Date Night

After staying at home with a sick kid last week, I jumped on the chance for a date night.  In fact, I think the conversation went a little something like this:

"Hey Mandy! It's Kendra. I was just wondering if you still want to g-"

"YES!  YES!  ChadandIwanttogoout."

"O-"

"Canyoubehereat6:30?"

"Suurre. I can get there earl-."

"Great!"

Now, between her morning phone call and dinner time, I felt myself start to come down with The Cold complete with runny nose, burning eyes, aching body.  Chad came home from work and asked if I wanted to cancel.

"If we cancel, who knows when we'll be able to do this again," I reasoned.  Or wailed.  It's hard to remember the details. I lay down for a bit of a rest, interrupted only by the sounds of "mamamamamamam" at the door and Joseph's excited shrieking.

True to her word, Kendra arrived a bit early.  Not only did she volunteer (volunteer!!) to watch The Dynamic Duo, but she brought her clippers and scissors and gave Chad's hair a trim.

For a jar of pickles and a jar of relish.

Not the corn relish.  More on that later.

My head felt like it was going to explode and my nose was in a state of constant drip, but I pulled on a dress, fixed my hair and, because it was a date night after all, put on lipstick.  I walked into the kitchen.

"Mommy!  You look beautiful."

"Aww...thanks, baby."

"You have eyebrows."

"Well, yeah, I...uh..." I stammered touching my face.

"And lips!  You don't look like you!"  Note to self: Apply lipstick more than once a year.

"Thank you?"

In a flurry of good byes, we left to go to a little French restaurant.  Chad had a gift certificate that had been collecting dust for almost two years.  (Yes.  We need to get out more often.)  We held hands as we walked to the restaurant.  We were shown to our table and sat down to talk, read the menu and people watch.

And we had our own reservations.  No need to steal someone else's.  To this day, I'm sure that's why we didn't spend the rest of the night running from gangsters.

I kept tissue on the seat next to me, trying to appear somewhat elegant while I wiped my nose.  We ordered a delicious appetizer that included escargot.  Considering my feelings for these little critters, I let Chad eat their charred bodies.  (My feelings, by the way, are far from humane, but once one has squashed a few snails, one finds it difficult to find them appetizing.)

Our dinner was divine.  We ate.  We talked.  I sniffed.  I sneezed.  And then, after a short walk, we headed home.  Our original plan was a movie or a trip to the hot tubs, but my poor head couldn't handle being out and about.

Kendra survived the Ginger Snaps.  Elizabeth was asleep.  Joseph pretended to be while she finished his story.

And, in true romantic fashion, Chad fell asleep while I chatted with Kendra before she headed home.