My Blind Date

Do you ever wonder why romance is so hard to ignite when you have kids? Roger and I often discuss our lack of energy and zip when it comes to planning a romantic date, especially when we can barely keep our eyes open for the 10PM news. We love being a mom & dad, but its a constant crazy challenge to find time for mushy gushy romance for two.

We woke up Saturday morning and headed to Krispy Kreme donuts with Zoie. Our 2 teens were out of town visiting family, so it was just the three of us. Out of the blue, Roger said with a twinkle in his eye, “Let’s get out of town for 24 hrs and celebrate our anniversary!” I was elated… we still love being spontaneous after 18 years! We decided to use some points saved with Hyatt Place and head to Tulsa for fun and PF Chang! It was the perfect plan… Zoie was excited to take a road trip and swim in the pool. She mentioned that about 598 times the first hour of our getaway. We blasted though the border of OK and the steady rain changed direction… sleet pelted our windows, but soon turned into snow. We were really surprised, due to the drastic change of scenery. Roger joked about not checking the weather online before delving into our journey to romance. We drove straight into a winter spring wonderland.

The next 4 hours were really terrifying. We watched cars skidding off the side of I44 into the snowy drifts left and right. Cars, trucks, and vans full of families on spring break sidelined or overturned with emergency vehicles scattered at each site. My fingers were clutched in a death grip as our van maneuvered around hazardous icy patches… as I repeated over and over… “are we crazy???” The worst part was driving blindly behind semi trucks spraying snow and ice like a car wash.

By the time we reached the Hilton, we were stressed to the max. Zoie skipped her nap on the long drive, so was starting to melt down. The pool was outdoors, so we avoided talking about the swimming part of our trip. We decided to stick with the original plan and eat at PF Changs… snow was not going to keep us from their signature dishes of dumplings, calamari and Kung Pao Shrimp for two. This irresistible meal would erase the terror of our icy drive. The restaurant was only a few miles away, so the drive was less eventful. Zoie was happy munching on crispy chips when out of the blue, she hit her limit. She had a melt down that would win her an Oscar. She snapped and started throwing utensils and items of our food on the floor. It happened so fast and furious it took us off guard. The waiter looked at us with sympathy and quickly made our meal “to go.” I was sooo disappointed, but didn’t want to ruin any of the other romantic dates happening all around us, especially when tea cups and peaches were flying. Princess Z was banned to the hotel room, but finally passed out in her crib. We munched on our Entrees and cold calamari in peace.

We woke up the next day to the blizzard of spring ’10. How in the world did we end up here… we could have stayed home and had a delicious meal for two at Cracker Barrel in the rain. We were stuck, but after several crazy tantrums and drama from our two year old it pushed us out to venture in the storm and head to Starbucks at Super Target for a caffeine buzz. Zoie was in heaven (you know she’s the Target Baby) so we played in the store for several hours until the snow stopped.

All I can say at this point, romance is hard work and sometimes a little crazy, but I’m so grateful my hubby’s love for me remains a constant in my life. I want to hear your ideas on how to keep romance burning bright… any crazy suggestions?