Day 9

Well, I'm behind.  Day 9 came and went without my thankful post. I'm a full day late.  However, I think its okay since the reason that I'm late because I was out doing what I'm thankful for in this post. So, it's all good, right?

Day 9: I'm thankful for Date Nights.  They might be planned out in advance or spontaneous (like last night's date).  It might be something amazing like a concert, a fancy dinner at a new restaurant, or a wine tasting.  Or, it might be something super ordinary like a night of errands without the kids, a quick cup of coffee, or dinner and a movie.  It doesn't really matter all that much, its just the hour or few awayy from the kids with just Jon that I relish.

Grandma Mary happens to be visiting us for 48 hours while Pa Lynn is at a medical conference downtown.  So, we put her to work right away.  First, we left her with all four kids while we headed to a wake where we were able to share our condolensces with the family that have been long-time family friends of Jon's.  We were also able to catch up with other friends and acquaintences there.

Then, we left just Caleb with her while we took the older 3 boys to the annual Fun Fair at their elementary school.  After we had all the boys tucked into bed, we headed out around 9 pm without any kids for a fast dinner and a movie.

Dinner was at Steak & Shake.  Obviously not gourmet, but it was fast and we got to sit and chat uninterrupted for a solid 45 minutes.  Better yet, no one was absentmindly kicking our legs under the table, using our shirt sleeves as napkins or asking how to spell a million different words.

After that we headed to our local AMC and enjoyed a 10:30 showing of the new Bond movie.  I do have to admit that it was a little difficult for me to stay awake during the whole movie (which makes me feel really old and a little sorry for always making fun of my mom for falling asleep during movies), but I did it.

It was a late night, but the impromptu dinner date was fun and worth missing an few hours of sleep. Date nights are a treat (because we can't just get out on our whenever we want anymore) but so necessary for our marriage.  I'm so thankful for date nights and the people who make them possible for us like Grandparents, friends, and our high school babysitters.