Feb
02
I’m not a very fun date. Just ask the only man I’ve dated for the last 13 years. We don’t get out alone that often, and when we do, I tend to be uptight, spaced-out or just a big blob of melancholy. We only have four hours. Then it’s back to the grind. What are we going to do with ourselves? We don’t have any money. We shouldn’t be eating at a restaurant. I wish I were wearing a cool scarf. I hope I don’t see anyone I know. Crowds of people make me hyperventilate. Shopping centers remind me of all the things I want but can’t have. Bookstores make me wonder why I waste so much time writing books when 718 billion have already been written. My mind swirls, my head aches, my stomach churns. A wave of hopelessness washes over me, and I just want to go home and go to bed.
Don’t ask me how I managed to snag a husband. It probably has something to do with the fact that I used to be fun and carefree. More Goof-Off, less Miss Panties in a Bunch.
So anyway, Friday afternoon Gabe’s mom called out of the blue. She wondered if we were up for the girlies spending a couple nights at her house, then we could pick them up on Sunday when we went to watch the Super Bowl. OF COURSE WE’RE UP FOR THAT! So, I got everybody’s stuff ready, the girls came home from school, we ate and met Janelle (my MIL) at a McDonald’s 30 minutes from our house. Then whew. A weekend alone.
“So, what do you want to do?” Gabe asked, as we pulled out of the McD’s parking lot sans kiddos. And I launched into a big party-pooper spiel about having no money and not liking to shop because I can’t buy anything and oh, all the people and the sickening materialism and whathaveyou and let’s just stay at home and read and write and work on the computer and eat biscuit pizzas and organize the basement. Whaddya think?
Long story short, we stayed in on Friday night (and it was relaxing and fun!) but I felt convicted on Saturday to honor my husband, show him I’m crazy about him, and if that meant doing crazy things with him like eating at Chili’s and doing a photo shoot in the frigid snow (?!?!?), then so be it.
It ended up being one of my favorite days in a long time.
We slept in (9:30!), ate breakfast, ran errands, chilled in the library, spent $5 on lunch at Arby’s with a coupon, took loose change to a Coinstar machine, had a BLAST! taking pictures in the snow (it was almost like we were dating! and flirting!), chilled at home for a bit, ate at Chili’s, went to Barnes and Noble (where we relocated all but one copy of Expecting to more prominent spots in the store–shameless!), returned something to Walmart, picked up some gift cards at Target for two lucky winners at Big Mama’s (woohoo!), and watched Fireproof. Gabe wanted me to watch it with him, and I’m sure I’ve over-stated the fact that I think movies are a waste of (my oh-so-valuable) time, but this was Honor My Husband Day, so I gave in. I loved it. Sigh. I cried at least nine times. Yes, it was a little cheesy, but I know the message resonates with so many people, and I’m passionate about husbands and wives loving each other and not just co-existing in the same house. (On a related note, I’m speaking to a MOPS group this AM on l-o-v-e and s-e-x. I’d love your prayers!)
Thanks, Gabey, for reminding me that All Work and No Play Makes a Marriage Boring and Stale. I had a great weekend with you! Love you!
Click on the pics to see ‘em HUGE. And totally off subject, but before I forget, let me randomly generate a winner of a FREE BOOK.
Here are your random numbers:
190
Timestamp: 2009-02-01 20:07:36 UTC
Lisa H., that’s you! Congratulations! (You can e-mail me with your info right over there where it says “Contact.”)
My condolences to everyone who didn’t win, but feel free to order a book (or 2 or 3). And thanks so much for your sweet words on the give-away post. They meant the world to me.
Happy Bright-and-Sunny-Yellow Monday!
LOVE these pics! Fun!
You two are beautiful! The huge smile on your face shows the love. We just bought Fireproof last week, with the Love Dare workbook, and will watch it this weekend. Thank you for a pure way to start my day… loving my man!
i loooooove those ics! ‘specially the last one–so cute. seriously–your camera is way more vivid than ours. maybe someday oon we could get the Gabe Tutorial in Nikon 101
.
Glad you hada fun weekend.
I keep forgetting to pop over here to your neww site–but it was fun to catch up while trying to make baby c ho to sleep!
Hi Marla- I LOVE the pictures!!!!!!
What a fabulous weekend….and amazing pictures to boot! You all rock. Way to prepare yourself for your big talk at MOPS this morning. (smile)
sounds perfect to me! LOVED what you did at Barnes & Noble!! Too funny!! Do you have any of your talks on Podcasts by any chance???
You two are too darn cute.
Seriously, come to the Denver Zoo. Cause I want Gabe to take some pictures of us JUST LIKE YOURS!
Love you friend!
Joanne
I am so glad I stumbled upon your blog. You are so funny to me and your pictures, well they are so cute. Take it from a Georgia girl who never gets to see snow, I am very jealous.
Hope you have a great week!
It looks like you had a great weekend and have the pictures to prove it!! You guys make such a cute couple too. I haven’t seen Fireproof yet but I’ll have my tissues handy when I do. Have a great Monday.
