I decided to link up with Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop this week. The prompt I chose? “Glance through your photos from last week, choose one, and share the back story.”
Ten years ago, when Ben was just starting his career as an attorney, a local country club sent him a “congrats” letter and invited him out for dinner. We went, of course, and lingered over dinner, marveling at the wedge salad with the crispy bacon bits and chunky blue cheese dressing and dreaming about what our future had for us. We were at the beginning of our marriage and at the beginning of new careers, Ben as an associate at a mid-size firm in town and myself as the HRD manager at a local bank, and we were full of stories about co-workers, bosses, and news from our friends. It felt like the perfect “grown up” thing to do, after three years of dating long distance while Ben finished law school, and eating a lot of meals alone…macaroni and cheese for Ben, Healthy Choice freezer meals for me.
Fast forward ten years, and Ben received another “congrats” letter in the mail for a meal at a different country club. It was kind of a fluke, but we had been wanting to check out the food at the club anyways, so we left the three kids with the babysitter and headed off for grilled ribeye and roasted chicken. Once again, we lingered over dinner, scooping up thick chunks of guacamole and dragging the last bits of my grilled pineapple napoleon through the caramel rum sauce, but it was so different at the same time. Ben is a partner at his own firm, a business owner with way more connections in town than he likes to admit. I’m not working full time, but have little fingers of responsibility in (too many) pots, and we talked about work, family, and the kids, of course. We also talked a lot about the future, now that we are coming out of the “survival years” of having young kids, and dreaming about where we wanted to be in 20 years. We eat dinner together almost every night, and usually avoid the freezer meals, but there is always something special about having an uninterrupted conversation that doesn’t require taking a kid to the bathroom as soon as the food arrives.
After dinner, we headed out into the sunshine to visit a few homes in the local “Parade of Homes” before stopping to check on our own house-in-process. But before we jumped in the car, I grabbed Ben and snapped a picture. We so rarely have pictures together, and I love this one. I look at this picture and I see a few extra wrinkles that weren’t there 10 years ago, but I also see happiness. We may be tired, busy, and sometimes overwhelmed, but we are happy…extremely happy. Date nights look good on us.
Funny how 10 years can change so much and change so little. Date Night is lovely after 3 kids, isn’t it? I love being able to talk to my husband without interruption!
So true, Bruna. You don’t realize how much you appreciate it until it is gone 🙂
I just loved this post. After 27 yrs of marriage I too think of where we were 10 yrs ago, 15 yrs, whatever. It is a reassuring thing to see how far you’ve come and consider the joy (and the challenges) that you have experienced together in that time.
And date nights? Very important! Don’t ever give those up so you can always look as happy as you do in this photo.
Thanks so much…I agree that it is always a good time to stop and be thankful for your marriage! Thanks for visiting…
Really nicely written, enjoyable story. I like how you call the young children phase the “survival years.” And building a house—cool
Thanks so much…I suppose the “survival years” is better than saying they are the “black hole years” 🙂 Sometimes it feels that way! Thanks for visiting!
The way you wrote your thoughts was enjoyable and inspiring. It made me stop and think of where I’ve been and how I got to the place I am at right now, and thoughts of the next 20 or 30 years. Thanks!
Thanks for visiting! I am always thinking about the forward and backward swing of life…:)
Date nights are precious around here!
That’s for sure! Thanks for visiting!