Obviously everyone doesn't know us very well - we are not big moviegoers, and I love to cook, so the only meal I really enjoy eating out is sushi (because I am not willing to risk serving raw fish at home). Before last night, we had been on three dates since December 5, 2008 - in March Sam took me out for sushi for my birthday while his parents stayed with Ryan; in July we went to see "A Little Night Music" at Central City Opera (not sure if it counts as a date since Keturah came with us, but whatevs); and in Kauai we went out for cocktails while my dad and stepmom stayed at the condo with Ryan.
A couple of weeks ago, Sommer asked if we'd watch Kenz for an evening while she went to see Peter play with his band. Kenz and Ryan had a great time, and Sommer offered to watch Ryan sometime while we went out. This weekend is Sam's 38th birthday and I have to work tonight (opening night of The Tales of Hoffmann), so I suggested we go out last night for dinner and a movie, leaving Ryan with Sommer, Peter and Kenz.
We headed to Baker St. Tavern at Belmar for pub food, but it was packed, so we went next door to Mark & Isabella. We had been here with the Haces right after it opened last December, and were not terribly impressed, but we thought, "eh, they've had almost a year, maybe it's better." Um, that would be a No. The best thing I can say is my $3 glass of Montepulciano was great. Other than that, I could have cooked a better meal for much less than what it cost us to eat there.
We headed across the street to the movie theater to see Men Who Stare at Goats. It stars George Clooney and Ewan McGregor, so I didn't really care what the plot was, but the NPR movie critic gave it a great review, so we forked over our $20 and settled into our seats.
As the lights dimmed and the movie started (after 45 minutes of commercials and trailers for movies I certainly will not pay full price to see), I remembered the main reason why we don't like to watch movies in the theater - the other audience members. The woman sitting behind us had THE MOST ANNOYING laugh, and she kept saying "I don't get it, I don't get it" when there was an ironic or satirical moment. There was another person somewhere behind us apparently suffering the death throes of consumption as s/he coughed almost non-stop through the entire movie, and a guy in our row who laughed hysterically at every little thing, whether it was actually funny or not. The movie itself was pretty good, though I certainly could have waited until it came out on DVD.
So there you go, Everyone - we went on a date, it was nice to sit and talk over dinner about things not related to the baby, and we held hands during the movie (awwww!). Ryan and Kenz had a great time, though he was still wide awake when we picked him up at 9. We still prefer piling blankets and pillows on the floor of the TV room and popping in a Netflix DVD after Ryan goes to bed (we have a surround-sound theater system in the basement but we can't even motivate to go down there). I am eternally thankful that we have a hot tub, too - we spend at least one evening a week soaking under the stars and talking about work, the child, life in general - and it doesn't cost us a dime (well, beyond the electric bill, and the cost of chemicals and test strips, and our water bill when we refill it, etc., etc., etc.).
What, I wasn't supposed to dump the entire container of snacks on the floor?
This is just like the car at Grandma & Grandpa's house!
Oooh, Kenz has fun bath toys!
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