Love the “panties in the bunch” line,
love the scarf,
love the pictures! Is this PS genius or what??
p.s. we live near Ktg/Oakwood border, about 20 min. from Union. If you ever return to the area, stop by and we’ll have dinner.
Love the “panties in the bunch” line,
love the scarf,
love the pictures! Is this PS genius or what??
p.s. we live near Ktg/Oakwood border, about 20 min. from Union. If you ever return to the area, stop by and we’ll have dinner.
Great pics! That must have been so much FUN!!! I’ll have to live vicariously through you since I haven’t touched snow in over 25 years!!!
Darn that I didn’t win the book. I mentioned the ” s e x” book to my hubs and he was very very intrigued. I believe it will be a purchase in the near future.
I’m really enjoying your blog as well!
It feels so good to know that I am not the only one who suddenly turns into a boring old bump on a log when I finally get some time with my husband. i think you nailed it on the head for me…its the whole…such and such many hours until back to the craziness. And yet I love the craziness. I just love that I am not the only one who does this…it is something I am striving to overcome..but for so long I thought it was just me
And the pics are AWESOME. I love them. Especially the last one. It gives me a whole new impression of you
So, that Fireproof movie was excellent. I got over the cheese factor in about 10 minutes because, daggonit, I’ve had that same fight. It resonated emotionally from the get-go. Glad you got to see it!
Photo shoot was a fun (FREE!) date activity. We need to do that sometime soon.
I’m so glad you got a weekend with your man!
neat pictures….and the blog before…glad you had a good time.
I think there should be a date-night scholarship out there somewhere for parents. So that when we do get those rare evenings away from our kids, we actually have some money that can’t be spent on anything but dinner out, movie tickets, etc. Anyone reading this the CEO of a big corporation/foundation who would set this scholarship up for us?
This may seem an odd comment but you two have really white teeth!Cute pics!
Awwww you two are TOO CUTE!! I love the pictures!! Hubby and I have been wanting to rent “Fireproof” too…I think we’ll do that on our next date night. Who knows when that will be…maybe for Valentine’s Day?
Oh, and I’m totally like you on the whole “we can’t go out, we don’t have money” whine. I seriously need to smack some sense into myself sometimes.
What a riot!! You two are hilarious!! Great pics.
Cutest. Couple. Ever.
Oh my gosh the, “I wish I was wearing a cool scarf” line was by far the best ever. Mainly because that’s the exact same sort of thing that is running through my head if I make an attempt to go out with my hubby!
1. Who took the photo of you two by yourself?
2. Love the color choices in the shot. (Like you had that planned) They really stand out with the white snow! And it looks like your ice skating!
3. Janelle! You’re the best!
4. Gabe…love the ‘mashed photos’. Nice. Oh…and I also love the butt grab!
5.You make yourself sound like a looser, and you are SOOO NOT! You are a BLAST!
YAY for a date weekend! Sounds like you two did just fine.
I think part of being a “bore” is just the weight of the responsibilities you have in this stage of your life. I tend to think/feel many of those same things. Those pics are priceless. Actually, you should see if you can sell the kissing one as stock art! That would make a good B&W photo, too.
I don’t think I know the other person ^^ who is near Ktg/Oakwood, but if it’s all the same place, Jess and I are near there, too. So don’t leave without saying “hi!” to us!!!
oh you guys are so darn cute!! Your pictures were precious! So glad you had a great weekend together
Can’t wait till we can have date weekends! It sounds amazing although I can relate to the we shouldn’t be spending any money on eating out, etc. part of it… We need to come up with more cheap date ideas!!
Great pictures!!!!! They are fabulous and you have a fantastic camera!
So glad that you had a fun weekend with your man! I’m excited to have a weekend with my husband as soon as the youngest decides he doesn’t need me for nourishment anymore! 
We decided a couple months ago that dates are important enough to put it in our monthly budget. It’s not a ton of money, but we try to make it go very far–using coupons at Arby’s and getting $5 footlongs at Subway some nights. It takes the pressure off in that sense!
Those pictures make me want to go on a fun and whimsical date with my husband. Except I live in Texas and instead of snow we would be prancing around in humidity.
I hope the MOPS group went well! Our MOPS speaker had something come up this week but we are talking about good books to help your LOVE life and yours is on the list!
Th pics are oh so fabulous…made my heart smile:)
Those pictures are glorious! Not a trace of Mrs. Spoil Sport to be seen.
What an amazing weekend. You had me at slept in – HEAVEN! And I am giggling at the thought of you two popping copies of Expecting up for the casual shopper to just happen to happen upon as they walked by. Free PR!
First things first, those photos are AWESOME! Especially the ones with multiple “yous.”
I loved your comment about bookstores: “Bookstores make me wonder why I waste so much time writing books when 718 billion have already been written.” As an aspiring writer, I completely relate to that. I love bookstores and anything literary, but they also make me a bit depressed (for some crazy reason).
One final note: I so want to see Fireproof. It’s in our Netflix queue right now…
What adorable pics!
This is great.
Sounds like me.
What kind of camera do you have? You always have great pics on here! Mine got sand in it over Christmas and it costs just as much to clean it as it does to buy a new one so, once again, I’m camera shopping.