Surprise

I've been having some rough days lately. School is more stressful than I thought it would be (both teaching at school and teaching Braden on our at-home days), parent-teacher conferences just ended (which went great, by the way, but I always stress when I'm preparing for them), and my house has been a filthy pit (not exaggerating).

Last week - last Thursday to be specific - was a really rough day. Every little thing just irritated me to the nth degree. So, I came home from school, and got the boys unloaded. Our neighbors were outside playing, and Braden wanted to go join them. So, we headed into the house to finish unloading, change clothes, etc. As soon as I walked in the house, I could SMELL the CLEAN. And things were shiny - including the kitchen countertop!

David had been on a business trip the day before and got home really late, so he didn't go in to work Thursday morning. I thought he was going to work that afternoon, but just a few minutes after we got home, he walked in the door. It always makes me happy when he comes home earlier than I expect. It's like a load is lifted. Probably because he literally lifts loads (loads of laundry, loads of grocery bags, loads of toys that need to be put away... you get the idea). Anyway, he had cleaned the house that day while he was home! I was so thankful. I asked if he would stay at our house with Cameron while I went over to our neighbors' with Braden, and he agreed.

It was a beautiful day, and since I just had Braden to watch, I was able to sit and relax in the grass with the other moms and just chat. It was GREAT. Ahhh... sitting in grass never felt so good. I'm telling you, when I get home from school (where I never sit), sitting down on something soft feels as good as a hot bath. Anyway, it was a nice little playdate. As we were getting ready to head back to our house, David came out and told me I needed to go inside... so I could get ready for our date.

I was like, "What? Where are we going? Who's watching the boys???" I was so excited - which is totally unlike me. Surprises usually throw me for a loop. David told me later that he had prayed about it earlier that day, but instead of praying that I wouldn't get upset over the surprise, he prayed that he wouldn't get upset regardless of my reaction. He arranged for a babysitter to come, and cleaned the house because he knew I would freak out if we had a babysitter coming and the house was a pit (which I totally would have). He knows me so well. Everything worked out great. Braden was even excited to have a babysitter, and said multiple times the next day that she was his favorite babysitter and that he wanted her to come every time.

Anyway, the babysitter arrived, and we headed out for our date! We decided to eat out at Crabby's, a local seafood restaurant. It was WONDERFUL! SO GOOD. I got the Alaskan king crab legs, and it was the best crab I've had in years! Delectable!! If you live in this area, and you've never eaten there, GO! We've only been there twice, and it wasn't busy either time, so I worry that they might eventually close down... but the food is SO good! Both times, it was excellent.

After dinner, we thought about walking around at the outdoor mall, but it was getting chilly, and I didn't have a jacket, so we decided to just go home and watch an episode of Psych (we've been renting the past seasons from Netflix - love that show - so funny!). Anyway, it was a wonderful surprise date night, and exactly what I needed to de-stress! Thank you, my love!

P.S. I debated about posting this story on the blog because I didn't want it to sound boastful. You know, like, "look at how awesome my husband is - yours can't compare..." I know most of my friends would not think that at all (and they all have super terrific husbands), but still... I wondered if it really was boastful. But, I decided that I wanted to remember the story, and my blog is really like my journal, and if I don't record it here, it's highly likely that I'll forget the details. So, here it is. I hope it makes you smile and doesn't make anyone feel discontented. :)

Just for fun, here are a couple of pictures from our dating days. The first one is a picture of David taken a few weeks before we started dating in the fall of 1997 (we were juniors in college). He had to get his picture taken for something (I don't remember what), and this was one of the outtakes that he got to keep. I thought he looked really cute, and it's always been one of my favorite pictures of him. :)


Here's one of us together while we were engaged. This was taken at my dad and Carole's house about 7 months before we got married.

Aren't we cute? :)

P.S.S. I use way too many smileys. :)