Don't You Just Love a Date Night...

I am convinced that everyone should have a date night.  Whether you're single or spoken for, a date night keeps you sane.  Just a night to get away from the house chores and to get away from your work life.  

One great thing about the Christmas season is that a lot of people give gift cards.  Thankfully, my step dad picked our perfect dinner spot— Nina.  

From the atmosphere to the food and the service, this place definitely has it all.  I love having any excuse to get dressed up and have my every once in awhile drink... this time it was a Grape Ape Martini (yes please!)—grape vodka, grape pucker, chambord, and sour mix—Fabulous!

Nina never disappoints.  The meal was fabulous and I'm pretty sure we'll both have leftovers for the next week.  Yum!  We decided we weren't going to get our typical selections, so we started with the Risotto Tort with a basil pesto and then the hubby had a Cajun Chicken Penne (he tried really hard to not act like it was too spicy) and I had a Fettuccine in a Rosemary Sauce.  Fabulous.  But we couldn't resist and bought the Braised Chardonnay Short Ribs to take home—I'm pretty sure I've ruined my attempt at being a Vegetarian for the week.  So worth it.

There's always next week!

I Just Love His Eyes by Candlelight...

Sometimes I just need a date night.  Do you ever start feeling like you're in a rut with your hubby and you just need to get off of the couch and get a little dressed up?  Well, I'm one of those people who could go out every week, twice a week, three times a week... but who has the money for that?  Who has the time?  And wouldn't it get boring?  I don't know, but one day I'd love to find out.  I'm just waiting to hit Mega Millions, then maybe we'd have the time, money, and energy for date nights more often than we get them now.

Tonight we went to Nina, our favorite restaurant, well, my favorite restaurant, the hubby favors Peter's just a little bit more.

I love it there, and every time we go, I can't help but picture myself owning a restaurant just like it someday.  I think I have the same conversation with him every time we sit down about how I'd love to own something like it.  At least that's what he tells me.  I can't help it; great service, great atmosphere, and amazing food.  For our first anniversary my dad and his wife gave us a gift card for Nina, and four months later, we finally used it.  The entire $100 gift card, gone in one visit, and worth every dime.  Thanks guys!  We'll be enjoying it for lunch tomorrow too—just too much good food to let go to waste.

Now we're back to reality and date night is over.  I'm back in my sweatpants and his old sweatshirt with my hair twisted up, and he just got back from the gym and started cleaning up the kitchen from our lunch this afternoon.  Tomorrow it's on to the bathroom for me; toilets and tiles are my speciality.

Thank God for a date night to remind us of the days when going out on dates helped us fall in love and get to know each other.  Every time we go out I remember one of those dates and the happiness I felt when I knew I was falling in love with this man.  I always remember the look in his eyes when I knew he was falling for me; that look hasn't gone away.  I guess that's why I love date nights and I'll always look forward to them when they come around.