Tonight we went out for dinner. It's hit or miss if these evenings are going to be successful or not. But, we look at each other with that look in our eyes that says: "I don't like the looks of anything in our fridge (me) / If I have to cook dinner one more night I may never cook again (not me)" This is when we decide to take a chance on an evening out with Them. You Know Who Number One and Number Two. A successful night out can be told by the look we receive from those sitting around us. It's either sweet smiles with coo's and compliments OR nods of encouragement with sympathetic "we've been there" shrugs.
Our favorite place is a quaint little pizza/Italian joint in a small historic town a few miles from our house. It has a soft serve ice cream store attached to it. We settled into our seats and not long after, an old time jazz band came in for a quick impromptu session with songs like When The Saints Go Marching In. The girls were enamoured. I was enamoured. Suddenly, we were transported to a time when you knew everyones' name you passed on the street, your kids could run through town and you didn't worry because, well, you just didn't have to. No one was going to snatch your kids. If they were misbehaving, other parents were quick to step in and set them straight until you got there. A time when things were slower.
The girls' dinners arrived just as the band was heading out the door for their gig in the town center gazebo. I was left feeling warm and fuzzy and ready to get back to the basics. That's about when The Taz decided that sitting in a chair was torture. The little one was asking for something I couldn't decipher and getting crabbier the longer it took me to figure her out. Cups, napkins, straws, wrappers, sugar packets and chunks of fruit started flying. A father at a nearby table bent down and handed over Number Two's sippy cup. I thanked him and he replied "Oh, I've been there."
This is when My Chef propped up the iPad and started streaming a favorite cartoon. At first I was a little embarrassed that we took the easy route. A little disappointed that we jolted ourselves from the ease of an earlier time into the hustle, bustle of the technology / now era. Then I said "Screw That." And enjoyed ten minutes of conversation with my love and actually tasted the food that was on my plate.
After dinner, we each ordered an ice cream cone and walked over to the gazebo. Grandparents were on swings, parents were sitting on the curbs and the children were dancing - ours included. Music that was written a hundred years ago, moving the feet of my little ones. It was the nicest, unsuccessful outing we've had in a long time.
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