My date night with Liz

My date night with Liz

So last night I had a date night with Liz.  With four kids and busy lives, it’s not easy planning a date night.

So what did we do?  A romantic dinner out?  A movie?  Some much needed cuddle time?  Well let me tell you . . .

First we met at the mall after Liz got a pedicure.  That’s a great start!  Then we had our romantic dinner together . . . in the food court!  During dinner we had some great conversation . . . we planned Jason’s birthday party, what was happening at Easter and discussed some ideas for the summer.

After dinner, we shopped . . . for Jason’s birthday, Easter, and some much needed clothing for the kids.

The night ended with some coffee and desert . . . at McDonalds.  I highly recommend McDonald’s coffee.  It’s awesome and until March 14th it’s FREE.  Yes, completely free.  Liz and I go everyday.  I must admit I feel a little guilty so I often buy a muffin for $1.  If you’ve never tried their coffee, you gotta try it!

Anyhow, some might look at this ‘date night’ as a date that lacks the qualities of a romantic couple in love but I will argue differently.  Our evening had lots of great qualities:

1.    Communication – we talked all night.  We talked about practical things.  We talked about each other.  We talked about the future.  We talked about silly things.  And we talked about some really important and deep things.

2.    PDA (Public displays of affection).  No we did not make out in the food court but we held hands, hugged and just enjoyed each other’s company.  That’s not easy to do when you have 4 kids with you so despite the stereotypical ambiance required for romance, we made the best of what we had.

3.    Humor and fun.  One of the things I love about Liz is we can have fun anywhere doing anything.  I feel like I have been on our kids a lot lately so it was nice not having to discipline, break up fights or discuss the important qualities of good kid behaviors.  Liz and I laughed and giggled and just had fun.

4.    Food.  Ok, so it wasn’t 5 star quality but it also wasn’t 5 star price.  I’m OK with my frugality and cheapness.  I guess that’s part of my business.  I’m proud that I only spent $1.04 on dessert and coffee and still had as good of a time if I spent $30 on dessert and coffee.

In the end, I think the success of our date night lies in the company.  I feel like I could do anything with Liz and have fun.  It may not be the ideal date night but it sure felt good to get things done, talk with my best friend and have an evening without the kids.