A Day to Remember

A few months ago, I got asked out on a very special date, by a very sweet little boy. My son, Gabriel, said he wanted to dress up in his tux and take me out. I was very flattered, and of course could not refuse the offer.

We talked about going, planned out what we were going to do, and even had dreams about going. But now the time had finally come when it was going to be a reality. For the whole week before, Gabriel was smiling about it. He told me one day, "I can't wait until next week!"

Now this was the week of Christmas he said this, so I wasn't quite sure what he was referring to. "You mean, Daddy's birthday?" I asked him.

"No." He seemed disappointed that I didn't know.

"You mean, New Year's Eve?" I asked again.

"No. We're finally going on our date!" He was so excited! I don't believe I've ever had anyone that excited to go out with me. He was counting down the days, until our date finally arrived. I decided we should go in the afternoon so the wait wouldn't be too long that day.

When I had finished getting ready, I walked out into the living room where the children were all watching a movie together. Zechariah took one look at me, and then said to his sister, “ooo, Yeddar (Ariel), look! Mommy, I like it!” And then if that wasn’t enough, Gabriel ran over to me and gave me a big hug then said, “You look beautiful! And I can’t wait to see what you look like when you take the jacket off.”

We started out our date by driving to the park to take a few photos of us in our formal attire. I didn't think just any snapshot would do for the special occasion. I asked Gabe where he thought it would be pretty at, and he chose the rose garden, even though we knew there would be no flowers blooming right now.

So far our winter has been pretty mild, and we have yet to see any snow accumulate. Two days before our date we had beautiful weather outside, sunny and 70 degrees. However that same evening, the temperatures dropped and freezing rain and icy roads and walkways were left behind. Saturday brought us a high of 29 degrees. It was not exactly the ideal weather for a date in formal clothes, but we made the most of it anyways.


After we took 3 pictures together out in the freezing cold, we ran back to the car as fast as my high heels would allow us to run on ice. We both sat in the front seats trying to warm our frozen fingers and toes by the heater. It took several minutes to completely thaw out after our 7 or 8 minutes in the cold.

Gabriel had selected the restaurant he wanted to take me to, and I found his choice very appealing. We had a very tasty lunch together at Olive Garden. On the way in Gabriel got several kind remarks about how handsome he looked, and then our waitress and other servers also commented on how nice he looked in his suit. He was feeling like quite the handsome young man that he is.

Before we got to the restaurant, Gabe told me, "I bet everyone is going to think I'm a grown-up. They'll probably just think I'm a dwarf and not a kid." He was feeling very confident in his suit. So when our waitress brought him an adult cup filled with sprite, he said to me, "I told you, Mom. She thinks I'm a grown-up that looks like a dwarf." I really don't think that was the case. I think she was just being sweet, and it made Gabe's day to be treated so well.

After our formal dinner, I decided since we were out on such a special date, that doesn't happen just any day, we needed to finish it with a movie. Normally, I take my children to the $2 movie theater because with a family of 5 those ticket prices can sure add up if you're watching a new release. But today was special. We got to treat ourselves to a brand new movie at the expensive movie theater. I can probably count on one hand how many times we've been there. Gabriel chose to watch "Tangled" hoping that I would enjoy it too. It was an excellent choice, and we both loved it. I would highly recommend it to you.

We had such a wonderful time together, and I will remember this day forever. I hope Gabe and I get to have many more dates together in the future, but I will always remember this special one. We have been to dinner together before, and we've been to a movie for just the two of us, but this one stands out to me. I think there is something about dressing up in fancy clothes that just makes it feel more extraordinary.