iphone photo dump + a date

8/05/2014

friday the hubs and i had our first real date, just the two of us, since baby b was born. i thought that i knew how much we needed it, that date, but it turns out that i didn't really know how much we needed it.

it would be so easy to get caught up in how much i miss my babies, how badly i don't want to leave them. but if i kept focus on that then we would never get out and i would never have the chance to see how hugely beneficial it is for our marriage to date.

because the thing about my husband is, i kind of love him so much that it's stupid. he makes me better in every way, and no one accepts me and loves me and truly knows me the way that he does. but we have these kids that take up most of my time and a lot of my love and focus and exhaustion and worry and strength, so much so that sometimes it's easy to put my best friend on the back burner and forget that he needs me too. and not just that, but i need him. it's easy to forget if i let myself.

and in that: thank the lord for date nights. and for grandmas, who are the very best kind of babysitters.

for our date night we headed out to that famous preston night rodeo. we have gone to the preston night rodeo every year since we've been married, and it's kind of a perfect tradition. at the risk of sounding ridiculous, the truth is that there is something magical about small town fairs and rodeos. the country music blaring through the speakers. the cotton candy and caramel apples and burgers and popcorn. the cute little ticket booths. the atmosphere. it's all perfection. and while i'm not sure that i'd thrive living in a small town, i'm very grateful to live somewhere that is a close enough drive for the escapes as often as we'd like.

after we walked through the rides and talked to the bulls in their pen, the hubs and i ordered our burgers and found a shady spot to sit. we laid out a blanket on the grass and for the hour before entering the rodeo arena, we just sat there surrounded by the fair crowd and we talked. it turns out that conversations are so much more meaningful without a fussy baby or a whining toddler or the ten o'clock news in the background.

it was perfect.

thank the heavens for date nights.

i'm also in a whirlwind of thoughts as i'm winding down my maternity leave. in two weeks i'm back to work, and oh the feelings i have on this! some bitter and some sweet and some so nerve wracking i could puke. i'm mostly grateful though. grateful to have such a wonderful, flexible job. grateful to have found a preschool and daycare that seems so perfect for my boys. grateful to have had this wonderful break that was so needed and so fabulous, but also grateful to soon be back into a routine of work. as much as i've loved staying home, and i've truly loved it, i think i need work outside of the home. i think that's a part of me and it will always be a part of me. it makes me a better mom and it sure as heck makes me a better wife. i could write a whole post about how much better of a wife i am when i'm working, as opposed to staying home!

well there you go, maybe i will.

but not today. today, i have three more episodes of the last season of desperate housewives. and then i'll mope around the house a little depressed, like one does after finishing eight seasons of a tv series that they really love. can you believe that nonsense, eight seasons?! that's what maternity leave is for, i suppose. i'd say i've been very accomplished!

1 comment:

  1. Aw, I love the Preston rodeo. You're right ... there's definitely something magical about small town rodeos and fairs. It's one of my favorite things about Cache Valley - all those little city days almost every weekend! It's fabulous. And the Preston rodeo is in a lovely location. It seems every time I've been, the sun sets so perfectly and the carnival rides light up and the horses run around ... and it's just perfect. :)

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