50 First Dates

How annoying it is to blog about marriage all the time. But, lest we all forget, this is my blog.... and that's just how it be. I am considering dubbing the blog something along the lines of "The New Newlyweds" or something a bit more clever!

I am looking forward to tonight because my boo and I have a date night planned. Ohhhhhh, how I love date nights. It means we ignore everyone else in the world for a short while. It means we compromise on where we choose to have dinner... and what movie we see. Usually we end up browsing department stores, looking for home goods and talking about pieces we love and how they would fit into our home- real or imagined. Date nights are generally simple- just as I like them. No fuss, no frills, just being together. Date night means there is no rushing around to see anyone else. It means we won't be cooking or cleaning or working in the yard. It means we won't go running or feel the guilt for taking a break from our nightly work-out. It means we probably won't have a protein shake or contemplate the nutritional value in what we consume. Date night= fun night.

I remember one of our first dates...I cried in misery. Ah, to look back on that time!! =) I was in England. It was January. It was cooooolllld. It was snowing, windy, and we found ourselves somewhat trapped in a blizzard. We were walking back from the aquarium in Birmingham looking to grab a bite to eat. On that walk, I cried. I always thought I was pretty hard-core.... like I could handle anything that was thrown my way, come hell or high water. I was a soldier. I had, after all, been camping many times in horrible weather. Oh no friends... this was no camping trip. On that walk I wore a shameful excuse for a winter coat and a "cute" pink scarf that served little purpose aside from being "cute". I had on those very fake Uggs you get from Wal-Mart (Hey... I already admitted I like Wal-Mart... just let it go....). I looked adorable. I felt like poo! OhHhHhhhHH... I was sooooooooo coooolllld. We couldn't get into the pub fast enough. I cried on that walk. Lloyd held my hand. We finally made it inside. Warmth. My hands burned from the sudden temperature change. You know that wonderful burning sensation? You can hardly move your fingers and for a moment you actually think they might break if you move them too fast. I had coffee. Of course. We sat inside that pub for what felt like ages watching the blizzard outside. It was pretty. When we left we put on our brave faces so we could make it back home. We survived.

Oddly enough, I remember that date better than some others. I remember it because we were together. We faced that proverbial storm. We hadn't gone anywhere extra special. We didn't wine and dine. It wasn't something that looked like it came from a romantic movie. It was just us.