A Very Happy Early Birthday Present
As a mom of three young children, my days are filled with many not-so-glamorous tasks. My clothes often reflect the nature of my job. These days, it's rare that my outfit stays clean all day. Usually hand prints or runny noses find their way onto my shoulder or pant leg. Most of the time that's okay. The end of the day generally finds me with my husband finishing up the day's duties as we put the kids to bed. Date nights, unfortunately, are rare around here. We don't have family in town, so date nights require a babysitter and that gets quite expensive.
I tell you all this so you'll understand just how amazing my birthday present was this year. You see, my birthday present from my husband was an entire evening alone with him. Actually, it was more than that. Before we even had the date, he gave me money to buy a new outfit. He even went shopping with me! He arranged a date night while my family was in town. Well, technically it was a date overnight. He asked my mom, sister, and brother to watch the kids while we had a little early birthday getaway. That is how I found myself at the Plaza with my husband on Sunday night instead of doing the dishes while he did bath duty.
Our date started as we checked into the Sheraton Suites at the Plaza. After a short walk, we enjoyed dinner at The Melting Pot. The food was wonderful, but I think the best part was the time it took to enjoy our four courses while having adult conversation. Eating at a leisurely pace was a treat!
After dinner, we headed over the Cinemark Theatre where we watched an uninterrupted movie.
The next morning we were able to wake up naturally. No one peered over the bed asking for breakfast. It wasn't until after a breakfast at First Watch and a walk through Half-Price Books that we headed home.
The time away was quite refreshing and a very thoughtful birthday present. However, it was once again realizing that there is no one else I would rather spend my time with that was the best present of all.