Coffee with Dave

This morning I had coffee with Dave.  You're thinking BIG DEAL right?  But, it is!  We haven't had coffee together for THREE weeks!

And as anyone who has kids knows, finding quality mom and dad time is sometimes challenging.  So,  "getting coffee" has always been our thing.  It's when we catch up, talk about the kids, talk about the house, talk about our dreams.  You know, those crazy dreams,  like when we will go on vacation without our children?

But since his work has been so busy lately,  Dave has been working seven days a week.  Admittedly, this really helps out when Anna's college housing (ouch!) is due.  AND, it allows me to stay home and be mommy, housekeeper (sort of), chauffeur, birthday present purchaser, dog walker, and recently, blogger.   Okay, you get the picture.  And, yes, I do see him every day after work, so it's not like I'm deprived or anything.  But, I still miss him;  or at least that time with him.  

So what happened 3 weeks ago?  Well, that was our 20th Anniversary Trip to Beautiful British Columbia.  At least that's what all the license plates say.  And I have to agree with them.  For the three days we visited, Victoria was just that.

And, remember those crazy vacation dreams--without our children--that I just mentioned?  Well,  it had been ten years, TEN YEARS, since Dave and I vacationed without our children.  So we felt we deserved it.  

So, off Nora Jane went to Grandma's house.  Thank you Grandma Garnet!  Off Jack went to Grandpa Dahl's house.  Thank you Dad!  And off we went.  

Our trip started off beautifully.  The drive to Port Angeles was sunny and cloudless,  and the ferry ride to Victoria was gorgeous!  Although, I was surprised to see The Coast Guard escorting us for the first half of the trip.  

Waiting to get off the boat in Victoria.  See how smiley I am?
The return ride was not so smiley.
The water was rough and I spent  half the trip on deck,
in the cold, trying NOT to throw up.

Speaking of National Security, while we were waiting to board the ferry, I got to talk to one of the bomb sniffing dog handlers and admire his BEAUTIFUL Visla.   And I know she was on duty, hard at work ensuring our safety, but I REALLY wanted to pet her.  I did not.  Her owner didn't offer, and I felt it was inappropriate to ask. 

Upon our arrival in Victoria, we quickly passed through customs, and found ourselves being entertained by a local street performer.   We watched for a few minutes, until the hat came out, and then off we went.    We had stuff to do, sights to see, food to eat!  I hadn't been to this city since my eighth grade field trip.   I had no children tugging at my purse,  and I was ready to go, go, go!

And for two and a half days that is exactly what we did NOT do!  Instead, we totally relaxed.  We went to dinner.  We had cocktails, which we don't really do too much, but what the hell, we were out of the country!  We had coffee--each morning!  We explored the city on foot, and when we got tired we hopped onto the city bus and rode out to Butchart Gardens;  which is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.  And it totally makes my flower beds at home look so lame.  

This fuschia reminded me SO much of Nora Jane
and her love of fairies.

The Dahlia Garden at Butchart Gardens was INCREDIBLE.
This was one of my favorites.

After the garden tour, we tried to get hockey tickets to see the Victoria Royals in their season opener, but we weren't aggressive enough at making our wishes known, so we went to dinner at a local pub and then saw "Drive" at a nearby theater.  

I think I am trying to prove to Dave that his beer, the Harp,
was lighter and, therefore, less manly than my beer.
He didn't buy it either....

And I loved this movie.  David?  Not so much.  It was a dark film, for sure.  But the characters were so real and played off one another so well.  And Ryan Gosling?  Well, let's just say, he's one of my new favs.  He played the main character, and didn't really say much.  Nor were we given much information about his life up to the point in the movie, but his interaction with the other characters (and the toothpick!) was wonderful and real.

Then, in the blink of an eye, it was time to come home.  But for those three days, life was calm, easy, relaxing.   And, as I type this, I am amazed at how quickly real life just picks up, right where we left off, making even the most recent memories seem old.  

See how relaxed we looked? 

So I'm very grateful for the hour I had with him, all by myself, at Starbucks this morning.  I don't really even know what we talked about; nothing important really.  But since he left for his week long hunting trip right afterward, it'll hold me over until he comes home.  

Nora was also excited to find Daddy at home this morning.  So, they walked to school together-just the two of them.