My HOT Date!

While writing the "I am so lucky post" this week, I realized that my DrH and I haven't had a date out of the house, and without the kids, since before we moved. In fact, the last time we were alone outside of the house was at his graduation dinner. That was in June. It is now the middle of August, and no wonder I have been losing my marbles.

If the DrH and I haven't had a date out alone, that means that for the last two months I haven't really been alone either. That spells disaster. I have said it before - and I should pay more attention to what I say/write: GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!

Sure enough, when I thought about it... not counting grocery shopping, I can't remember the last time I did something non-essential outside of the house. I should have seen this train wreck coming sooner and acted swiftly.

So last night I took myself out on a mid-week date. DrH came home at 7:00 pm, the kids had dinner and all he had to do was put them to bed. I had planned to catch a movie, but there wasn't anything that I really wanted to see. But, the idea of sitting in a dark movie theater alone sounded really nice. Yes, I have done that before. I have even taken myself out to dinner, alone. You do what you have to do.

This time I settled on Barnes & Noble. It was 7:30 pm. There were no children in the store. I should have asked them to change the music, but I was just happy to be out of the house doing something I never get to do. Usually, I find refugee at the library. In our new city, the public library isn't very convenient and B&N is just up the street.... I wanted to maximize my alone time.

Of course before I enter the store proper I was stopped in my tracks by their last chance, super bargain books and took my time reading every title before walking in. I love book stores. I love books. I looked around my temporary haven and thought to myself "what do I want to read about today".

What a treat it is to be out in public, at a book store, with no one to pull your arms and drag you to a section of the store that you have no interest in going. I didn't even look at a single children's book. I didn't even dare venture near that section.

I walked through the store picking up every book that caught my eye and sat down in a chair that I remember being more comfortable at the last B&N that I visited. But I was grateful to have a chair in a secluded corner of the store all to myself.

Two hours later I had flipped through a picture book full of luxury home floor plans. They were all beautiful, but I couldn't figure out how they could claim luxury when most of them only had 3 bedrooms. We are going to need something a little more practical and less luxurious.

Next was a cookbook, the companion to the Bob Greene's Best Life Diet. I have his book, and have tried a few of the recipes that are printed in it. Who doesn't want to eat better? At this point I would be happy if I just started cooking real food more often.

Then it was on to works of fiction. I joined a book club, and thumbed through the pages to get a feel for length and subject. Sorry B&N I already bought the book off Amazon for .01 and am waiting for it. They say it has been shipped and should arrive sometime between August 17th and September 4th. How is that for a window? If it takes until the 4th book club will be over.

Then books on photography, one day I really want to learn how to take a great picture. And maybe one day I will have a camera that takes pictures that makes learning how to take great pictures no longer a necessity. I don't care what anyone says, yes the camera does matter.

And then I started reading my non-fiction selection Malcolm Gladwell's What the Dog Saw. I knew immediately that I would enjoy it. That man writes books that I like to read. I can highly recommend in no particular order: Blink, The Tipping Point and Outliers. All fantastic! Before I knew it, an entire chapter was read, and I decided that I was going to buy a book! I am now the proud owner of all his published works at the bargain price of $5.98 no less.

Two hours later, and I decided that I should probably go home, but I was a little hungry. Dairy Queen to the rescue! I don't typically like to eat anything after 7:30, but this was my first date! Thankfully they have mini-blizzards so the damage was minimized.

Husbands take note: I returned that evening in a much better mood than the one I had been in for the last few weeks. Get me out of the house!