Mommy night out--woo hoo!

Friday night, I went with my group of gals from the office (we've been dubbed the Cashmere Mafia) to downtown Fort Worth for a night of debauchery. Well, there wasn't too much debauchery--just some dancing and acting silly and pancakes in the middle of the night--but it was a great escape from the mommy routine. It had been a long week, and seeing it had been MONTHS since I'd last gotten a break from the daily grind, I jumped at the chance to enjoy an evening off-duty.

Becky, Heather, Renee and I met up at 8.0's in Fort Worth, where we sat on the patio and enjoyed some unseasonably warm weather and laughed with Heather's Fort Worth friends, Tobin and Eric, as well as Aaron, a guy-friend from the office that had tagged along as well. We met up with Ryan, another friend who lives on the West Side, and then all 8 of us headed over to Aqua Lounge for some dancing.

We got to the door of Aqua, but found out that a live band was playing, so we skipped out and headed to Nine, another dance club down the street. We staked out a great table in the back of the club and hit the dance floor. At some point, Renee's camera made its debut, snapping a ton of pictures of me looking horribly drunk--eyes squinty, mouth hanging open mid-sentence, or in some kind of weird dance pose--which is quite ironic, considering I was the only sober one of the bunch (I had to drive back to Wylie that night, which is a 45 minute drive across 15 different police jurisdictions--no drinking for me, thanks!). We partied like rock stars (well, minus the copious amounts of drugs and groupies) and had a great time. I got to turn down a couple of twenty-somethings' offers to dance, which was quite satisfying (yeah, I still got it!) and pretty hilarious--it's amazing how quickly they run the other way when you tell them you are married and have a 3 year old at home! At 2 AM we we're thrown onto the street with the rest of the crowd, so I gathered everyone into my car and Tobin's, and the two sober people escorted the not-so-sober-but-quite-hilarious-ones to breakfast at Ol' South Pancake House.

Ol' South is a total dive, located about a mile from TCU's campus, that thousands of drunk college students have migrated to in the wee hours of the morning since the 1960's. It is a mecca for people-watching: 60-year-old waitresses with bee hives, college preppies looking a little un-tucked after a few too many, frat boys being rowdy, frat girls trying to soak up the liquor with pancakes and maintain some dignity as they run for the bathroom to hurl. The food is greasy and cheap, the service is usually grouchy but efficient, but it is a tradition I enjoyed for many years at TCU, so it was fun to go back to one of my old haunts.

After breakfast, I drove everyone back to Eric's apartment (they were crashing there, not driving) and hit the road to drive home--at 3:30 AM! I turned up the radio and sang along, riding my adrenaline wave from the night all the way home. When I pulled in the driveway at 4:30, knowing that I would be awakened by a little one at 8:00, I suddenly felt VERY OLD! I drug myself out the car, my bad knees creaking from all the dancing, my head beginning to pound from the hours of loud music, and crept into bed next to my hubby.

It was a great night, a much-deserved break, but in the light of the morning Saturday morning, made me quite grateful for the life I have at home. No longer do I have to spend my nights looking for a guy to love. No longer do I have to worry about where I'll be crashing or who will be driving me home after a night of drinking. No more drama amongst girlfriends, no more arguments about the trivial things that seemed so important when I was dating. As I looked over my swimming-pool-sized cup of coffee the next morning at my wonderful husband, who so patiently allows me to go out with the girls and stay out 'til the wee hours without ever blinking an eye, who has gladly given me this much-needed night away from Mommyville and even made us all breakfast the next day, I realize how fortunate I am. I have a loving and secure husband, who knows just when to step back and give me some time away. And with this man, we have created a sweet and smart child who, although can drive me nuts some days, is truly the joy of our existence, who gives my life meaning and purpose that far outweighs any experiences I may have had in my pre-mommy days.

I enjoyed my night out--which has given me just the break I needed so I can enjoy another few months of fun, family nights IN.