Bottle Your Own

Kevin and I had been planning a long weekend, make that a family weekend, at Papa's cabin in Pollock Pines. However, life got the best of us and we had to cut it to 24 hours, minus the kid.

Kevin, who never works on Veteran's Day out of principle, decided to head up to Charles Mitchell in Fairplay to "bottle your own wine". As we are both virgins to this, it was a perfect date.

We dropped Charlie at Nana's for a slumber party and headed for the hills, literally. I need to stop and mention that at 11:11 AM, Kevin pulled over (not on the freeway) and played Taps (see photo) in honor of this special day. It was lovely. To me, Veteran's Day was just a day off from school. That was until I met Milo Nelson (a special thanks to Jeff Wright for this introduction). I spent many a day at the Veteran's home in Yountville visiting with Milo who taught me about the 11th minute of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918....It was after spending Veteran's Day with Milo many years ago that I began to appreciate this day. I look forward to sharing this story with Charlie.

So, we arrived at the winery with our case of already labeled empty bottles and I stood there feeling quite inadequate. What do we do? Where do we start? Maybe we should just start drinking. So, that's what we did. We tried the three wines that we could bottle. A Bordeaux blend, a Zinfidel, and a port. After buying $10 worth of pizza and getting a little food in my system, I was ready. We decided to purchase a case. $5.99 a bottle...who could resist? It was really so simple. Stick the bottle in and it automatically fills and stops at 750 ml. Pull it out, cork it, wrap it up, and label it. We each fills our bottles and Kevin corked them, while I wrapped them in the foil using a "hairdryer".

The best part of the day was when one of the volunteers asked me who was corking and I pointed to Kevin. "Tell him to put the tapered side down," he said. "There is no tapered side and it'll be fun to watch him try to figure it out." Now, this was my kind of guy. "Hey, Kevin make sure you put the tapered side down," I called over my shoulder. I watched as Kevin held up the cork, examining it, turning it over trying to figure the damn thing out. It was priceless. You all know Mr. Know-It-All and when he asked, "How can you tell?" I busted out laughing.

We made quite the team and learned a bit from the veterans. We placed our labels over are old labels, making our wine bottles look like an old time suitcase with stickers from various places plastered all over. We're not sure if we'll actually spend the time to de-label them for the next go around or just keep adding labels.

We enjoyed some more wine, tasted from the barrels, contemplated joining their wine club...next time, and scarfed down more oven-baked pizza. The day was cool and crisp, but still warm.

We decided that next timewe'd bottle an extra case as Christmas is just around the corner and what a great gift. So, if next year you get a bottle of wine from us, yes, it was cheap, but I promise you'll enjoy every drop.

We headed up the hill, stopped at Holiday market to buy our typical date night food, read by the fire with hot chocolate in our hands, enjoyed many episodes of Entourage...we're finally catching up, and headed to bed early. What a treat to wake up at 6:30 AM knowing that it was my internal alarm that woke me, not the pitter-patter of feet. Yes, we did miss our family cuddle in the morning, but Nana took care of it for us.

Charles Mitchell and Papa, we will be back! Kevin, thanks for a wonderful day!

Expensive, But Worth It

Three years ago on September 15, 2007, Kevin and I said "I do!" I'm just now getting to write about how we spent our three-year anniversary.

My initial reaction to this day was "Three years is such a short period of time and yet three years feels like FOREVER!" This is not bad. My life before a husband and child seems like a lifetime ago, a dream. I just cannot seem to imagine my life without Kevin and Charlie.

Our anniversary day started out in the afternoon when a beautiful bouquet of my favorite flowers (stargazer lilies, gerbera daisies, and tulips) showed up at school with a simple note that said, "Happy Anniversary Love, Kevin". I have vowed to have flowers on my desk all year and this adds such a "happy" element to my classroom. The scent of lilies is still lingering throughout the room. The day had only just begun and I was one happy girl.

The little black dress from H and M that had been waiting forever for a chance to finally see the light of day was removed from its hanger and the tags were snipped off. I decided the jewelry that I wore on the day I said, "I do" was not only appropriate, but was a perfect accent to my outfit. In the spirit of the day, Kevin wore his "wedding jacket." We looked great and I realized that we need to get dressed up and go out more than just twice a year.

Nana showed up at 6:00 to spend quality time with Charlie and we were out the door. "So, where are we going?" I asked. We had agreed the previous week that Kevin would choose the restaurant and I would take care of the after dinner venue. "You SO don't like surprises," was all he had to say. He's right. This Control Freak wants to be in control and know what is lurking around every corner. I am not patient when it comes to things like this. The only clue he had given was that "we could walk if we wanted to be adventurous". Not in these shoes. Anyway, as we turned left onto Telegraph Ave. from Grand Ave. I knew where we were headed and I knew he took the "long way" to throw me off the trail. But as we pulled in front of the Fox Theater, I realized I was wrong. Yes, I was wrong. Across the street was the tiled restaurant that we drove by two years earlier and Kevin stated, "We need to try this." I couldn't remember the restuarent, but I do remember the day in question. We entered Flora, Oakland's premier restaurant and boy, is it deserving of being "the best".

