Monday, January 12, 2009

True Romance

I had a girl's night out on Saturday. It was lots of fun to spend some time with friends. We saw a movie together and after the movie, we got some dinner. Over dinner, we talked about the movie and talk turned to some of the more romantic scenes. Since a couple of us have been married for quite a few years, we mentioned that we haven't had a romantic moment in some time. But then I thought twice...

When it was time for me to leave for my night out, Aaron was very busy. He was cleaning the catbox (without me even having asked/nagged!) while also keeping an eye on Haley and Preston playing in the backyard and entertaining Brekken who was sitting in the kitchen on the other side of the gate to the cat/laundry area. And when I asked if I should at least take Brekken with me, he sent me off with assurances that he could handle all three kids.

So there's my true romance. My husband was cleaning up around the house and kept all the kids (even though he had a cold and wasn't feeling so great) just so that I could go have a few hours out with my friends. I tried to return the favor - we had dinner at Chipotle, which is one of Aaron's favorites. So I took home dinner to him. And when I stopped at Target on the way home to pick up a few essentials, I also picked up some of his favorite sorbet as a thank you.

It all just made me think about romance and how once you've been married for a while, you think that you don't have romance in your life anymore. So sure, there's no dancing in a moonlit gazebo going on at my house, but there are other things that show love just as much. It's not so much that my expectations are lowered as that my priorities have changed. And because of those changing priorities, household chores and childcare have become every bit as romantic as anything Hollywood comes up with.

Just a little something for me to remember the next time I watch a chick flick!

No comments: