Read With the One Who Brung Ya!

We're cruising down the homestretch of the February series Things We Love. As always, you can access the first post of the series {here}.

Our little home, as you may imagine, is a very busy, loud, rambunctious, dusty, full, active and did I already say LOUD place. And as you may also imagine, my Man and I enjoy stepping away from the mass chaos every now and then for an occasion that we lovingly refer to as Praise-the-Lord-It's-Finally-DATE-NIGHT!

Last week, our resident Child Whisperer, appeared and my Man and I were off to parts unknown...OK not really unknown, but it did take a bit of effort to decide exactly what parts of the land we'd be off to. As we are modern parents (ha!), we've taken to texting for a major part of our communications, less chance of being overheard by the children, proof of exactly what was said, the ability to add pictures to one's sentiments...textin' fools we are.

Texting does streamline communication at times, but it does not, unfortunately, solve age-old issue of where a weary, long-married couple should go on their Praise-the-Lord-It's-Finally-DATE-NIGHT.

It is an age-old problem, but after reading the following text conversation, I tend to think that what we have instead is an old-age problem...you decide...

{The white cloud is Darrin, the blue is me...}

Of course, during all of that decision making, I was learning how to make Chocolate Pudding from scratch and my Man was writing a sermon on the topic of "Let Your Yes Be Yes and Your No Be  No" {Just kidding...that was the week before...really!} 

Decisions finally, sorta kinda made, we were off.

We ate dinner at a Thai restaurant that I enjoy and then headed to the bookstore that we BOTH enjoy. After browsing our perspective sections we settled into a pair of cozy chairs that were situated on either side of a small end table and soaked up the peace.

Eventually, my Man rose from his chair saying, "I'll be back," and headed once more to the religion section. I continued reading the book that I'd unearthed from the reference section whilst the helpful bookstore employee had gone off to consult the computer. I was knee-deep into an essay about school lunches and how the sandwiches were central to the whole production and how when said sandwiches were assembled by fathers they were generally a mess, the sandwiches, not the fathers.

My man, in his quiet way, returned and settled right back into his chair beside me and we continued on in our companionable silence that we've grown to enjoy in our years together, each involved with our respective books, enjoying the soft sweet music of Rod Stewart as he sang, "Beyond the Sea."

"What a nice evening this has been for us," I thought and settled deeper into my cozy chair and venturing on further into my book which had just taken a turn into such funny territory that I felt an overwhelming need to share the humor with my date. Stifling a chuckle, I raised my hand in a swooping motion toward my Man and followed that grand gesture with my eyes, preparing to read aloud the book I was enjoying. When my eyes met their mark, however, I found myself looking at a moderately alarmed gentleman dressed in much the same fashion as my Man had been the last time I'd seen him! My new date stared at me, wondering I'm sure what was so funny and exciting.

I stopped my eager self mid-exclaimation and returned my wide eyes directly to my book, not passing go, not collecting $200, not believing that the man beside me was not my Man. Apparently my Man was still over in the religion section. Eventually he would return and buy me the book with which I was so enthralled. A book that I read to him all the way home, only stopping long enough for him to get out of the car to pump gas. When he returned to the car after filling the tank, you can bet I looked up to make sure it was him!

The next day I was sharing with a friend that I'd been out on a date the night before. Joking, she said, "Oh yea? With who?"

"Funny you should ask..."