Yep- finally made it out for our first date night since waaaaay before having Chase. This was NOT easy for me to finally follow through leaving him- even for a short time. What did make it easier was that I pushed dinner reservations back to where I was able to give Chase an early bath and get him settled in for bedtime. So we didn't miss much "awake" time. We didn't have any real plans in the works- but my sister made it clear that we were not to return before 4 hours. She reassured me by agreeing to send photos and updates- buttttt.... still. Hard to believe it had been about a year since Dave and I had actually had a night to go out and enjoy a glass of wine and be able to eat seared tuna and not stress about food restrictions or other pregnancy or baby-in-a-restaurant-and-crying issues :)
Not gonna lie, it took some time to actually relax, not inhale the food, and stop checking my phone. First part of the perspective was people watching (a favorite past-time of ours), and ad-libbing conversations at tables of other people. Since we laid the ground rule of not talking about Chase, our family, work, or the "move"- it seemed to eliminate a lot of what we talk about now. LOL. Not saying we were able to stick to it- but we tried- our life really does revolve around Chase now. Kaely is there too- but she's so much more self-reliant, that we don't worry as much.
Being able to take small bites and not scarf down the food was another issue. I'm so used to either eating with one hand, or hurrying up before Chase becomes demanding, it really was the first time I've eaten a full meal without worrying about him at that moment. I will say it was absolutely delicious! But stretching the time out needs some work. We finished dinner with more than 2 hours left of our "4 hour reverse curfew"- and where as we might go scope out crazy places in the past years- I felt the need to stick close. So we wandered over to Starbucks to grab some coffee, then went across the street to a wine bar that had a live Jazz band- which was awesome.
However- this is where the reality check really came into play. We sat there on the couch sipping a glass of wine, and listening to the band, when I looked around us and realized that we were sitting in a 40-50 yr old age demographic- not that there's anything wrong with that! LOL. But just went, crap, we're getting old. Continuing our conversation inserts- I was laughing at the guy drinking an appletini- when up walks a couple of Dave's friends. This was ironic because they live down in South Florida now- and here they were up here- go figure. Normally I'd be cranky about the interruption, but for the sake of entertainment I figured okay... The lifestyle differences between us all became abundantly clear when stories of "driving the new Lamborghini up," (which of course Dave had to sit in), and the latest trip to Vegas, going out on the boat, or other adventures of the single & well-off were told. Reminded me of an old friend of ours who used to say that when he saw a child he thought of it as a yacht or car or house (clearly someone who never intended to have children). We tried to hang out for a short time, but the gap of reality yawned wide and I felt like a true outsider looking in. So detached from what paths each of us chose over the years- what really do you have left in common?
While I do have a love of cars/planes/boats- purely because I love speed & adventure- I still view those flashy cars as a bit of "over-compensation" if you will. I wouldn't trade anything in the world for my children- and no- I don't wish that was us driving the flashy car or taking wild trips and partying it up. The best part of the night was coming home and holding Chase. I loved being able to spend time with just Dave again for a short time- but you know- I am okay with staying in and renting movies and cooking dinner together. Sure, it's not glamorous- but I think that our happiness and contentment with our life (minus the distance of where to live), far surpasses the single life of those we know who are always chasing the dream...
So I sit here on a Monday with a slobbering, chunky, baby boy on my chest- planning what meals I may whip up this week, and when to pick up Kaely from school... laughing a bit at the randomness that our lives have brought us and changed us for it... See? For me- the boys out walking, showing off their shades, is better than anything money could provide superficially. I am pretty darn lucky, don't you think?
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