On Monday evening, I went for a run.

That’s right, I went for a RUN.  If you know me, you would know that’s a huge feat.  I am not a runner, and I hate running.  But I’ve been going to the gym for a few weeks, and I was getting really bored.  So I went for a run in Kitsilano.  The last time I did that was, oh, 9 years ago.

Ok, so the running has nothing to do with this post.  I just sneaked that in there to tell you I went for a run.

As I was running along Broadway, I passed by at least a dozen pubs.  On a week night, it surprised me that the pubs are quite busy.  With the great weather we’ve been having, the patios are full and all the patrons are drinking beer and having a good time.

It made me think, oh, it would be so nice if Cliff and I can come here for a beer and some wings late at night.  Oh, it would be so nice if we can enjoy sitting on a patio and talk about whatever we felt like.  But the reality is, we don’t have a babysitter.  We don’t have grandparents available to watch their grandson while mom and dad go out for a date night.

Cliff and I were never big on “date nights” before we had Joshua.  Most evenings we either worked or hung out with friends or vegged out in front of our computers.  We rarely eat out because we enjoy cooking and eating at home.  So it’s not like staying home with Joshua is detrimental to our marriage.  And after having Joshua, we do go out and hang out with our friends, but separately.  I hang out with my friends, and he hangs out with his.  It’s just that we don’t get to both go out at the same time.  While I was running past all the people drinking their beer and having fun, I wished we could go out.  Together.

So I came up with a plan!  Yes, a plan!  It’s going to be cheap and easy too!  How many more exclamation marks can you handle?

I made some salsa with vine ripe tomatoes, garlic, green onion, red onion, peach, and lemon juice.  I bought a bag of tortilla chips and some beer.  I cleaned up our balcony and set out some candles.  After Joshua went to sleep and after my run, I set up the food and drink on our balcony and invited Cliff to join me on a date.

That’s right, we had a private balcony at Pub Mama tonight.  The weather was gorgeous, the stars and moon were bright, we had a view of the ocean and the North Shore mountains, and we had the best table in the house.  We drank our beer, ate chips and salsa, and talked.  We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

I think we’ll be doing this more often!