Cheers to Three Years

It is so unlike me to wait this long to recognize such an important milestone in my marriage, but there was good reason for the delay.  Robert and I celebrated our third anniversary on June 9th.  Because the special day fell on a Wednesday, we decided we would wait until the following Saturday to celebrate.  It's sometimes disappointing to have to do that because it feels like some of the luster is lost once the "real" day has passed.  Robert must have sensed my feelings on that because he made sure to make Saturday as special as one day can possibly be.  I felt like were only dating again -  and I was just as smitten as I was almost 9 years ago.

We have never left Evan with a babysitter before, but in order for us to do anything, finding someone to watch him was the first necessary obstacle to tackle.  Robert planned our evening to be a surprise which means he also took the responsibility of calling and interviewing babysitters.  Knowing that I would be a nervous wreck about having a stranger watch Evan, he was extremely particular about who he chose for the final interview - the final interview being, yours truly, of course.  Mama don't play around! 

Caitlin came to the house prepared to hang out with me for about an hour to make sure I was comfortable leaving my child in her hands.  She was very sweet and seemed intelligent and responsible.  Her resume was quite extensive in childcare and it was a plus that she was in her 20's and not a high school kid just looking for gas money.  Evan seemed equally pleased with our choice so we were out the door for our first real date since his birth!

As  we headed down the road Robert handed me a card addressed very cleverly to My "Sexy" Wife.  I opened the card to find movie tickets to the new Sex in the City film.  I laughed because I knew it took a great deal of soul searching for Robert to not only be seen buying these tickets, but to then be seen walking into the theater.  He was happy to spot several other men in the audience - I'm sure all doing there best to appease their wives.  (A real quick review:  not nearly as good as the first movie, but still got a few good laughs out of it thanks to Samantha.)

After the movie we got back into the car and Robert handed me another card for "Phase II" of our date.  The card implied food and drinks so I knew we were off to a great dinner - and great doesn't sufficiently describe the dinner we had.  Robert chose a Brazilian restaurant called Rioz that was unbelievably delicious.  Not only was the food fantastic, but the whole concept provided a memorable experience.  We ate like royalty, meaning anything you want and however much you want.  I felt like I was carrying triplets when I walked out of there. 

Thinking the night was coming to a perfect close, Robert hands me my third and final card.  "Phase III" of the date simply stated It's Showtime.  I opened the card and found a pair of tickets to Cirque du Soleil Adrenaline.  And just when I thought my perma-grin couldn't get any wider Robert managed to pull this number out of his bag of goodies.  I love all areas of the performing arts, but I've wanted to see one of these shows so terribly bad.    All I can say about the performance is ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE.  We walked out of there wondering if the extortionists even had spines - or if the acrobats were really superheroes of some kind.

I'm not gonna lie - I was exhausted by the time "Phase III" came to a close.  That was the most entertainment/stimulation I've had in almost three years.  But it was also one of the happiest times to date.  I felt reconnected to my husband on a more intimate level and finally got a glimpse of that "other" me that I used to know before I became a mother.  I realized that date night is an absolute necessity - not only to appreciate my marriage, but to appreciate being more than just a mom.  I wanted to give our babysitter a big fat kiss on the lips when we got home, but decided I couldn't risk scaring her off this soon.  I just made sure she would be available this summer instead.

Thank you to my very charming and thoughtful husband.  Here's to three wonderful years.  I love you more than you know.