French Food & Funny Romans

It really was a great night and that really was some amazing water. 

What can I say? We are impressed by strange things.

Our intention Saturday morning was to get up, hit the trails, go home, nap and head out for our first date night of the month. True to Texas winter form, we woke to 29 degrees after a 65-degree night, strong northern winds and my runny nose. Just like that, the hike was off...again.

After a day of rest and a couple of doses of vitamins and allergy meds, it was time to dress up and head out. We were all set for my first date night of the year! February is my month to plan and I wanted everything to be perfect.

 And honestly, it wasn't, and it kind of was. 

It wasn't because we got a late start and I was pretty stressed we weren't going to be able to make dinner and the show on time. If you ask my husband, I don't mask my anxieties very well and I kind of let them bleed all over everything else. It wasn't perfect because the activities I picked were both very new to us and J (love him more than life itself) takes awhile to warm up to new. It wasn't perfect because I spent most of my evening worried whether or not I had done as good a job as he did when he planned our first date last month.

I almost ruined the evening with all of my "it wasn'ts". 

But then, there were the perfect parts too. 

 It was perfect when we stepped foot into a warm, peaceful environment with soft French music playing and were seated near some friendly faces we haven't seen in years.

It was pretty perfect when we ordered sparkling water and were presented with this gem of some amazingness called Found that we can't seem to find anywhere else! As an aside, we have decided that it is definitely our new favorite and will find its way into our backpacks as a treat for completing long hikes! Amazon is the only place we have found it so far...it will find it's way to our doorstep soon. 

It was near perfect when these beautiful dishes were delivered to our table and after the first bite, we finally understood how French cuisine can really be considered art. 

All it took was one bite, and life as we knew it was forever changed. 

Like, for-ev-er. 

We have never been to a French restaurant and we left wondering if we ever need to eat another type of food again.

 Ever. 

The ambiance, the food and the company (my husband is pretty cute) lent themselves to two very happy, and soul-filled French food first-timers stumbling out and heading over to our next first.

Just across the street, we entered a quite unassuming storefront under a marquee. What we actually walked into was a whole other world. Reminiscent of only what I can describe as the Roman Coliseum squeezed into a local bar, we entered a raucous room full of noise, laughter, noise, people in togas, noise, families dining together, noise, flying popcorn and noise. 

It was a bit overwhelming to the senses, but it was a new experience and I was all in. Because God is good, we were seated in the far wing of the room, instead of dead center. Just the spot where my forever-a-cop-in-his-heart husband could survey the land and keep an eye on the only visible entrance to the place.  And..it was out of the way of most of the projectile popcorn. Score. 

As the Final Adventures of Hercules (it's Heracles...you had to have been there) began, the constant stream of humor littered with just enough innuendo broke through my favorite perfectionist's armor and we were able to really begin to enjoy ourselves. 

We learned two things from our theater experience: 1) We have to do this again and 2) Throwing popcorn in a way that it actually manages to hit someone on the stage is not as easy as you think.

Even though there were a few hiccups, the night was really a success. We started this date night adventure with the main goals of spending time together and making the effort to experience new things. And for the night, both items were quickly checked on our list. 

February date #1 was a win thanks to Edith's French Bistro, Pocket Sandwich Theater and two over 40 first timer's with big ideas!

(Not pictured: My completely eviscerated Short Rib Poutine)

It's amazing to me that two people can spend almost 30 years together and still find new ways to fill their time. It just takes a little thought and a willingness to stretch yourself outside of your comfort zones. 

We are always looking for fresh ideas. Please feel free to share with us any suggestions you have!

"You'll never get bored when you try something new. There's really no limit to what you can do."

Dr. Seuss