Away We Go

Last night, after weeks on the "on hold" list, I got my hands on the movie "Away We Go", which stars John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph. I didn't know much about it, with the exception that they travel and she's pregnant.  And, essentially, that is the entire plot line.  They find themselves needing to figure out a place where they will feel at home, so they journey across North America in search of the perfect spot.  My overall take on the movie is that the "f-word" was used without reason, and detracted from the sweet and endearing moments that dot the story's landscape. There were details about some of the characters that seemed utterly unhelpful, and there were actions that other characters took which didn't seem to be at all in line with what the story had said in introducing them.  Even still, the idea of the story was a good one, and it was interesting to hear the varied takes that the couples with whom the two leads (Krasinski as "Burt" and Rudolph as "Verona") had on marriage, children, and the importance of family.  The most hilarious moment came when Burt and Verona were confronted by people who had decided, among other things, that strollers were horrible things that were forced upon children.  In response to this (and, having been sufficiently instigated in several other ways), Burt asked the couple's child (who was probably around 3 or 4) if he would like to get into the stroller that they had brought as a gift, but that had been rejected by the child's parents.  The parents pleaded with the child, but he proceeded to jump into the stroller, and Burt pushed him, at full speed, throughout the house.  Maybe you just have to watch the movie to understand why, but I laughed out loud during this sequence.  It caused me to recall the barrage of (mostly unsolicited) parenting advice that I received while pregnant, and to smile about the chaos of it all.

In the end, though, the movie did spark conversation between Joe and me.  Would we ever want to travel all over the country in search of a place that, for us, was the ideal location?  Yes, I said, I would.  Joe, being more practically minded, felt the need to hammer down details, but generally agreed that it would be an interesting venture.  Then, we began to discuss where we would start.  I started by saying, "Well, you know, I wouldn't mind living in..." and proceeded to list about 30 states.  I think there's a lot to the idea that a house can be anywhere, but a home is what you make it.  But, I think that there are ideals, too, and the chance at renting an RV or hopping a train or a plane to figure out what our ideals are sounds absolutely delightful.

5
1. Having enough light bulbs to change out the old ones with the new
2. Doing more than you think you are capable of doing
3. Being content
4. Being a dreamer
5. Exploring new ideas and new places