We started at the bar, Painkiller #2 for me and a gimlet for Kevin. No, the Painkiller wasn't in anticipation of the evening. It just happened to be the only "girlie" drink on the menu. Anything with pineapple juice and rum works for me. After settling in and toasting to the rest of our lives, we were seated. Before we looked at the menu, I handed Kevin his gift and a card (yes, it was sappy). Now, like the most caring, thoughtful, kind wife I am, I had been listening to Kevin for months. I knew he had been searching high and low for the Life of Joseph Banks by Patrick O'Brian, his new-found, favorite author. I, too, had hit a few used bookstores and when I turned up empty, I turned to Amazon. The two women to the right of me looked strangely at Kevin's reaction and tried with all their might to read the title. I wanted to say, "It may be just a book to you, but it's better than sex to him." Okay, maybe not better than sex, but a close second. If I never bought Kevin anything other than books, he'd be happy as a clam. So, easy for me.

We reviewed the menu and while I was pretty sure I would be eating salmon that night, I asked our waitress what her favorite was. I was right, salmon over a corn, cherry tomato, basil, and mushroom "salad" it was. Kevin, not surprisingly, had the New York steak with an onion tart. A mixed green salad and bay scallops over fresh sweet peas would be shared prior to our meal. Now, what to drink? Red or white? I knew white complimented fish, but when I came across THE ONE, I knew I had to have it. How did I know it was the one? First, it was a Syrah, our version of the Australian Shiraz and to include Jon and Michael in our anniversary celebration was a must. Second, it was called "Boom Boom". "Broom Broom" means food. Don't ask, we don't know how food became "broom broom", but we know that is what Charlie wants. "Bomb Bomb" is baseball and his snuggle dog. Again, I get the snuggle dog because Kevin "snuggle bombs" Charlie before he goes to bed. Anyway, "Boom Boom" was just too a little too good to pass up. Next, it was from the Colombia Valley ( too close to Linfield). Really? Can it get any better. Why yes. Yes, it can. The winemaker was none other than Charles Smith, not just Charles, but Charles Smith. And what a glass it was.

We enjoyed wonderful conversation while humming our way through dinner. We did, however, have some amazing entertainment to our left. We watched a first date in action. He was a CEO, proud to mention to his date, and looked every bit of the Bill Gates type at about 5' 5" and she was "desperate" and very opposite Bill Gates type. It was clear what she wanted as she held his hand and touched him and it was clear what he did not as he kept saying things that in my opinion would turn any woman away. "I'm not wimpy, I'm just strategic," was one comment I heard. Kevin and I chuckled and commented on how happy we were that we would never have to experience a "first date" again.

A chocolate, peanut butter and nougat dessert brought our meal to a delicious ending.

Anything with peanut butter and chocolate gets my vote, but I also had to have the drink that I saw the bartender create from this beautiful antique. It turned out to be absinthe, a drink that was illegal until five years ago. It was potent, but worth the few sips of licorice I could handle until I turned it over to Kevin. We exited with a happy tummy knowing we would be back.

My turn! So, wanting to keep in the spirit of "our wedding" day, I drove Kevin to the bar that we danced the night away...post wedding reception. Unfortunately, the Serenader was closed and in it's place was the Heart and Dagger. Now, the Serenader was an Oakland favorite which was historically a black bar and I don't mean the decor. On our wedding night, Deanna and Kristie, were asked if they were in the right place. Does that tell you something? Live music, cheap drinks, and Harleys roaring in and out of the "parking lot"- the front of the bar was just what Oakland needed on any given night. We had such a great time that night. Good times and good memories!

We looked out onto the patio and I was secretly hoping I'd see Candi with her big personality, big voice, and big BOOBS! No such luck. The Heart and Dagger is just the opposite of the Serenader. It's a predominantly white bar of 20 and 30 year-old hipsters. We saddled up to the bar and enjoyed a drink and conversation next to James, the token black man in the bar, who shared our sadness in the closure of the Serenader. Regardless, I was glad we entered. To me it will always be the Serenader.

After we shared some memories, we returned home to relieve Nana of her duties and continued on with our anniversary celebration....

Alameda Flea Market

So, we've been hearing about this first Sunday of the month event for over a year and FINALLY got to see what all the talk is about.

It had been on my calendar for months, but of course today we were heading up to Sonoma. Sonoma and wine-tasting or Alameda and crap??? Tough choice. Sonoma was cancelled, as Pat was sick, so Alameda it was. Kevin packed up the kid and we were out the door by 10:00 AM. We decided, ahead of time, to put a three hour time limit on this adventure. Good planning on the part of the parents.

All, I can say is WOW! The flea market was located on the runway of the Alameda Naval Air Station and it went on forever and ever and ever. The weather was perfect. It was warm with a cool breeze. I got a nice little tan (tank top) and my face, well....I am not a believer in sunscreen and I should be. With nothing on our agenda to buy, we zig-zagged our way from back to front.

I was immediately reliving two days in my life where I was so overwhelmed that I had a "break

down". Kevin loves to reminisce about these days laughing his way as he retells the stories. The first was when we went to register at Crate and Barrel and the second was when we registered at Baby's R Us. Now, if you are like me and already had everything you needed before you got married, the idea of more "stuff" to put in a two bedroom apartment was just too much for me to handle. I literally passed the barcode reader to Kevin and ran out the door. After a Chai Tea Latte, I came to my senses. For some reason, a reassuring husband doesn't come to mind. Anyway, we made our way through and Kevin got to hold the "gun" and shoot. I think I remember having some say so.

Baby's R Us was worse. Maybe it was the hormones, but I don't think so. Did I really need all this stuff? I was so overwhelmed. Who needs 15 different brands of breast pumps from which to choose? Did I really need all that cute bedding? And if so, how do I choose between the Cowboy, Sports, All-American, Jungle, ABCs, Brown/Blue, Brown/Green or Monkey theme? Thank GODDESS for Carolyn who A. registered for me and B. gave me EVERYTHING, but the breast pump. Thankfully, all I really needed was diapers and wipes. Everything else was extra. Who needs a wipe warmer...not Charlie's butt.

