Brilliant

A few weeks ago, my dear friend and neighbor, Julianne, and I were solving the world's problems over a glass (OK, 2) of wine. We put our heads together and a brilliant idea was born. It suddenly came to us that we could do each other a great favor, with no effort really, on a regular basis. Just what is that great favor, you ask? FREE babysitting! You see, date nights are scarce around here. I think we have only paid a sitter one time in Jillian's life. We usually go out to dinner if my mom is in town, or if we are in Des Moines for a long weekend we might slip away for a bit. That's really it. We have huge room for improvement in that department. Let's face it, as much as we love and adore Jillian, raising a child is stressful and we need to take time and reconnect. Joe and Julianne have two darling girls of their own (remember Kate and Kyra from the Jingle Bells video?), and they too, need and deserve a break. The solution is simple--each couple gets two date nights/month (one weeknight and one Saturday) that begin after bedtime for our girls (usually around 7). Last weekend, I walked across the street to their house with my book and sat in peace and quiet for several hours while they went out. Matt enjoyed an evening to himself at our house, watching whatever is heart desired on TV. Similarly, Julianne worked on a paper and watched some TV at our house while we went out last night. It is a win-win for everyone, every time! It was so wonderful to be out with my husband for several hours alone, though I admit, we weren't quite sure what to do with ourselves. We ended up enjoying a nice dinner in a belated celebration of Matt's birthday, and then caught a late movie. I think after a few of these date nights we will get the hang of being 'out on the town' (or as 'out on the town' as you can get in Rochester) again. I asked Julianne to take our picture as we prepared to leave for our inaugural date night. Yes, because I am silly.
What does Matt think of our date night idea? Thumbs up!

A rare photo of just the two of us.

I just love it when a plan comes together, don't you?