Dating can be a lot of work by itself, when you throw in kids a mortgage, a long marriage, stressful jobs, and did I say kids, it becomes even more of a hassle. It’s so easy once you’re married and “settled” into life to complete the daily duties without much passion or variety. There so much to do it can feel impossible to give extra time and attention to anything, let alone a marriage that is working just fine.
Is “just fine” enough? I mean we talk, we have no major issues, we kiss in passing, and routinely say “I love you”, but I want our love to be extraordinary not ordinary. I’m big enough to understand it’s not reasonable to expect college years carefree love. Because we have a bunch of care now. However, I think we can conjure up a bit more passion within our marriage.
Between practices, homework, cooking and cleaning, I feel a bit anxious at home, like there is always something I need to be doing. It’s best I remove myself from the environment to get fully relaxed.
So for our date, to grandparents house we go. Luckily my peoples live about an hour up the road. So the plan was dropping the little ones off at my parents house and the hubs and I having a foodie adventure in Washington DC.
We wanted to take the metro from Springfield, VA which is how we normally do it, but it was almost 8 PM when we reached the metro station, and the cupcake shop I just had to go to closes at 9pm.
Without taking the chance of getting there too late we decided to drive into Georgetown, and hoped to find some sort of parking.
Well we made it in time but the line was wrapped around the building. When I first saw this line I thought to myself “ain’t no way”!
Although I had no interest in waiting in line, I did want to take a picture of all the other silly folks waiting for a CUPCAKE! I reached for my DSLR and strategically positioned my camera to get a high view of all the waiting cupcake lovers, picture perfect with one mistake. I left my memory card at home! Well at least I could still use my cell phone…not!
My phone was completely dead and I had no way to charge my phone in the car.
Without my camera and phone I had no way to document our foodie adventures and no way to reach our planned food spots without the GPS. I couldn’t waist an entire night so I figured I might as well get some famous cupcakes.
Now I was one of those “silly folks” waiting for the cupcakes! We waited over an hour for a Georgetown Cupcake.
The cupcakes were good…would I wait an hour again? No, but they were good.
More importantly after being completely disconnected from all technology I was able to talk and connect with my husband while waiting in that line. We just talked, and laughed and laughed and laughed.
We have a great time together and he cracks me up! My husband could care less about some cupcakes but he waited in that line with me and didn’t complain. He cracked a few jokes on me and the rest of the cupcakes geeks but he never complained. I could tell he was enjoying me as well.
He did request that we make one more stop to The Famous Ben Chili Bowl. We had just enough charge on his phone to get there and we made it. I had a chili cheese hot dog and he had a chili cheeseburger with chili cheese fries. My husband said it was good but not as good as mines, he’s such a sweet talker. He knows just how to get me going.
After we ate at Ben Chili Bowl we rushed back to our car, it was sort of unclear whether it was parked illegally or not, but we took the chance and parked there anyways. Well DC parking enforcement made it clear when they slapped a $100 parking ticket on our windshield that we were illegally parked. They even checked the “towing requested” box! A couple more minutes and we would have been stranded in DC without a car.
Regardless of the hiccups throughout the night we enjoyed spending time together.
Connecting one-on-one without distraction was refreshing.
When I explained all of the nights occurrences in the most dramatic way possible to my parents my father very subtly pointed out the hickey on my neck. Then he joked that the date couldn’t have been THAT bad! Embarrassing!
Luckily despite our late night we got up in time for church. My brother and his fiance received the right hand of fellowship at church, which was awesome. They are still dating and watching them gives me a reminder of how my husband and I used to be and how “I want that old thing back!”
I’m happy we are realizing how important it is to stay connected. Rather than waiting for the kids to go off to college, I plan to live my best married life right now in the present with my main man.
What’s some ways you try and stay connected to your loved ones?
I ate cupcakes for breakfast the next morning! They were greatly deserved :)
Check out the Ladies responsible for this link up here….
