A toast to quiet dinners and other rare luxuries

Imagine a Friday night excursion to Russ' (for those of you not from West Michigan -- think Big Boy with wooden shoes and pants that come up way past his belly button).  You bribe your kids to sit down and keep quiet by letting them sip guzzle pop from their kids cups and feigning fascination as they perform dot-to-dot puzzles on their kids' meal placemats. You feel a bit self-righteous because you ordered a Slim Gem sandwich and actually said no to fries, although you know you will pick at any left behind on your son's plate. Across the restaurant you notice an older couple who are already finishing their cream puffs and coffee because they arrived for dinner at 4:30 p.m.  The gentleman is wearing a tie, and the women has ironed her favorite blouse for the occasion. They haven't spoken in 15 minutes, other than some quiet words exchanged as they shake their heads while watching you clean up the ketchup that your three year-old insisted on squirting by himself.

Sound familiar? Well, maybe it's just me...

This is why I believe every couple -- especially those with young children -- need to go on dates. Even if the date is a late dinner at your own table after your children have gone to bed.

This is also why I feel incredibly blessed and refreshed that my husband surprised me for my birthday and took me away for two whole nights.

This was our favorite dinner and view. It was a quiet meal. Not because we were too tired, distracted, or annoyed to talk -- but because we just had the luxury of two whole days together and had space to relax.

I don't think I have to justify the fact that I love my children to admit that part of the extravagance of going away with just the two of us was that:

• No one fought over who got to push the elevator button at the hotel.
• We were able to get in and out of our car in less than 30 seconds.
• Not once did I sing, dance, or hum along to the lyrics, "Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog..."
• I peed alone.
• We rode in the car with the windows open and no one screamed or cried in the backseat.
• I bought a $2 bottle of water, and no one poured it on the ground, just for fun.
• I drank a whole cup of coffee, without interruption and having to warm it three times in the microwave.
• I stopped at Meijer for one thing, and actually checked out with one thing. It took five minutes.

Oh, and when I walked past that mother strapping her kids in their carseats and heard them screaming and crying, I did not whisper; I did not shake my head. I smiled lovingly, and missed my kids just enough to want to go back home. (Though we did take the long way.)