So, you can only imagine the immediate "holy shit, not this again" feeling. However, being older and wiser, I was ready to take it on. I was amazed at all the stalls. We found it all from colorful tutus to gramophones. We found a stall with old Navy steam gages..Kevin loved this. Do you remember when McDonald's or Burger King gave out Disneyland glasses with a meal? I had the Mickey Mouse and the Pluto glass. Guess what was there? Talk about memories. We rounded a corner and I found "my" rocking horse. A gentleman was buying it for $10 for his grand-daughter...kind of scary as it was 30+ years old and looked every bit of it. I quickly asked to take a picture. Like I said...memories.

I told Kevin we could be rich if we had kept all our "crap" from years past. Thankfully, I'm not a hoarder. However, Kevin reminded me of a chandelier that I made him get rid of when he moved in. Then he proceeded to show me the exact one for $450. I guess I shouldn't look at everything as just junk.

I must say, we had fun and the next time we go I want to look for costume jewelry (which is so not me), but I think would be fun to have. We walked away spending a whole $5 each to enter and walked away empty-handed. We did get some ideas for a future house and know that when we get that future house, we will return.

The best part of the day...our rock star, Charlie. He lasted 2 1/2 hours before he was ready to call it quits. While we only covered about a 1/3 of the market, we saw plenty and will enjoy a return trip.

Photo Op... Almost Forgotten

Who could pass up the card called "Photo Op"? This is what I live for.

Earlier in the week, Kevin mentioned it was going to be brutally hot in Oakland and suggested a family beach trip...Half Moon Bay or Stinson? I jumped at HMB. I had a plan. Lunch at the Flying Fish Grill, a little shopping, and time at the beach. Let's go!

I threw my bathing suit on and a cute little dress and was ready to go. We had hoped Charlie would utilize the hour long trip and nap, but luck wasn't on our side. Not to mention, everyone and their brother had the same idea...BEACH! It took us a while to get there, but it gave me time to enjoy the scenery and reminisce. Half Moon Bay is one of my favorite places and it provides many great memories thanks to Gina and Lauren. We've spent many a day there at the beach, shopping, or dancing the night away at the Half Moon Bay Brewery (ok..so it's in El Granada, but it's close enough).

Luckily, at the peak of lunch, we were seated right away at the Flying Fish and Kevin got his fish tacos, I got my California wrap (filled with fried Shrimp and a mango salsa), and Charlie got his sweet potato fries. Why is it that when you are so excited about something and you finally get it, it's never as good as you remember? The next time we visit, we'll bring a picnic lunch and save the $30.00. However, I did get a thrill out of watching Charlie as he stuffed his mouth full of orange potatoes and Kevin hum as he was in fish taco heaven.

On Main St. we wandered through various stores admiring furniture that was well out of our price range. We are looking for that perfect dining room table and chairs for our next home. Sure it'll be a while, but we might as well be prepared. Actually, we found it at Wooden Duck, but still we love to look. Charlie was a rock star for the most part, but wanted out to walk around. It's tough on the streets when there are a ton of tourists doing the same thing we are. He loves to push his stroller, but if a cop were around he'd get pulled over for a DUI even though he is completely sober. As we walked into my favorite place, Have to Have It, a place with lots of crap (see photos), but stuff that is just super fun, I realized oh, shit this was supposed to be a "date night" and I completely forgot. Good thing Have to Have It is the perfect place for a photo op and I wasn't the only one there with the same idea. There was a girl taking one photo after another. I think it was a class assignment, but who knows. The first shot I saw was from behind the fence. Pumpkin planters in July, really?

Kevin looked at me as if I were crazy. His look saying, "Shouldn't I just be enjoying "family day" just because we were together? Why does every time we are on a date are you thinking of your damn blog?" Okay, so he would never say this nor would he even think this...maybe this is my guilt saying, "enjoy the day and don't worry about what you are going to write about later."

Kevin had a blast in Have to Have It. He found all kinds of antique furniture, old posters, and best of all, an old telephone booth that "if I had a bar, this would be in it." He enjoyed himself so much and I got a kick out of watching "my kid in a candy store". I loved taking photos of random "stuff" and think I may even use a couple on my website. Yeah, I need to create a new one, but that is a whole other story.

After browsing, we headed back down the street looking for coffee when I heard a really loud, rude voice. I turned and loudly cleared my throat hoping to get her attention letting her know she should keep it down. She thought I was being rude and then noticed who I was and laughed. I knew from the get-go that it was Ginny (a WMMS colleague), but was thrilled to see Sally and Sandy as well.

After coffee and a cookie, we jumped in the car and realized while it was perfect weather to be at the coast, it was too cold to go to the beach. We decided to head to Pescadero to go look at our favorite furniture store, Made in Pescadero. Kevin had picked up a flyer stating there was a Barn sale...there were a dozen or so yard sales in the town. Unfortunately, we arrived as everyone was packing up and there was nothing worth looking at. The funny thing is that neither Kevin or I give two cents about yard sales and yet, we wanted to see what sort of crap people were selling. After drooling over a $5,000 dining table (note: chairs NOT included), we headed home, but this time decided to go home over the Bay Bridge enjoying new scenery and avoiding the traffic going over the San Mateo bridge. And did Charlie utilize this time to get in a late afternoon nap...I think NOT!

