Thursday, January 7, 2010

Our Second First Date

So, Dani and I don't get out much. We try, but it always takes such careful planning to find a babysitter and to prep the house for our absence by providing food and other needs of life for our kids--you parents know what I'm talking about. Even just thinking about all the planning that needs to go into a date is sometimes exhausting.

Two days ago, both Dani and I were going absolutely stir-crazy. N was whining about every little thing, V wouldn't stop crying for more than five seconds to catch her breath, and both Dani and I were so tired that we wanted to go to sleep about three hours before we actually were able to. At one point we both came very close to saying, "I can't take this right now, I'm going for a walk, I'll be back when I'm ready." Of course, when both parents are at that point, you're in a bad situation.

So, yesterday, I still was kinda "snapped," and took some quiet reflective time to focus on just one thing I really wanted that I could do today. The thought hit me rather quickly, "I want to fall in love with Dani again."

I'm still very much in love with my wife--but the whole process of meeting and courtship has a lot of thrill to it. So, I asked Dani out on a spur-of-the-moment second "First date." Where we'd both pretend that it was a first date, and that we were free to talk about anything. The goal was to get to know each other again, and hope that it led to a second date :).

J. Buck was kind enough to watch Mulan with our kids for an hour in a half, and I took Dani to Olive Garden. The "First date" mentality started as soon as we were out the door.

While we already knew most of the things we talked about (how many siblings we have, and hobbies and interests) it was nice to get a fresh perspective on it. Dani said that she learned a number of new things about me, and I found it to be much more enjoyable than our more recent dates.

It was fun, feigning shyness, trying to avoid physical contact due to the typical awkwardness associated with a first date. I definately think that our next date will be a "Second Second date." It felt a little silly at first, but turned out to be a lot of fun.

2 comments:

  1. That sounds like it was a magical night for sure. Just remember who you are. :)

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  2. Haha- that's awesome! And a very good idea. We'll have to remember your suggestion when we start to get stir-crazy.

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Why I'm (still) a Mormon

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