Tag: date night

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Dinner Dance

How often do Ed and I go out dancing? Not often enough! Last weekend was the first time we’ve been dancing since last year’s dinner dance! Our church’s school hosts a dinner dance yearly for a fundraiser, and last year we went for the first time. Even though Ed and I are very active in our church, we live too far away for our girls to attend the school. We are both alumni of the school, however. (We didn’t attend St. Andrews at the same time, so we didn’t really know each other back then! Ed was already in high school when I started Junior High.)

Ed and Ginny

The Dinner Dance is at a very fancy restaurant called Cafe la Cave. It includes waiters walking around with champagne and hors d’oeuvres, dinner, a silent and live auction, and then of course, dancing! I love the silent auction! I had my eye on a Coach purse and a Vera Bradley purse. The problem with bidding at an event like this is that friends bid against each other! The woman I was bidding against for the Coach purse was very determined, so I switched to the Vera Bradley purse. I won the bid, and I’m glad I did! It’s such a cute purse! Ed had his eye on Cubs tickets. He won the bid for two tickets last year, but this year a friend outbid him. We’ll have to buy our own tickets, because it seems as though this could be a good year for the Cubs!

Vera Bradley purse

I’ll let you in on a little secret; that afternoon, Ed and I went on a training walk for the Avon 39. I tripped on my own two feet and fell all.the.way.down. Lily said I looked like a rolling ball, which was good because I didn’t break anything. However, I did scrape up my knee, my shoulder, my hands and my chin on the sidewalk. My left wrist hurt so badly at the dance that I couldn’t hold my hors d’oeuvres! (Somehow, I managed to hold my Cosmopolitan in my right hand.) I told Ed to twirl me only with my right hand on the dance floor.

I iced my wrist when we got home, and the next day? It felt 100% better! I was so relieved. I really think working on the weight machines at the gym saved me. I’ve been going to the gym now for about a year and a half, and while I still weigh about the same, I feel stronger. So I’m encouraged to keep working out!

Like Cinderella, we didn’t leave the ball until midnight. Unlike Cinderella, I left with both my heels. Ed and I can’t wait until we can dance together again….

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Cocktails

Spin Cycle at Second Blooming

Sometimes a place, an occasion, a certain setting is tied inexplicably to a drink. A cocktail, if you will. I remember the very first place I had a margarita on the rocks; a margarita made with real liquor  and salt on the rim; not made from a neon-green, sickly-sweet mix. I don’t remember exactly who I was with (although I can guess) but I know the name of the bar was Molly’s, and I can picture exactly where it is.

Another memory; Ed and I were gazing out a wall of windows; we were almost alone in the lounge. We gazed out at the stars; we were up high above the rest of cruise ship in one of the highest places on the ship. It was our honeymoon, and we were having late night drinks; I was sipping a cosmopolitan with a lemon twist, and Ed had a chocolate martini. My drink was perfect, and Ed said his drink was delicious, too…but almost too chocolaty, if there is such a thing.

Lemon Meringue Margarita

Going out for cocktails is a little more difficult than it used to be, with two small children at home. But every once in a while, Ed and I will splurge, get a baby sitter, and go out for dinner. After dinner, to make our date last a little longer, we will stop somewhere for a drink. We call our favorite place The Piano Bar, even though that not the real name of this place. We can never seem to remember the correct name. To get to it, you walk down a set of stairs into a basement (it almost feels like you’re walking into a speakeasy, although there’s no guard at the door). Ed and I usually sit at a high table, a cozy spot for two, close to the piano. We order cocktails, chat, and listen to the piano player sing Billy Joel and Elton John tunes. Ed will sip slowly on his Manhattan. I usually order a cosmo…but now, my order has changed. Last time we went there, I had the most heavenly drink on earth…a Lemon Drop Martini. This drink has to become my signature drink!

I’ve never made it at home, but if I ever do, here is a recipe I found that sounds delicious. But first, I need to invest in a shaker. And martini glasses.

  • white sugar
  • 1 long strip of lemon zest
  • 1 (1.5 fluid ounce) jigger citron vodka
  • 1/2 ounce lime juice
  • 1 ounce sweet and sour mix
  • 1 cup crushed ice
  1. Moisten the edges of a martini glass with a little lime juice, and then dip moistened edges into sugar. Place lemon zest strip in glass.
  2. Combine vodka, lime juice, sweet and sour mix, and ice in a shaker. Shake vigorously, and strain into a martini glass.

Gretchen at Second Blooming is our lovely hostess for Spin Cycle. This week, she’s mixing up cocktails!

What’s your favorite alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink?

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