Monday, May 01, 2006

A Night Out

A rare opportunity to be alone with my wife presented itself this Saturday. About a week earlier one of our newest neighbors whom my wife has befriended suggested that we take turns watching each other's kids one night a month. We accepted the offer. Our window of opportunity was from 6pm until about 10pm.

I first made dinner reservations for a high end wood fired grill restaurant called Goodhues. Before I called I noticed that our $50 gift certificate had actually expired 3 days earlier. It took us one full year to do this. The gentleman on the phone said they would still honor it. From 6pm until 7:30 we shopped for shoes. Not much fun, but after 10 years of marriage with 2 kids anytime without the kids is kind of new.

We arrived for dinner early and talked about things. My favorite way to spark up conversation is to play "I remember when......." I can include remembering about a vacation, a dinner out, a hospital visit. It avoids any moments of silence. Dinner was very good: I had ribeye and she had pork roast.

We almost went to a nearby bar/grill to see a band, but we declined since we didn't leave Goodhues until 9:40. Come to find out our good friends were at this place so we could have enjoyed a little time out with friends too. Going home I did avoid having to climb out of smoke filled clothing.

We finished the night off by playing a game of Scrabble. One of my wife's favorites. Especially since she wins half the time now.

Simple as that!

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