One for Me, One for Us

Cheap...I think not. So, this entry doesn't follow the line of "cheap dates". Oh, well. We all deserve a little indulgence every once in a while.

After spending an afternoon with Mom going through old photo albums and scrapbooks (a project that is still in the works and has extended to my own home), I left Charlie with Nana and happily drove off for a date by myself. (Get your mind out of the gutter.) I drove home and asked Kevin to drop me off at Family Nails (bad name, great service). I didn't have to pay for parking...see, saving money and using my head. Over an hour was spent with a massage via a massage chair, leg and foot (my favorite) massage and the hand massage. Kevin still owes me two foot massages (a Mother's Day gift). At the last minute I decided to add a cute little flower to my toes. The funny this is, she painted hibiscus flowers on each big toe. The day before, I was wearing a glass pendant with a hibiscus flower that Kevin had made for me in Hawaii. I tried to explain this to her. I'm not sure how much she understood, but she did understand that I was more than pleased with her choice in flowers. Ok, I just realized how easy it is to "go off on a tangent". One story leads to another that leads to another. I should just stick to the "date part", but it's so much fun to let my memory drift to other wonderful memories and on and on and on. Back to the date...

I called Kevin to pick me up and we headed off to Flavors of India, a fabulous restaurant in our neighborhood. We love the ambiance and I could easily decorate my future home, ok, maybe a room like the restaurant with the jeweled colors and hanging tapestries. We ordered wine and enough food that Kevin will enjoy his lunch today. (Edit) Actually, we ate it for dinner and Charlie decided it was so good that he ate off our plates, as well. I was hoping for a walk, but that damn Bay Area summer fog had rolled in and all I wanted to do was go home and put on PJs and socks. I know, romantic. So, I curled up in a blanket, instead.

Kevin had borrowed Firefly (it was so good that they only made one season and stopped) from his parents on our last visit to Chino Hills. I must say I fell asleep during the first episode, but I finally got hooked. Think Startrek meets The Outlaw Josey Whales (I had to ask Kevin for help on this one) with a little A-Team thrown in. It's your basic space western. It's a little hard to grasp, but two of the women are absolutely stunning to look at...yes, I did say this.

It was a lovely, peaceful evening which ended in bed with a book (Kevin with his Patrick O'Brien and me with my Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest....sorry, no further information to be shared. A typical date night for us, minus the kid, which Kevin started missing at 4:00 in the afternoon, while we were still at Nana's. But our date continues as we sit here at Starbuck's laptop to laptop as I write this and Kevin looks for a job."You are looking for a job, aren't you?"

It's actually kind of sweet, sitting across from my husband "working".

We took two cars here, as I'm leaving shortly to pick up Charlie and have lunch with Papa and Yah, and as I saw him walking toward me I said, "Hey, it looks like we are headed in the same direction. Would you like to join me for a cup of coffee?" I was trying to flirt with this "random" man who looked like he was on his way to a cafe, but he didn't get it. I told him I would hit on someone else who would appreciate it. I think it's somewhere in the cards..."meet somewhere, pretend you don't know each other..." I tried. He was... well... clueless.

Cost of One for Me, One for You:

• Beautiful purple toes and light pink nails: $39.00 ( I tip well)
• Dinner with my love: $46.00 ( I round up)
• Firefly: (future trip to Chino Hills in a few weeks- cost: a hell of a lot of gas, but worth every penny)
• Books: (free: library and Fran (Mema Lopez))
• Stabuck's Coffee: (thank Goddess for the Gold Card. We'll need to add to them next time around)
• Time spent together: priceless. I must say, I really am enjoying this laptop to laptop thing...maybe it's my new foreplay. I love you, Honey Pie!

Bench Brunch or in Our Case... Steps Brunch

Being that we hadn't been on a date in some time and knowing that I had planned an awesome Father's Day (which unfortunately didn't happen...a super long story for family ears only), I thought I'd fit in a "quickie" on Saturday morning. I had been perusing my cards looking for something short and sweet. The card says, "Pick your favorite public bench and invite your honey to a bench date complete with bagels, coffee.... Be sure to give explicit directions to the bench were you are to rendezvous...."

I planned this the night before with Charlie's nap schedule in mind, thinking we'd rendezvous around 10:00 AM, right after his morning nap, as he wakes up about 6:00 AM and then goes back down about 8:30AM. Charlie, however, had other plans. Have you figured out yet that this was another one of those "family cheap dates"? The "alarm (aka Charlie)" went off at 7:15 (I love you Sunshine for letting us sleep in), however, and I had some quick thinking to do. I quickly jumped out of bed, told Kevin I had plans for us and to wait for further instructions. "What? No shower? What kind of plans do you have?" he questioned. I could hear it in his voice that he wasn't too optimistic about "my plans".

After getting dressed, brushing my teeth, and throwing my hair in a ponytail, I gave the boys a quick kiss and said, "get a move on and keep your phone near by". I grabbed a sippy cup of milk and a banana for Charlie along with his diaper bag and headed out the door. I drove down to Starbuck's bought a new mug (mine broke, so I took his and bought him the new one. I'm an awesome wife), ordered our Soy Chai Latte and Breve Latte, and texted Kevin, "Ready" (yes, I know I forgot the question mark) while I waited for our coffees. His reply was, "5 min and we're good." A few minutes later, I heard my cell phone ping "Rdy" (God, I hate abbreviations. It took me forever to figure out that BTW meant "by the way"). I ran next door to Noah's and got our regular weekend bagels and hopped back in the car. Sitting in the car, I realized I had forgotten two crucial pieces to the "date" so I texted, "Bring a blanket..it's colder than I thought. Please bring my wedding ring and wait further instructions." I didn't hear from him so I had to ask, "Did you ger (get) my message?" "No" was the response and then I read, "getting ring".

