Date night

I planned date night tonight, and I'm so proud of myself that I have to share.

It was parent-teacher conference night, and so Ryan actually got off work at a sane hour for the first time in weeks, in order to hear about Tessa's progress in kindergarten. (It was a fantastic report, and we are very happy with things.) We had also signed up for a parenting class from the Adlerian Society (a positive discipline approach) on Wednesdays, so the original plan was to go to the conference and then go to the class.

I realized that this is the wrong time for Ryan to have an additional class, so I canceled without telling him, and planned a surprise date instead. (I knew he'd be relieved, not offended, but that cancelation.)

I packed two bags - one with blankets, hats, warm coats, coffee mugs; the other with firewood and a lighter - and two camp chairs. We had an inexpensive Thai dinner at Alki, and then the best part - we had a beach fire. We set up chairs, snuggled up in our blankets, and we could see the twinkling lights of the ferries over the water, hear the gentle waves, and watch the stars in the sky. It was really relaxing there in the firelight, and a darned good idea if I may say so myself. I even snuck a little bottle of Kahlua, and we got coffees (decaf!) and added the Kahlua as a little warmer.

Stars, waves, fire - bliss. That bears repeating, and I recommend it highly. It felt like a mini-vacation, and it's only Wednesday.