January 15

We went out on a date tonight. A real live date where we left the kiddos with a baby-sitter and ate at a restaurant by ourselves. (Well, it was a very crowded, very loud restaurant, but we were there solo!)

(He's never been a compliant photo subject. Not even going back to 1997, when we first started dating. He makes weird faces or looks annoyed. So I take what I can get, for better or worse.)

As we waited for our food, we chatted. At some point, we determined that our last date was back in September when we went to see "Dancing with the Stars," so it'd been a while. But all time considerations aside, it's good to get out now and again, because those brief little dates help to remind me of what a blessing he is in my life. My cheerleader, my comforter, my best friend. And having someone like that walking alongside you in this oft-challenging life is one of the biggest blessings of all.