Well, I'm back to reality today. Last night, I surprised David with a night out and arranged for Sam to spend the night with my parents. When David got home, I told him that his bags were packed and we were out the door to have a night all to ourselves. My original plan was to already be gone when David got home and to just call him and tell him to meet me at the hotel that we stayed at, but of course, plans changed because Sam slept til 4:30 yesterday instead of getting up at 3:30 like I had planned. Thankfully, that didn't ruin anything, though! I was all dressed up when David walked in the door and we were off. I don't know what it is, but I just love staying in hotels (nice ones). When we got to the hotel, they had "al fresco" water, which tasted so yummy, I wanted to be tacky and take ten cups to our room, but I think that when they give you complimentary stuff, you are only supposed to take one. So, I made David get a cup, too. The bed was so fluffy and there were tons and tons of pillows on the bed; the temperature in the room was perfect and it was nicely decorated. I felt so spoiled (and I was doing this for David, but somehow it turned into something for me...) We checked in and then went to a very fancy dinner where we just sat and talked for at least two hours. Then, we went to this new chocolate store; amazing!! Everything in the store is chocolate; they even have different varieties of chocolate teas. It was so wonderful!! We ended up getting some truffles to go and then went back to the hotel and slept in this morning. Oh, to sleep in! I actually woke up at 5:45 and thought that the clock said 9:45 because I am practically blind without my glasses (which I forgot to pack) and was about to get up, when David looked at me like I had 12 heads and asked me what in the world I was doing getting up at 5:45 when we had all morning to sleep in. I was so afraid that I wouldn't fall back asleep, but who couldn't in this perfect bed??? So, we slept until 8:30 and then I laid in the bed for an hour while David got up to get ready for a meeting he had at the church. I dropped him off at the church and then headed to get Sam. When I saw Sam, he got this huge grin on his face and started wrestling me and it was so fun! We laughed and laughed and then got ready to go meet David for lunch. That's where reality came back. Sam didn't want to sit in a high chair. He wanted to sit in a chair like we were sitting in. I made him sit in the high chair until he finished eating and then let him sit in a big chair. Of course, he wanted to stand up, so I spent the whole time trying to make him sit down and he didn't like it. Then, when it was time to leave, Sam couldn't get out of the restaurant fast enough and was whining to see the trucks while I was trying to get his jacket on. We still had a great lunch together, and that is what I love about my reality. It is fun; no matter how difficult the parenting is or how much Sam doesn't want to sit where I want him to sit, or eat what I want him to eat, or even wear what I want him to eat. We still have a blast together, and parenting with David is more fun than i could ever imagine. Having a night away is wonderful and much needed so that we can focus on our marriage and remember why we fell in love in the first place. It is so easy to get caught up in our little routine and forget about continuing to fall in love. The reality is that we wouldn't appreciate a night away to a hotel with a fancy dinner if it weren't for being parents. we wouldn't treasure the fact that we got to have an unhurried dinner together if we didn't have a child to take care of. Now, we do and I think that we cherish each other more now that we take opportunities to fall in love again and purposefully work to keep our marriage centered on Christ, who holds it together anyway. The reality is that it is a tremendous privilege and honor to be Sam's parents and it is necessary for us to have a solid marriage and have it rooted in Jesus. The reality is that I wouldn't go back to not having Sam just to have fancy dinners and to sleep in. It is the most wonderful joy to be a parent and truly is a trust that the Lord has given us and we only depend on Him to do anything good. He is the only good in us and we couldn't make it one day without Him! It was a fabulous night away, but tonight, I am so glad to have the buzz of the monitor in my ear while Sam sleeps.