:: Date Day in Old Towne Orange ::
Last week, this super cute guy and I had a daytime date. We dropped the kids off at his mom’s house… and spent some time meandering around Old Towne Orange. It’s not a place we normally go to, when we have time away from the kids {maybe because it’s so familiar}, but for some reason… I had wanted to walk around our old stomping grounds. Perhaps it was the thought of Valentine’s Day being in the near future that had me hoping to revisit where we started… the place where our relationship began, and our love bloomed… more than sixteen years ago.
We spent the afternoon wandering around the circle, taking our time sifting through the old antique stores, and dawdling in the quaint boutiques.
We moseyed over to the cupcake store {known for winning Cupcake Wars}, where he watched me cheat on my wheat-free diet, with heavenly bites of lemon blueberry cake topped with bittersweet frosting.
We passed by our old favorite Cuban restaurant, Felix’s {where we dined, alfresco, on countless occasions}, recalling their delicious rice, beans, fried plantain, and tres leches. We walked through the center of the circle by the fountain, reminiscing of Christmas tree lighting ceremonies, and hot summer days spent fighting the crowds at the street fair.
It was such a wonderful afternoon… one filled with vivid memories of our ‘before-kids’ life. I cherish that time we had then… getting to know each other in the five years we dated before we wed.
Since we’ve been married, it’s been a whirlwind of activity… with his fire classes, fire academy, and getting hired… and my two master’s degrees and lengthy internships. We had Ryan just two years after we were married… and the other three kids followed shortly thereafter. Sometimes I wrack my brain for the details of what’s transpired over the last eleven years of our marriage. Of course I have countless treasured memories… but so much of the time we are on auto-pilot, keeping up with preparing healthy meals for the kids, tackling the endless loads of laundry, working, homeschooling, and cleaning the house. It’s easy to forget who we were before kids…. before our lives got so busy.
I’ve realized that these date days {that we are so fortunate to have} are lifesavers… or maybe I should say, marriage-savers. They help us connect, slow down, and look into each other’s eyes again. Most of the time we talk about the kids… our values, hopes, and dreams for them, but sometimes… we have an afternoon like this {the one mentioned above}, where we peruse the streets of memory lane, and remember… just us.
To my handsome Husby… {Do you still read my posts?! We’ll see! Ha!} I thank God for you every single day and feel completely blessed that He chose you to be my best friend, father of our precious children, and partner in life. I can’t get over how much our love has grown over the years, and how I continue to cherish you more, and more. I ADORE you! Thank you for continuing to date me… after all of these years! Happy Valentine’s Day, Doll Face! I love you…
