A date

Today I got up, packed the kids and their bags up, poured juices, gave vitamins, dropped them off at their dayhome, came home, showered, dressed in my Big Girl Work Clothes, and left for the office - my dreaded bi-weekly 106 mile round-trip commute.

I remembered I had to go to the DMV first to renew my license, which, um, expired TODAY.

As I got off the exit, I remember that there was a B&N there! and a mall! and the movie theater! and sushi! and close to Mike's job! And wouldn't it be awesome to just call work, use one of my 409583908 vacation days, and go on a date with myself? maybe meet my husband for lunch? But I'm busy! I have deadlines!

I called Mike to lament to him how I wanted to play hooky from life today. He urged me to do it. Reminded me that the last 9 days I was in the house with the kids and holidays and working late into the night. That I needed it, deserved the day to myself.

So I called the office, told them some things came up, and that I was using one of my vacation days.

Surprisingly enough, the DMV experience only took 10 minutes and though I look like an irate murderess in my picture, it's not half bad. I went to Panera, read blogs, sipped coffee, chatted with friends online.

Then I went to the bookstore and wandered around, rather aimlessly, reading book jackets, perusing magazines, getting ideas from cookbooks. I bought a book and sat down and read quietly for an hour or so, the only interruption the annoying Christmas music that kept invading my brain from the speakers overhead and my bladder which kept reminding me that I had an extra cup of coffee this morning.

I met Mike at noon for lunch at one of our favorite sushi places and though we only had a short time, it was us. Just us. Just lunch. A quick getaway in the middle of a workday.

I made it to the theater across the highway in time for the 12:45 showing of New Moon, a movie I've been meaning to see with a friend (but she had to go and have a new BABY!) and a movie I knew Mike would rather chop off his own arm and beat himself to death with before seeing with me.

So I went alone.

I sat in an empty theater on a Monday afternoon in a business suit.

By the end of the movie, I had lost 89 IQ points and 2 hrs, 10 minutes of my still-young life. If you want a summary of the movie from my perspective, here it is: bad acting, angsty teens, vampire, hot kid, wolves, vampires, hot kid, ridiculous dialogue, angsty teens, DAKOTA FUCKING FANNING, vampires, sad hot kid/sad wolf, happy vampire, angsty dialogue, The end. There, I just saved you $8.50.

I came home to my house and my kids, spent the afternoon running errands with Charlotte, played with the baby (Seriously, does any other people's children love being tossed on the couch? he's like an adrenaline junkie at only 16 months.) It was a really good day.

Sometimes, we get so wrapped up in everything we need to be for everyone else, everything that needs to be done - especially during the holidays and when you're kids are sick - that we forget how to do things for ourselves.

So today I spent the most part of today with a pretty cool chick and even though she has terrible taste in movies, I'm going to try to make our dates a more regular thing.