March 6 – “Dream Date”

Wednesday.  That means it was date day for Chris and me.  Jennifer came over to stay with Mom and we took off for our much anticipated time together.  What better way to start the whole thing off than a lunch at Shrimp and Stuff?  And as it turned out, it’s a good thing we started there.  Our next stop was an excursion down Nostalgia Junction, just off of Memory Lane.  Doesn’t that sound poetic?  Bet you can’t wait to hear what we did, can you?  Well, we ……… cleaned the church and set up the pews. 

Great date, right?  It really was a Memory Lane thing, though.  We used to do it together all the time back when Chris was the church custodian.  Gotta love that image: the pastor and the church custodian meeting once a week to haul pews around and sweep and mop and clean toilets.  Can’t get any more romantic than that.  This time we were pressed for time because of the Ash Wednesday service last night.  We hosted voting the day before, so all the pews were stacked up neatly in a corner of the room (thanks to Cory Anderson).  It made it easier to sweep and mop, but the unstacking is what gets to me.  Not good for my arthritic joints.  This time the only ones that barked significantly were my shoulders, though. 

Date part three was a spur of the moment thing.  On the way home from the church we realized it was almost three o’clock, so we decided to surprise Cailyn when she got out of school.  Not sure who was more shocked, Cailyn or her Mom.  Cailyn was cute when she saw us, though.  She is not allowed to leave until she gives her teacher a high five (love the fun security measure).  Her teacher was busy at the moment, though, so Cailyn was slapping at air over and over again until her teacher finally noticed.  Cailyn ran over and gave me a huge hug, then did the same to Chris.  Then she started talking.  Notice anything missing here?  Her Mom sure did.  When she could get in a word edgewise, April finally said, “Well, what about me?  Don’t I get a hug?”  Sorry, Mom, she was just respecting the older ones.  She did get her hug, though.

Part four of the date was rapidly approaching.  The only appropriate finale to such a creative time together.  We went to WalMart.  Where else?  Oh, and Cailyn came with us.  The perfect end to our dream date.  One of the ladies at the Ash Wednesday service last night didn’t seem to agree, though.  For some reason she thought maybe Chris would have preferred doing something a little different for a date.  Hmm.  I’ll have to ask Chris about that. 

Song of Solomon 2:16 says, “I am my beloved’s and he is mine”

Father, thank you yet again for the amazing lady you gifted me with.  There’s not many ladies who can find romance in cleaning a toilet and walking around WalMart with a granddaughter.  Amen.