As I made my way to the destination, I started to feel a little giddy, knowing I forgot something key, but I would have to do it at a later date or a different date. As I arrived and knowing I needed a few minutes to set up, I texted, "Head to the car." Immediately, I read, "There."

I jumped out of the car, grabbed the coffee and bagels and our "to go blanket" (best purchase in Chicago. Thank you Bed, Bath, and Beyond) It's a blanket that folds up into a zippered pouch with a strap and it spends its life in the back on the car when our butts aren't using it.

I skipped down the steps and sent, "Meet me at...." trying to make him guess, wait, create some mystery...really I was just being a pain in the ass at this point. So I added to my final text, "the steps where we said I DO!" "Omw" was the response. Still not sure what that is. I know "Mmwaa, Aw, Sweet, OMG!", but what the hell is "Omw"? Oh, my wife...that fits. So, as I sit here typing (as Kevin is watching a ball game) I ask "What is "Omw"? and he replies, "on my way". Should I admit that I'm somewhat disappointed? I think I should have let it be and thought it meant something endearing. The day before I texted him that he looked hot and I got an "Aw shucks!" I think that was the type of thing I thought "Omw" meant. Next time, I won't ask. I'll just enjoy the thought that that little abbreviation that I cannot comprehend means something along the lines of, "I love you, Sweetie. You're the best wifey in the world."

Back to the story. I laid down the blanket on the very spot where Kevin and I were married by Jon. I set out the coffee, milk, and bagels and waited. I enjoyed a few minutes of peace and quiet and re-read a section of my book, The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (this is a whole other blog). After a few minutes, Charlie and Kevin came down the stairs hand in hand. Charlie is now a master stair climber, but still needs a hand once in a while.

Kevin bent over to give me a kiss and handed me my ring. I gave it back to him. He got the hint and he placed it on my finger. "Good job," I thought to myself. The next time, I'm bringing a copy of our vows so we can "get married again". Sitting down beside me, Kevin joined me in our "Steps Brunch" cheap date. Charlie wandered around, explored the endless steps, had a few bites of bagel, and eventually made his way to the park.

During our date, I received a text that my college friend and her kids along with another friend and her kids would be arriving in Oakland at 11:30. I texted back that we would host lunch, as is was cheaper than going out and I already had most of the stuff. "I'll run to Safeway and get stuff for PB and J and run home and shower." I knew Charlie still needed some more play time and Kevin said, "I'll go to Trader Joe's and get lunch for the adults. By the way, the place is cleaned." I kissed him and Charlie good-bye and was on my way. Talk about team work. By the way, I did have about 30 minutes of "cleaning my way", but Kevin and Charlie arrived with a beautiful bouquet of my favorite flowers (Gerbera daisies and lilies). After I jumped out of the shower, I peaked in the kitchen and found Kevin cleaning the stove (his job anyway, but really?) and cleaning off the top of the refrigerator. Now, what is this all about? Either, he was hoping to to get lucky with his wife later on or he was really trying to impress Lisa and Kim. I knew they wouldn't notice the top of the refrigerator, but I was secretly grateful. My guess he was hoping to get lucky.

It was a wonderful, quick "cheap date", all of 45 minutes. But it was a perfectly lovely day, until....like I said it's a story for family ears only. And the CBN (Charlotte Broadcast Network) is going to her grave on this one. I know...it'll be a first.

That's Italian

So, I've come to the conclusion that Date Nights are difficult when you have a baby at home. It's not the money, as the point of this blog is CHEAP DATES, but finding the time. I have been planning "That's Italian" for a few weeks now. The plan was for Kevin to make spaghetti and I would be in charge of the movie. I went to the Netflix site and entered the word Italian in the search box and Mambo Italiano popped up. Sure, why not? I'd never heard of it. It'll either be horrible or silly. So, our first attempt was a combined date night/family night, as Nana was with us. By the time Nana left, I was just too tired to follow through and date night was postponed....

When I arrived at home this afternoon, Kevin mentioned that he had purchased a bottle of Chianti. Perfect, I thought. Knowing we were having spaghetti for dinner, this was a great start to "That's Italian", although the thought of date night hadn't yet crossed my mind. It was Kevin who said, "Don't we have a movie for tonight?" Silently, I laughed to myself wondering how Mambo Italiano would pan out. So, date night it is. Sure, we will have to share it with Charlie, as we can't really ostracize our own child from the dinner table, and yes, we will have to wait to start the movie until after the bath and reading ritual, but we will get our date night in, between innings of the LA Dodger and Chicago Cubs. It was very sweet of Kevin to ask about date night, knowing that the Dodger's were playing tonight. Remember, I am married to one of the FEW Dodger fans in the US. And to think I suggested naming Charlie Dodger. Dodger Riant. Say it out loud. Doesn't it have a ring to it? Kevin is a dodger fan and his first game was at Dodger Stadium with his mom. Names have to have meaning to me and I thought this was a great way to acknowledge Kevin's love of the game and the memory of Mom. OK, so I got off track, but I'm currently listening to the game in the background as I await my meal.

