Temporarily Quiver-Less

"Too bad you are still nursing. It would be fun to get away for a night," said Hottie Hubby nonchalantly two days before our date night last week.

"What did you just say?" I asked dumbfounded, thinking that maybe I needed some hearing aides.

"Too bad you can't get away for a night. We could stay in a hotel downtown. It is our 10 Year Anniversary, after all. That only comes once in a lifetime," he replied as if we live this extravagant life regularly.

My wheels began to turn. Mr. Smiley just turned One. Hmm. . . how many bottles would it take? Could I be away for a little over 12 hours? There is no way I would go, though, if it meant packing all the kids' stuff and moving Mr. Smiley to a new bed.

Hottie Grandma offered to spend the night. I didn't even have to ask. Problem solved. God must want us to get away.

I could go. I had no excuse not to. Plus, my friend, Christina, would kill me if I didn't take this opportunity to be temporarily quiver-less and alone with my husband.

After all, a 10 year anniversary only comes around once in your marriage. Duh!

The grandparents arrived at 4:30 PM to three VERY excited little boys. The boys had spent the entire morning asking me when afternoon would be here. Nose prints are still on our windows and they learned how to unlock the front door to let Papa in. At 1 PM, I was informed that afternoon was a long time in coming and they {the grandparents} weren't here yet. It isn't everyday that the grandparents come to stay at THEIR house. Plans were made to ride bikes and wake Mama and Papa up VERY early for pancakes.

At 5:15 PM, Hottie Hubby arrived and came to my aide. He would do whatever it took, to whisk me away for our first time overnight alone in two years. He collected the necessary milking accessories and we were off. It felt like the boys pushed us out of the house and we hopped in Vic (our Honda Civic) with grateful hearts.

If I hadn't of looked down at the car seat before sitting down, I would have smashed the 1st of 10 note cards addressed to me, each titled after a Proverbs 31 verse. Each note card contained uplifting comments that inflated my ego. What an amazing blessing to have our evening be a spiritual encouragement, as well as a celebration. My Hottie Husband ROCKS!

We arrived at the surprise dinner location still in a stupor of disbelief--we were on a real, adult date, alone, celebrating 10 years of marriage. Our little car drove us to . . .

6:00 PM, we sat in a large, plump booth that surveyed the dining area and allowed us (me) to make up stories of incoming customers. Live piano music graced our ears, reminiscent of our wedding. 14 West has a superb dinner menu that was a dream to eat. We feasted on Red Garnet Yam Bisque, Spinach Salad, Seared Chilean Sea Bass (Hottie Hubby), Ribeye Steak topped with Blue Cheese (Me), and compliments of 14 West , a homemade ice cream with honey encrusted granola and Chocolate Mousse Cake, which might have been the BEST dessert I have ever eaten in my life.

I would totally recommend this restaurant!

After dinner we walked over to the theater and saw Wilderness Plots, 8 PM, a series of Indiana settlement stories set to music and sung by local musicians. It is based off of a collection of short stories covering the period of time spanning the Revolutionary War through the Civil War, by Scott Russell Sanders.

We were a bit leery attending this performance, because we knew so little about it. However, we were soon glad we had taken a daring leap to the box office. The folk musical performance made Indiana history fun and easy to remember. The artists sang humorous "manners of death" from these former Midwest residents, that probably couldn't be replicated if tried. I can't wait to use the songs (yes, we bought the CD--for posterity and because it was good) to teach the kiddos about their state (not death), that is once we hit 4th grade Indiana History.

After leaving the theater (10 PM--I didn't know life existed outside of the home at this late hour), Starbucks was contemplated but the nearby stores were closed. After crossing over many indoor foot bridges, sauntering through quiet hotel lobbies, and weaving through a convention center, we arrived at our bustling destination of the Marriott Hotel, bid for and booked on Price Line. Upon walking into our room, I was greeted by a bouquet of calla lilies . . . the very flowers I carried in our wedding. I tell you that Hottie Husband of mine pays attention to detail.

Now these last pictures need a bit of an explanation . . . you see, the ONLY time our children get to jump on beds is when we stay at a hotel. So it is a pretty big deal to stay at a hotel in our family and be like George, the good little monkey. In honor of Mr. Smackdown and Mr. Me-Too, we took turns jumping on the bed.



P.S. Don't tell Marriott Hotel.