to be. I love me some Nelson-Atkins! I didn't start visiting the museum until college, and typically it was with my then boyfriend, Scott Dicus (you may remember him). One of my favorite things ever in the world is holding hands with my husband: at home, at church, over a restaurant table, in the HyVee parking lot, or walking through a museum. The Nelson is a huge, open, beautiful space for me to hold hands with my husband and have wonderful conversation. We actually learn a lot about each other from the museum. Being their can spawn conversations about travel, religion, home decorating, and culture.

In 2008, we became members at the Nelson. For those of you who have been, you know that there's technically no charge to visit the museum, but they do encourage a donation. During our cheap college days, we just considered the Nelson a free date spot...so I feel as though it's our responsiblity, in our supposed "grown up" status, to give back to the Nelson. Being a member has made me love the museum even more! We've taken advantage of so many of the opportunities available there including exhibit openings, free tours, special events, and discounts in the gift shop. :)

I asked Scott where his "happy place" was. Okay...that sounds dirty now that I think about it, but his response wasn't like "in my pants" or something awkward like that. He said, "on the disc golf course." He explained that no matter which course he's on, even though they're all in sketchy parts of town, they're calm, green, open spaces.

Where's your PG-rated happy place??