First Date

Our original first date happened on October 30, 2007. However, I think that this one is pretty memorable too. It was the first date since being parents.

First of all (and most importantly) I was able to get a shower that morning (my third shower in three days!). We had breakfast, then I was told to get ready and take as long as I wanted. So I primped and took my time (I even put on make-up!) I think it might have taken me 30 minutes to get ready (yes, that is a long time for me). I felt like I was looking pretty good, and Matt looked so very handsome I just needed to get a picture. Amy, thank you for being such a great photographer.
We handed Grace over to some good (and very willing) hands of my mom and my sister. Then we said our good byes and headed out for the interstate. A couple of hours of driving, singing, talking, and laughing (and concentrating hard on our iphone maps) we found ourselves at Firehouse subs in Richmond.

Now Matt had been raving about Firehouse subs for awhile to me. He had eaten them at work before. So finally I got to try this place. It is much like Subway...but better. The best thing though was we were there one and a half hours early, in Richmond, about three miles from the play, and able to sit and relax and not have to rush or stress.

After a great lunch, we got into the car and started to drive toward the play. This was a challenge since we happened to be in the one part of Richmond on the one day that they were holding a 5K race so roads were blocked, police officers were everywhere and people were walking like they owned the place. But we got to our parking spot with little stress. This is because we knew that we were close, we knew where we were and how to get to the end point, and we knew that our seats were assigned so we did not have to fight for the best seats in the house.

We finally found a parking spot and just as we walked toward the building where the play was being held the doors opened up so we did not even have to wait outside (timing!) We got to our seat and talked about what we thought of the play, what was to happen in the play, the stage, the decorations, etc. It was great. We went to see Wicked. Which is the story of the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of OZ. The story is told from her birth to her death and you get to see how and why things happened in the story as they do in the Wizard of OZ. Also you get to decide if the Wicked Witch is really wicked....hmmmmm....

Wonderful show, I would recommend it to all.

Then we went to the Strawberry Street Cafe to try to get some supper but found out that it would be an hour wait for a table. I was not willing to wait that long, or have that kind of delay away from my baby. So we got to the car and headed home. A few calls went back and forth from me to my parents, all was going well but as the day drew on I was getting more and more ready to see Grace again.

By the time we had been away for 10 hours ( which was about Staunton...30 miles away) I needed to be home. So Matt took us to a Burger King got some combos, then high tailed it to my parents for a tearful reunion between me and Grace.

It was a wonderful date. I am so glad that we did it. I look forward to doing it again. Matt, Grace, and I all survived. Though at the end I think that we all needed to reunite as a family unit again.

I think that dates are good. They help the parents reconnect, but they also remind the parents of how much they miss and love the children that they have left for a bit. I want another date, but not too soon, and not too often.