That ol' ball and chain...

is looking pretty good this morning.

Last night we dropped the kids off at my inlaws and had dinner with some of Kev's old college friends, as part of a memorial for Ed. In town for the event was Kev's best friend from college, who is a bachelor. (And, weirdly, a brief crush of mine before Kev and I began dating. Don't think I didn't ponder the "whatifs" once or twice last night, and look at my darling with renewed adoration.)
ANYway, he's a nice guy, successful, seems to be happy with his career. We discussed for a while the whole marriage and family vs. not so much thing, since the poor guy's mother is really putting the pressure on him to start breeding, like, yesterday. But marriage and family just don't seem to be in the cards for him, by his choice. I'm happy he's enjoying his life.

But then we left the restaurant. Instead of picking up the kids, my darling and I slipped home for a bit of alone time first. Afterwards, we went to my inlaws, where we carried our sleeping children to the van, with their little arms around our necks and their heads resting on our shoulders. Carried them to their beds at home the same way. Sweet little kisses all around.
Brief downtime for the grownups with book and computer, then my darling and I snuggled up in bed together and fell asleep in one another's arms.

Ball? Chain? Yes please, with a side of rugrats.



BTW, in a bit of real life intrusion, I'm annoyed with Elizabeth's feet. Last year, at the beginning of soccer season, I paid a significant amount of extra money for the fancy soccer cleats. They were the most cunning little things, in the royal blue of her school colors, and a nifty little feature that allowed them to expand from a 12 all the way to a 1 when needed! I figured they were worth it, since they were good quality and she could wear them two years in a row.
It worked partly. They're still in excellent condition and all ready for soccer season, which begins for her league in a couple of weeks. Her feet? Are a size one and a HALF.

That ol' ball and chain...