As we were in the middle of dinner, (by the way, Kevin makes a great spaghetti sauce... my dad's recipe ala Kevin, my addition is the dried currents) I explained to Kevin the theme of our date night. "No worries, I didn't rent The Italian Job for our date night movie. He smiled and then I told him that, instead, I rented Under the Tuscan Sun. He looked directly at Charlie and said, "What? I'm giving up baseball to watch some chic flick?" I smiled. We finished our meal, all the while laughing at Charlie shoveling noodles into his mouth. We added some sauce to his buttered noodles and as you can see, a mess was created. Charlie was whisked away to a bath, where he currently sits in an empty tub. Yeah, you pull the plug, the bath is over until you say "I'm ready to get out." Seeing that all his toys are out of the tub (his choice to toss them) and the fact that Mama wants to get this date night moving, it's time to yank the kid out of the tub, dress him, brush the teeth, read the book, and put him to bed. It's Hammer...I mean Mama and Dada time.

35 minutes into the movie, Charlie is still up and fussy. Kevin walked in to "read" him The Hungry Catepillar and within minutes he was out for the night.

Just as we settled back to watch our movie, Kevin jumped up only to return with a bar of Trader Joe's milk chocolate. "I bought it weeks ago and I've been good to keep it A. hidden and B. untouched." My reply, "You read my mind and oh, you shouldn't have. No, you really shouldn't." (I'm trying not to eat junk anymore). You are aware that chocolate and red wine is an amazing combination?

For a complete "chance" movie, it was really cute. I cannot remember the last movie that kept me laughing. It was the Italian version of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, only the main character is gay.

So, to sum it up.."That's Italian" consisted of a family spaghetti dinner, Dad and baseball while Mom bathed the kid, a very funny movie with complete Italian stereotypes, good wine and chocolate, and best of all, I was in bed before 9:00 PM. Now, That's Italian!

Pet the Animals

Saturday found us not only on a family date, but a group date. Jon, Colleen, and Evelynn Clow joined us for a trip up to Little Farm in Tilden Park. Luckily for the girls, we drove with Charlie and the boys took Evelynn. This way we could have our own "girl-date-time" without the boys. The plan was for me to follow Jon, but the curvy roads of Grizzly Peak were just too much for him. I lost him within seconds. Like Kevin, he couldn't resist putting the car into gear and taking the turns as quickly as he could. Needless to say, I knew where I was going and was able to read the signs. We enjoyed the views and quickly arrived at the overcrowded parking lot. There was no sign of the boys or Evelynn. We waited enjoying our time together and eventually the boys arrived. They claimed they went the scenic route and were waiting for us. Yeah, right.

We headed in with our bags of celery. It was an amazingly sunny day with just a slight breeze. Charlie was off and running. First, to the barn to look at the chicks. They were so soft (blocked by a window) and fluffy. Charlie didn't care about these, but Evelynn and I thought they were adorable. We wandered up the hill to feed the goats, who had already been fed and weren't interested much in what we had to offer. Kevin and Colleen "argued" over the wild turkeys..were they or weren't they. Colleen won and I was thrilled. Colleen is wonderful and calling Kevin out. We headed up to the black sheep. I joked "Where's the Green Sheep?" (one of Charlie's favorite bedtime stories. What interesting looking creatures. An enormous mound of black wool sitting on four black toothpicks (legs). We all laughed about the "smart" sheep who actually came over to eat some celery. It was a hoot to watch the sheep take the celery from Evelynn, to watch Kevin shake that "thang" (the celery to get the attention of the "dumb" sheep) and to watch Charlie just try to figure the whole thing out. I cannot wait until he is just a little older so he can make the sounds. He does make a "haaaa" sound for the goats.

The best part of the day was visiting Curly and her piglets, who were just two days old. They were the cutest things and they were all pink minus the one "black sheep", I mean piglet. Now, Curly on the other hand was a good 500 pounds and Curly, really??? I was expecting to see a 400 pound Harley riding bald with a long gray beard guy, not a pig. And for the record, Curly is a male name. They should have named her Miss Piggy.

After visiting the cows, again very funny creatures up close, we headed to the visitor's center. They were closing, not much to see. The only change we would make is to go earlier in the day, enjoy a picnic, and head for a walk around Jewel Lake. Who knew there was a lake?

We ended the visit to Little Farm with a stop at Inspiration Point to look out over the Bay. It reminded me of our first date, "Sunrise, Sunset". I will always have a place in my heart for the Oakland hills and the "View of the Bay".

This was 100% CHEAP, better said, FREE! I have to say cheap dates with the kid and friends was quite fun. A day filled with smiles and laughter, mostly at the expense of the animals, some at the expense of ourselves, was worth while.

Window Shop

As you know or don't know, Tuesday is our usual date night as Nana stays for dinner and then gives us a few hours to have a "date". This time, Saturday was our day. After a lovely wedding for our friends, Paul and Lynette, at Sterns Grove and a drink at the Hyde Out (care of Billy), we were off for some window shopping on Union Street. We found perfect parking (a difficult task in San Francisco). However, before we could peak into one shop, my bladder had other plans, not to mention my stomach. So, in the theme of " 52 Great Cheap Dates", we cheated. We had a burger (for me) and an Ahi Tuna burger (for Kevin). So, we spent $50. We hadn't been out in a while and we enjoyed a meal and drinks without Charlie. I hate to say this, but damn was it pleasant. It was so relaxing to enjoy a meal without having to pick food up off the floor, make sure the kid is happy, and Goddess forbid, rush!

