Not 21 Anymore

Mark and I have been trying lately to make time for dates. Typically we go out for a meal and a movie. Often, it's lunch and a matinee because it's less expensive, but also because bedtime with our 3 is rough. Our absolutely fabulous sitter Tracy has been assuring me that she can handle bedtime and she certainly has the experience.

Last night we flipped the script and went out (gasp) at night! Tracy had her own date and came over at 10:30. I was ready by 11 and we headed downtown. The kids never made a peep and it worked out so well that we can't wait to do it again. In the 2 years that we've lived here, this is our first time we've gone out like this. Back when Mark and I were first dating, we went out to bars and saw bands at least twice a week. We worked together at the local independent music store and together we would open on Saturday mornings. We'd drag ourselves into the store on little sleep and with McDonald's to help our tummies. By the afternoon we were ready to do it all over again. That was 12 years ago and boy can we tell. Mark is really not feeling well today and more than anything else I'm just tired, but so happy.

We sat outside and I had a nice red wine at 7 Saints. That was probably my favorite stop of the night. 2nd stop was the Esquire. This is the kind of place that you throw peanut shells on the floor and makes a great burger. It's a beer tavern as I would learn. I ordered wine (mistake) and they had to get it out of the back somewhere. It was so so bad, beyond swill. It reminded me of the SNL skit about Robert Mondavi's grape flavored wine drink. It actually made me ill after only a few sips, so I set it aside and got some water. To calm my stomach we split a delicious cheeseburger and fries which caused me to totally blow my WW point allowance for the day. But, it was necessary. Yep, I'm counting WW points again. I lost all that I gained with Helena (and Soph for that matter) right after Helena's birth. However, I gained the weight of a small elephant with Alexander and never lost it before having the girls. It's time to take it off. I'm down 8 lbs. so far (but probably will gain a little after last night) I digress. 2 glasses of ice water later and we were off to Radio Maria's. They had a DJ, not our style though, but the place was ok. Then we hit the Blind Pig where Mark ran into one of his students. Actually, he got a few double takes from kids that we assume had one of his classes. Geez, I said kids. I am old. We ended the night at Mike and Molly's and closed down the bar. We will definitely be going back there to catch some live music. Got home by 2:30 and to bed between 3:30-4. Thankfully Helena slept in until just after 7.

It's been a Tylenol and tons of water day, but was totally worth it. Still, I can surely tell that I'm not 21 anymore.