As it turned out, I picked the exact perfect day for Lydia’s and my getaway; it started snowing Saturday afternoon about a half-hour before we got home, and the weather has stayed wintry since. I suppose I should qualify by saying that I picked the perfect day as far as weather was concerned, because Lydia herself was at less than her best. She’s been plagued off and on for the past few months by head colds and sore throats, and she was feeling pretty rough on Friday evening. Still, we managed to get a little bit of shopping done before the stores closed at six, then we had burgers and fries before heading back to the hotel to rest up a little.

We had been talking for weeks about maybe going to see The Hunger Games, but I wasn’t sure if Lydia felt up to it. After taking it easy for an hour or so, though, she seemed to be feeling a little better, so we decided to go. It was a pretty good movie, but I’m sure glad I had read all the books before seeing it. Even though it was two-and-a-half hours long, there was just no way the film could really delve into all the details, and I left the theater feeling a little like I’d seen a highlights reel instead of the whole story. Still, it was worth seeing, and I absolutely recommend it if you liked the books.

It was after eleven by the time we got back to our hotel room, so after I called the at-home crowd to say goodnight, we turned in. Saturday morning we hit the shops as soon as they opened at ten, and spent the next three hours — and most of our money — ferreting out bargains. After a leisurely lunch followed by ice cream, we made a quick trip to the supermarket then set out again for home. We pulled into our driveway almost exactly twenty-four hours after we’d left it, and if I’m being honest I’ll admit that that’s just about as long as I like to be away from home.