My goodness, you had a very eventful date night!!! That’s great you and your husband were able to take the time to enjoy each other’s company! That’s so sweet! I hope y’all are able to have more date nights in the near future, without all of the craziness.
Jamie recently posted…St. Patty’s Day Cake Pops
I’m looking forward to a more relaxed time together, thanks Jamie!
First off, your blog is so pretty. Secondly, this post made me miss DC SO MUCH! WE lived there for about 4 years before the military moved us and I loved it so much. Georgetown cupcakes are so scrumptious. That’s a great place for a date! You made a good point about not having the expectation of ‘carefree love’. Once I let that expectation go I saw my marriage blossom for the better.
Thank you for taking the time to link up with Married Mondays! I enjoyed your blog and will be back to see more of your journey!
Tia recently posted…Married & Dating: A Lasagna Dinner
The entire Georgetown area is so cute! The hour wait not so much, but the vanilla birthday cake flavor was my favorite. Thank you Tia, I look forward to your posts as well!
How is Georgetown Cupcakes? I have never tried them but would love to know your thoughts.
They were good! I’m a bit spoiled by my favorite cupcake shop here in RVA Pearls, they make amazing cupcakes, minus the hour wait! Thanks Jocelyn!
Oh my goodness, girl! Though it seems you guys were thrown a few curve-balls, you guys had a great date! Cupcakes are my weakness so I probably would have been standing in that line about my cupcake life until impatient hubby pulled me out of it lol. Having that one-on-one connection is what matters most, though. You brought it all home with that
And isn’t it so cool too see other couples and look back on how things used to be in retrospect?
Great post, love! I felt like I was right there with you guys. Thanks so much for linking up!
Drea recently posted…Married & Dating: The Initial Conversation
Thank you Drea! I guess things don’t have to go according to plan to work out perfectly.I’m just happy I could be apart of this important link up!
Your date night sounds like a good time. My daughter is getting ready to start college this summer — which means it’s just the two of us. I’m okay being an empty nester, I think. Weekly dates will be a must.
PS – love DC. My brother lives there and every time we visit, he takes us to some wonderful places. I think I’ve had those cupcakes.
Oh wow! You guys should really enjoy that! The kids are amazing and I fully embrace this season we’re in with the kids, but I do remember how awesome it was before the kids! Thank you Lisa!
Oh my goodness! You had quite the adventure! It’s always a good thing to get away from the “devices” and spend time reconnecting but I feel you–it feels so naked without a phone! How did we ever find our way around without them? I can’t believe you waited for an hour for some cupcakes but it sounds like they were worth the wait!
Tracey @ saltysweetlife.com recently posted…“Dark and Stormy Cocktail” and taking time to “Look at the Flowers”
Tracey it was truly an experience, and I can’t even believe I waited an hour for some cupcakes! I have distant memories of the Map Quest print outs…but I sure could of used on that night after our phones turned off!
You do have a pretty blog. LOL Girl I completely forgot you were in the DC area. I think I want to have a meet up sometime this summer if you’re up for it. We can even make it kid friendly.
Sorry I’m so late. Thank you sooooo much for linking. up. I hope you do next month.
Teems recently posted…Operation: Snap Back ™ – “One man’s trash…”
Thanks hun! I would totally participate in a meetup! Just keep me posted or let me know if you need any help with that!
This is such a good article for me to read because as a soon to be wife, I often wonder and worry about this thing happening. I think it is so easy for couple to say that certain things will never happen to them and they are going to do everything the can to stay connected but until life happens you kind of don’t know really how things are going to go. Not to mention, how people change and get complacent. I think the true champion in this story is that the two of you still yearn for that connection and have the desire to keep the fire going. If the two of you accepted the “dry spell” then that would make things more difficult.
Nicole recently posted…White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Nicole you are very right! I do have such a deep love for my hubby and I want to stay connected with him, I can’t get too complacent. I think the major let down people have in marriage is that it’s nothing like you expect! Which on the contrary is totally OK! When you let go of the expectations and just go for the ride (with some work) it can be a beautiful journey with your husband! Thank you for your comment Nicole!