You guys,
Sam and I had our first date night in over a year. I’m not sure which was more monumental - the date itself or leaving George with a babysitter.
A note about the new nanny. George took to Heather faster than he took to either of our moms. He loved her immediately. And so, Sam and I loved her immediately.
Seriously, I want her to move in.
Heather usually helps during the days while both of us are home. But we needed a night out.
We hadn’t been connecting much lately. Life revolves around George and our separate goals. Sam is focused on work and I’m focused on writing and even though we know it’s important to prioritize our relationship it gets slippery sometimes. We tried at-home date nights in the past year but they never felt like a proper date. We needed to get out of the house.
So I curled my hair and put on a dress, jewelry, and makeup. Years ago I watched a YouTube tutorial and took notes so I have a literal cheat sheet to apply makeup because I never remember how to do it. I even slipped on a pair of wedges, which might as well be stilettos.
Heather has our phone numbers but I also left three of our neighbors’ numbers and made sure she knew which neighbor was the doctor. I told her to text if she needed anything, even if it was a question about the TV. She didn’t have to do anything, really, except be in the house. Sam and I put George to bed and waited until he fell asleep before we left at 6:45pm.
I checked his monitor periodically on the drive to dinner, but Sam and I made a rule as we got out of the car: we could only check the monitor twice while at the restaurant.
We sat at the bar and I kept saying, “I can’t believe we’re on a date!”
It was a fantastic meal. I feel sorry for couples who don’t share food and don’t love food because it’s the best part about eating out. We started with gooey bread and soft butter and I was already in heaven. Next were smoked trout oysters bursting with umami flavor. Then a Carolina shrimp dish the bartender described as, “Chef’s play on shrimp cocktail.” It was so much better than shrimp cocktail with its cornbread croutons and a strawberry gazpacho sauce I could have licked off the plate. For entrees, we split NY Strip with grilled okra and creamy potatoes, and Wahoo dressed in a ramp bisque with roasted carrots and shitake mushrooms. Every bite was a reminder that I didn’t have to prep all this deliciousness and wouldn’t have to clean it up, either.
Sam and I talked about parenting and our values and all the things we want for George. We celebrated our 2-year anniversary, which we both almost forgot. And we only checked the monitor once.
At 9pm we pulled up to our house. It was a glorious two hours and 15 minutes. Date night might have to become a regular thing.
Essay of the Week
My Dad recently said, “LA didn’t work out for you.”
From his perspective, I moved to LA to become an actor and didn’t make it. Which is true. But I was taken aback by his comment because moving to LA was the best decision of my life. It’s where I grew and changed and decided I no longer wanted to act. I wanted to write. So it worked out exactly as it was supposed to.
It got me thinking about a fixed mindset vs. a growth mindset. For this week’s essay, I wrote about how goals change and evolve as we change and evolve.
TV Rec
It’s not always easy for me and Sam to find a TV show we both like. But to find a show we both like AND turns us on?? It’s only happened twice before. First with Showtime’s Submission which I’m pretty sure you can’t watch anywhere and then with Hulu’s Normal People which aired in 2020.
The Girlfriend Experience is not new but it’s new to us. A Starz Anthology series about high-end escorts that premiered in 2016.
This is the show to watch with your significant other. Better hurry, though, Season 1 is only available until the end of this month on Amazon Prime. I especially recommend it for new parents who possibly forgot what life was like before they had a baby.
Or for couples who would like to make a baby. :)
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Until next week,
Charlie