is making more of an effort to better CONNECT with those i love.
if i've learned anything in all my years,
i've learned good relationships don't just happen.
they require some nurturing.
i've been thinking of specific things i can do to keep the relationships i have that are strong,
remaining so, and what i can do to help strengthen those that aren't.
some things will include more phone calls, ocassional kind texts, sending random
notes/card, giving of my time, small tokens of affection, and occasional trips (if financially feasible).
most important is keeping the relationships in my home strong,
so getting back to regular date nights with christopher was at the very top of my list.
second on my list is having mommy and son outings with finn and scoutie
(individually) since it's rare we get alone time together.
tonight was c and i's first first date of the new year.
i was hoping to surprise him and take him to a lighted driving range
so we could hit some golf balls (i've always wanted to do this and i knew he'd love it).
unfortunately, some serious santa anas blew in and that was out of the question
i'm going to have a hard enough time just hitting the ball off the tee without wind,
so that's for another date night...
5 minutes before the sitter arrived, c suggested dinner at the bali hai,
a restaurant just around the corner from us.
i'd never been before and was looking forward to it.
we were seated at a cozy table along the glass
overlooking the harbor and with view of san diego's skyline at night.
the view was perfect.
the food superb.
the service excellent.
(i'll most definitely be taking out of town guests here)
i can't speak for christopher, but i had one of the best evenings out with him in a long time.
i forget how great it is to just sit and talk - to give each other our undivided attention.
last night, a tiny part of our conversation was about the camera/lens
(we are still waiting to hear the extent of the damage),
but most of our evening was spent talking about travel, and our passion for it.
we talked about all the places we'd like to visit (the lists are long),
and about some of our past adventures together.
we laughed recalling our first trip to europe.
we walked for miles around vicenza, italy
looking for andrea paladio's famous villa rotonda.
my 'fresh out of architecture school' hubby just had to see it.
hours later, we arrived to find it CLOSED on mondays.
it was a monday.
we were rookie travelers then - never even bothered to look it up.
still, that day brought us some of the best memories of that trip.
we walked along quiet and beautiful country roads,
and even through vineyards that seemed to go on forever.
when we finally arrived back to town on foot
(the buses were on strike)
we were exhausted and starving.
when we walked over the footbridge into town,
we were rewarded with a spectacular sunset.
i couldn't remember the last time we even discussed that trip.
so this was a reminder why date nights are so important.
they give us time to share, reminise and ultimately connect.
~ our sitter offered to come over bi-weekly if we preferred.
oh it's tempting, i'm not sure if our budget will allow it,
but i'm giving this some serious thought...
