• We get to go out to eat and leisurely explore delicious and varied gastronomy. On tonight’s menu was Greek food: salty cubes of feta, creamy hummus, olive tapenade, tasty falafel dipped in tzatziki sauce, and rich, sweet baklava for dessert.
• We can talk about adult things and don’t have to spell things we don’t want our kids to overhear. (I know the spelling trick won’t work for too much longer, and the funny thing is we end up mostly talking about the girls when we’re supposed to be taking a break from all that parenting stuff.).
• We can gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes. That is, until your husband points out you have a big, black spice stuck in between your teeth. Thank goodness this wasn’t a first date.
• I can leave the monstrous bag equipped with diapers and granola bars at home and accessorize with a cute clutch instead.
• I get a night off from executing Madeline’s sometimes maddening bedtime routine that involves more steps than launching a nuclear attack. (Thanks, Nana, for being our pinch hitter.)
• We wander over to a bookstore/café after dinner, and we morph into a geek couple as we both stare mindlessly at our laptops. Actually, Dave was studying for his written board exam for the American Board of Radiologist, which, I suspect, is somewhat cerebral. I, on the other hand, started writing this little list.
• When I return home and check on my sleeping girls, I realize how much I thought about them in the few hours I was away and how much I missed them – even their stalling tactics at bedtime.
• After a date night, I feel recharged. And I feel grateful to have a wonderful spouse to enjoy date nights with and children to come home to after we’ve sipped our last latte.