Now, with a full belly we were on our way. Union Street is full of boutiques and expensive ones at that. Which is I guess the point of window shopping. The only shop I knew was bebe and if you aren't a size 0, why bother? We did walk into a few shops and I just laughed at the price tags. I could buy an entire outfit for the price of one shirt. I must say, it brought back memories of Jon and Michael. The first time I met Jon was on their visit to SF and we spent the day on Union St. We shopped and shopped. Now, I can shop with the best of them, but I can also haul ass through stores. If I don't see anything, I'm done. I'm very good at weeding out the crap. Shopping with Jon and Michael, two gay men, what a nightmare! Enough of my date with the boys, this is about my husband. Lucky for me, Kevin is a great shopper. We spent time in Z Gallerie and found a wonderful couch that would be perfect for our place. Oh, yeah! Job! That's the purpose of the blog, cheap dates. I guess buying a $1000 couch doesn't constitute cheap.

Our next stop was an "antique" furniture store (Mid-Century). Not, my type, but fun to wander through and once again, laugh at the prices, yet still admire the beauty. We did make it into one of my favorite's, Twig (a Jon and Michael special). Here Charlie (who wasn't with us) found Nana her Mother's Day gift. It was our only purchase of the day and Nana with love it. Although, I will be adding my own personal touches to the book.

The day was perfect. The sun was shinning, the wind was blowing, and Kevin and I held hands the entire day. I can't remember the last time we held hands for any length of time. I look forward to the next time we go window shopping. Any suggestions?

Games People Play

So, last night was our official date night, but I was exhausted and pissy with Kevin. Needless to say, date night didn't happen.

Tonight, after a wonderful swim at Lion's Pool, I arrived home and told Kevin to get a move on. I knew we didn't have much time (I go to bed early) so our date night was modified a bit. I pulled out Scrabble while Kevin was on the phone (potential job contact...keep your fingers crossed). When he got off the phone, he sort of chuckled. "Did you do this for my benefit?". Damn straight! I would have preferred Yatzee, Skip Bo, Sequence, or Liar's Dice (we are lacking in board games). I have never really enjoyed Scrabble...too much thinking. However, I did kick George's ass once and that felt good.

I poured myself the last of the Trader Joe's Irish Cream (I told you we are on a budget..no Bailey's here) and Kevin enjoyed a low-ball of ice water. I turned on the CD player and Cafe Del Mar came to life.

Game on! I won the "toss" and laid down "van" for 12 points. Kevin was next with "cent" for 12 points. We were tied. I then used my previous word and added "-an" and created "van" again. Is that cheating? Anyway, away we went. I go for the easy words, simple 3 letter words and try to create two or three potential words for my next turn. Kevin thinks and thinks and thinks and thinks. Really? Let's get this show on the road. I couldn't believe it. Anyway, he eventually stole my T that would have earned me 8 points. Instead, I added "-ss" to "a" earning a whole 3 points, but feeling a sense of pride as I called my husband an ass as I laid my "-ss" down. Within one more turn I was able to lay down "pain" as in Kevin is a pain in my ass. My ego was getting the better of me at this point. Kevin took 43 points for "moths"- nicely done and later took 24 points with "zip". Lucky for me I was able to play on this and earn 66 for "quiz". By far the best score of the night.

I must admit that about 30 minutes in I was thinking about what I was going to write and yes, I had my notebook next to me jotting down a few key words that I would later use to help jog my memory as I blogged.

Final score Pain in the Ass: 278 Blog Writer: 217. You win some you lose some. Wait until we play Skip-Bo. Kevin doesn't have a chance.

So, it wasn't the most exciting date night, but it was cheap. It didn't cost a thing. I guess next time we could jazz it up a bit and play strip scrabble and see where that leads. My guess, you wouldn't be reading about it. But then again, it is me writing so maybe you would.

A little side note: As Kevin was putting the game away, I announced that I needed 20 minutes to write. "Oh, yes the blog. No worries, I didn't need to get lucky tonight." So, I'm going on 30 minutes of typing not 20. So, I'm signing off to go and get lucky before I fall asleep. Remember, it's past my bedtime and didn't I just say something to the effect of over sharing.

Sunrise, Sunset

Julie had her recipes, I've got our dates. (Thanks, Nana for the first line!).

This experiment is thanks to Kay Donaldson, who has been such an amazing friend. As those of you who are married know, it's a damn hard job. Add to it a child who's cute as can be, but still has his days, mix in a two bedroom apartment minus the yard for this adorable little one, stir in one middle-school teacher with 15 years experience that still doesn't cut it when you have "Joe" as a student, and blend in one unemployed husband who's never been out of a job for more than three weeks and he's going on six months and you've got your recipe for a lot of girl talk and the need for "52 Great Cheap Dates".

Kay is always texting or sending me cute little emails or cards checking in (mostly so she can get an update on Charlie) to see how I am fairing and reminding me that I am loved. Today, two decks of cards arrived in the mail. The first "52 Great Cheap Dates" (she knows we are broke and "52 Things to Try Once in Your Life" (she knows I need to remember the positives that life brings) by Lynn Gordon. As soon as I opened the package, I smiled. The first thing that came to mind was, "Hey, I should blog these adventures. But which deck of cards do I follow?" After spending a few minutes previewing both piles (should I say, that I was doing this while I was teaching...actually, I think it was before the bell rang), I realized I had already "Gone Fishing", "Changed a Diaper (too many), "Dropped Serious Money" and best of all, "Pooped in the Woods". I decided 52 dates with my husband, Kevin, might be more exciting to write about.

