Date Night ~ Friday the 11th

Paul and I have had a lot of stress in our lives right now. It seems like crap is coming at us from all angles. I can't go into a lot of detail but his job is an area of concern. Raising a child who is going through puberty and is in junior high is hard on us. I worry about Emma all the time. There are areas of uncertainty in my life that have caused me to feel anxiety. I haven't felt for a long time and I don't want it to start again.

Luckily Paul and I are in a really good place and we are able to communicate really well. I am so thankful for that!

Early in the week we decided we needed time just for us. I called my mom and asked her to take the kids Friday night. We were going to have Emma skip her basketball game Saturday morning. It was okay. We needed this. We planned to drive them up to Salt Lake, go to dinner at Blue Iguana, spend the evening walking around Temple Square and maybe do a little shopping at the Gateway. (Nothing helps me deal with stress better than retail therapy.) The next day Paul would head to Park City to ski (Nothing helps Paul deal with stress better than skiing.) and on his way home he would pick up the kids.

Our plans were foiled. Emma had a dance Friday night that she was dying to go to. All her friends were going to be there. We really want her to make close friendships and feel secure in her social circle. (Emma is the youngest person in the whole school. She often struggles finding her place.) We've encouraged her to take every opportunity she can to spend time with her friends so bonds can be formed. She often feels left out so we didn't want her to miss this chance.

My parents graciously agreed to come to our home, get her off to the dance, watch Andrew and wait here until it was over and then take the kids back to their house. It was a big sacrifice since the dance went until pretty late and they live over an hour away but they were more than willing.

Paul and I went to Thai Drift and then continued our date with a trip to Costco to buy toilet paper!

(Image borrowed from Google images. It's a very small place and I didn't want to be obnoxiously taking pictures and sending off flashes all through dinner. Okay, I did want to but thought I better not.)

Yep, TP. Aren't you jealous? We actually ended up with a few more interesting things like roses so overall it was a good trip.

On our way home stopped by Kneaders for some dessert. Look how cute this garland is. I've said it before but I'll say it again. I want to live in Kneaders!

We then stopped at Wal Mart for some last minute birthday treats for an awesome boy that is in my primary class, got gas, got a car wash, dropped off the treats and then headed back to the house just in time to pick Emma up from the dance. She had a good time and was asked to dance to a slow song. We told the kids good-bye, watched an episode of Vampire Diaries and fell asleep. It wasn't the most romantic night but we got a lot done and it was nice to spend time together.

Paul got up the next morning and hit the slopes. He had a wonderful time exploring the mountain. He said it felt great and I can tell it really lifted his spirits. I'll be honest. I did a little shopping on the internet. I can't wait for UPS to drop off some new spring tops. It will make my day.