Unfulfilled Date Night Dreams

Tonight was date night.

Date night at The Handsome Hog with this sexy guy!

Date night has become a; stop the press, blast your favorite tunes and get pumped, make sure you actually take a shower kind of situation these days. Something to enjoy and anticipate the moment the day arrives. But it most definitely hasn't always been that way for us. 

Don't get me wrong. I have always had wild dreams about getting all gussied up with someplace to go, staring across the table from my dashing husband as I laugh lightly at an inside joke he makes as we nosh on a small plate of something buttery and delicious and drink our cocktails. But I realized something about myself in the last number of months. I have often been the one to sabotage my own date night dreams. 

My husband asks me on dates. He KNOWS how deep my affection for all things food goes. He asks me to go out on a specific day, will ask me where I want to go, and let me know that the choice is mine. I get super pumped and immediately look up reviews and articles of the places I've been stowing away in the back of my brain since the last Msp St Paul Food magazine arrived in my mailbox. I usually end up with three places: 

1: One hyper local that would meet my husband's tastes of: the closer to home the better. 

2: One that is in St. Paul that I think looks relatively interesting and is not too hard to drive to. 

3: And one that is the pinnacle of foodie adventuring but has a high level of commitment. 

Appreciating the drive to the restaurant because, why not?!

I usually drop option number 3 a day before the date because I've rationalized with myself over my work emails that I should save it for a more special occasion when we're not so tired. Usually option number 2 falls off the list by halfway through the actual date day because I'm not really feeling like adventuring out of our area of town and Brian's coming straight from a meeting. Then option number 1 vaporizes when I convince myself, it would be way more fun to stay home and snuggle on the couch, make dinner, and watch a movie. Now days, our butts don't hit the couch until our kid is in bed at 7:30 and my butt is on the couch for exactly 20 minutes TOPS before I slide under my sheets. Needless to say I've come around to looking at date nights like the long lost adventure I'd like to take when I can get it! (Because, Jesus is coming and there are lots of calories I have yet to consume.)

So I showered this morning, had an extra cup of coffee in the middle of the day, and got my three restaurant options that all fall into just one new category these days....

"Places I Want To Try Before I Die". 

I promise you, it is a much better list. 

Regardless of whether you're a mom, whether you're married, whether you're broke, whether you're a foodie or you're not, spending time with people around plates of food where the purpose is a planned time of enjoyment and focus on the people you care about.....you're much better off then an adventure not had. I want to KNOW for CERTAIN how much better the food in heaven tastes compared to here. And you can't know if you don't try.

And try we did. Thank you Jesus for charcuterie.