Date Night
Saturday was date night. Or rather, dinner. Just the two of us. On a quest for food.
And what a quest it was. We drove to numerous places only to be discouraged at the lack of parking spaces available or long wait times. Finally, we gave up on the sit-down idea and tried our luck at a buffet instead. The line was still stretched past the door, into the frigid 30 degree weather, but it seemed to be moving at a decent enough pace. However, I wasn’t dressed for the cold. I had on a turtleneck, but a chunky knit wraparound sweater (which J refers to as my Obi-Wan sweater) in place of a heavy winter coat.
“If I knew we’d be standing outside, I would have worn a coat”, I said shivering. “Silly me, I thought we’d be sitting in someplace warm by now.”
Next date night, especially if it’s on a Saturday, I’ll be sure to make a reservation in advance.
We eventually made it through, of course, and it was nice from that point. It was quiet. It wasn’t stressful or chaotic. We didn’t have to play pickup with any of the numerous items we give Abby during a meal to keep her occupied. I didn’t have to wrestle Buzz into his seat. We didn’t have to argue with Jedi to take a bite. We just ate and talked.
When we returned home a few hours later, I could hear Abby laughing at Grandma from the front stoop. My heart lifted in that moment and I couldn’t wait to get inside. Very quickly, however, life returned back to normal. The kids were rambunctious and riled up, screaming and whining and loud. It was like we had never left. Next date night, along with reservations, I’ll be sure to have a few drinks, too.
10 Responses
Sounds like it turned out AOK, but it is frustrating when you finally get away and it doesn’t go smoothly. And I completely concur about how quickly it is back to reality. *blink*
Or maybe…not go home until the kiddos are in bed? LOL! I live for date nights. I schedule them in advance, twice a month. They are sanity for my marriage and I acutally get to taste my food. The drinking is nice too!
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@Tina, Not coming home until the kids are in bed would be nice, but I really don’t think my parents could handle bedtime.
Date nights are the best. Reservations are a must!
Too bad your Obi-Wan sweater doesn’t come with Jedi powers, like quieting three wound-up children with one powerful Jedi stare. =>
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It’s been too long since our last date night. So glad someone out there has them.
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@Marilyn @ A Lot of Loves, Our last was last June, for my birthday, so they’re not even close to regular.
I know what you mean about the preparation thing. I’ve been caught out like that too.
oh man i can relate to this. esp if it’s the weekend. we usually tend to shy away from big chains and try to find mom and pop places by home that won’t be crowded and drinks are always involved. we rarely go out to eat anymore if the kids are with us…just too much wrangling of the baby and by the time we’re done we’re exhausted and didn’t have any fun.
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@Becky @TheRealBecks, We keep trying to go out to restaurants with the kids. It’s very rarely ever fun, though, like you said, and we’ve even gotten in a few arguments right in the middle of the restaurant because of all the chaos and stress. You’d think we’d just give up until the kids get older.