Shortly, after I made my decision, I chose a card. It was a beautiful day, Nana was planning on babysitting (our regular date night), and I was on a mission. I quickly emailed Kevin and asked him to have dinner ready by 5:45 so that we could leave by 6:15. "Roger, Wilco" was his response. Excited to put my plan into action, I breezed through the day even after the 1 hour and 20 minute 504 meeting that was designed for the parent not the student. For those of you who are educators, this is all wrong!

Nana, Kevin, Charlie, and I enjoyed a mustard-crusted beef tenderloin salad and a bottle of Rosenblum Zinfadel. I drank too much, not really, but it sure did hit me. Kevin decided he wanted to put something "nicer" on. I still hadn't told him the plan, but quickly told him "Don't worry". If you know Kevin, he changed his shirt. The clock struck, 6:15, I grabbed two coffee mugs (we're saving the enviornment and 20 cents 1 Breve Latte and 1 Soy Chai Latte at a time), Kevin said, "we'll this isn't what I expected" and off we went. "Head to Starbuck's on Lakeshore." Kevin dropped me off, I made my purchase and was back in the car in 10 minutes. "Head for the hills," I directed my husband. "How far?" he asked. "All the way," I smiled. We meandered through Monteclair and admired the houses (this is one of the neighborhoods we'd like to live in) until we reached Skyline. "Left or Right?" Kevin asked. "Find the sunset," I replied and to the left we went. Kevin spent several minutes of trying to locate the perfect place. I was unable to view the city from the first stop. Yes, I couldn't see over the dash. So, Kevin pulled out and tried again. Just getting "there" was an adventure. My Mr. Perfect husband was now driving me mad. Just find a spot! We can see the whole damn bay from anywhere up here, I thought to myself. Just north of Marlborough Terrace, Kevin stopped the car, rolled down the window, and opened the panoramic moon roof.

OK. We're here. Directly, in front of us was Mt. Tamalpais. Wispy clouds hung in the blue sky and the haze distorted our view of San Francisco, although you could see the lights from AT & T Park where the Giants were playing the Pirates. I knew I needed to enjoy this first date, but all I could think of was, "Shit, why didn't I bring a notebook to write with? I should be writing this down. No, I should be relaxing and enjoying this. How do I describe the colors? How do I...." This is so typical Charlotte. I need to learn to enjoy the moment and not worry about what is at home waiting for me. But it's just not me. My mind goes at 100 MPH. I decided to give myself some time to "stop and smell the roses", or in this case, stop and enjoy the view. Here I thought sunset equalled romance and all I could think about was this blog. I finally leaned over and said, "Wanna make out?" We kissed like teen-agers for a few seconds, nothing to write home about, but at least we did it.

The first thing I noticed was the constant stream of bikers (both bicycles and motorcycles) enjoying the clear sky and windy roads. As a group of 5 "guys" on bicycles rounded the corner, I said, "You need to find yourself a group." Five months before Charlie was born (yes, Charlie is about to be 14 months...do the math), a generous sum of money went to the purchase of a new-used road bike for Kevin. This beautiful bike is getting more attention from Charlie (he likes to play with the peddles) than its owner and I would like to see Kevin enjoy a few days/nights a week touring the back roads and yes, getting into shape. Losing myself in this thought, Kevin broke my concentration by pointing out a freighter leaving the Bay and sailing under the Bay Bridge. We watched him or is it her pass by Treasure Island, around Alcatraz, and turn left to make his/her way under the Golden Gate and out into the Pacific to wherever he/she was going. "China," was my guess just because everything is made in China. Besides, this is my date, my blog, and I get to create my own story.

I made sure I did do the one thing that I was supposed to on this date and that was watch the sunset. The sun took it's time melting into Mt. Tam, but as soon as it hit the top of the mountain, the sun quickly disappeared leaving Mt. Tam in an amazing sillouette. During the sun's departure, Kevin told me to hold my thumb up to block the sun so I could get a great view of the colors. I did, but didn't see why he was so excited about this. I must say, the colors were spectacular, muted, but picture perfect. The view reminded me of the southwest. I'm not sure why as I've only been there a hand full of times, but there was something about the way the yellows and oranges turned pink and purple and blended in with the blues of the mountain and Bay.

Kevin noticed that the only "action" taking place was at the ball park and at the Port of Oakland. Being that it is Oakland, I'm sure there was all types of "action" taking place below us.

While watching the clouds change colors, I decided to pull out the deck of cards that Kay had lent me and share my newly found idea with Kevin. I explained the idea of the blog and began to read through several cards trying to decide our next destination. We quickly discovered that many of these "dates" will need to be a threesome. Sorry, not that kind. Yes, Baby Charlie will be a part of these, but we are both looking forward to sharing these future outings with him.

Once the sun had set, it was time to go. It was getting late. 8:00 PM is heading toward my bedtime and we wanted to get Nana home (by the way, she was passed out, hidden by a blanket with the lights out when we arrived home).

What did I learn from this adventure? First, don't forget a camera. I want to document each date with a photo. Thank God, Kevin had his iphone. Second, "stop and smell the roses". I will be able to document our dates when I return and if I forget something, who cares or better yet, who will know. This is all about us, Kevin and I enjoying the hour or two we get to be by ourselves. Third, RELAX! Wait, isn't that what I said in number two. I guess I really need to make that a priority. Fourth, dating can be cheap. It only cost us $6.80 and we could have skipped the coffees if we'd been really trying to save. Fifth, this is going to be a process, not just the "dating", but the writing. I've been at this for over an hour (WAY past my bedtime) and I'm not sure I've finished. I guess I can always add more at a later date. In the meantime, I'm scanning the deck of cards wondering where date #2 will take us.