Day Dates

If I'm being honest, it's sometimes hard to remember our life before kids. When I find myself daydreaming of our first date in high school, long-distance college days, apartment living days as a newly engaged couple, or newlywed babies in our early 20's, I can't help but think how much free time we likely had to go on dates. Did we go on dates? I'm sure we did. But I can promise you we didn't appreciate them as we do now.

Today kicked off the first full week of 2022, which meant the kiddo's winter break officially came to a close, and it was time to head back to school. The morning alarms were tough to hear, and Emmett made sure to activate his usual "sloth mode" when getting ready - but eventually, the backpacks and winter bags were in their hands, and they were out the door. I sensed a little nervous energy heading back after a two-week hiatus, but they both said they were excited to see their teachers and friends.

Mitch and I were excited for today too! Both of our companies were closed for the New Year holiday, which meant we had an entire day to do whatever we wanted while the kids were at school! Can you say day-date?

I made the conscious choice to set aside my usual uniform of black workout leggings and a grey sweater. I was an actual grownup and put on "real" clothes for the special day-date occasion. Not slumping around in my workout gear all day 2022 goal. I like to challenge myself with new year resolutions, as you can tell. 😉  In my adult outfit, I was ready for our day date.
First stop, breakfast! Is there anything better than going to a restaurant for breakfast? I don't know why I love it so much. Maybe I love it because the menu is simple (fewer decisions for us indecisive folks is always a plus), there is bottomless coffee, and there is always a table of adorable seniors sippin' coffee with their buds.

Lynde's in Osseo is minutes from our house, and we pass it regularly coming to and from hockey practices. The timing never works to stop and eat, so I was delighted when we pulled into their parking lot as our first stop. We were seated in a cozy booth, where Mitch and I were able to sip coffee and just - talk. It sounds so simple, but we get into our daily routines with the kids and often have our noses in our phones more than we should. It was delightful just chatting with my husband and not having a kid say, "can I play your phone?" or "I'm just sooooo bored."

The food? Delicious. The coffee? Hot and endless. The restaurant atmosphere? Adorable. It's everything you could want in a breakfast spot, and it was the perfect start to our day date.

Next, we did a little shopping. No exciting purchases, but I remembered how aimlessly roaming a store with him can bring me such joy. I was busy handing him shoes to try, pairs that I knew were out of his comfy zone. Actually, I've been binging Queer Eye, and I've seen Tan style many men in these boots and feel Mitch needed a pair. Spoiler alert, he did not get the boots. QE boots or no boots, shopping with him was still a delight.

All that shopping made us thirsty, so we bellied up to the bar at The Factory for a drink. Ultimately we ended up at trusty ol' Malone's for lunch and pull tabs. I think our motto is, "when in doubt, Malone's is the route!" We love it. Our kids love it. Honestly, what's not to love? We ordered our usual and ripped tabs at the bar while continuing our kidless conversations. We even won $200 in our first stack tabs!

Not ready for the day-date to end, Mitch asked if we should get an afternoon coffee at The Annabelle House in Osseo before going home. Seriously, how sweet is that? Plus, I will never say no to a cold press. We pulled up to the charming little coffee shop nestled in my favorite small town of all time, and it just felt like the ideal way to end our incredible day date.

Looking back 15 years ago, would I have appreciated a day with Mitch eating breakfast, going to a few stores, having lunch, and an afternoon coffee? I don't think I would have. It would be just another day that got lost in life's bustle.

But today didn't feel ordinary, or like a day I'll forget by the end of the week. It was an unexpected day date with my husband that I didn't realize I needed. That we needed. A real reminder that we are fun, gosh darn it - and there is no one else I'd rather be day-dating with than him.