Date Night

Tonight was a rare occasion for Andy and I. We got to go on a date night! I can count on one hand the number of times we have gone out without Brady since he's been born. We asked Andy's cousin, Nicole, to come over and watch Brady so we could go out to an anniversary dinner. We didn't do anything to celebrate last year because it was a busy day (on Mother's Day and my brother graduated from college), so we were glad we could go to a nice dinner this year. I had noticed a Melting Pot in Greenville when we first moved here and we've been talking about going to one for a long time, since there's been one close to every place we've lived in the past 4 years. We'd heard really great things from everyone who'd ever eaten at one.

The Melting Pot features a four-course meal for couples. It starts with a cheese dish. We tried the spinach and artichoke cheese and it came with bread, raw veggies, tortilla chips, and apple slices. The waiter told us to prepare ourselves because he said it's ruined all other spinach and artichoke dips for him because it's so good and he was right. It was the best we'd ever had! Even the apples tasted great dipped in it. It was really cool because they prepare everything for the fondue pot table-side. The next course was a salad and we got a California salad that had walnuts, feta cheese, and served with a great black raspberry vinaigrette. The main course was the meat course. We chose the selection that included shrimp, pork, filet mignon, chicken, sirloin, and corn ravioli. We chose to cook them in a pot of bouillon. The meat comes raw and you place it in the boiling pot for two to two and a half minutes. Every piece of meat was delicious and the provided us with an assortment of sauces to dip in once the meat was cooked. The last course was of course, dessert. We chose the dark chocolate turtle. It came with marshmallows, cheesecake, pound cake, bananas, strawberries, and rice krispie treats. The entire meal blew us away and we now know why everyone recommends it. We would certainly recommend it to anyone looking for a nice night out.

Earlier today, we joined the local YMCA. One of the perks of membership is free child care while you use the facility. Before, either Andy or I had to sacrifice so the other could go to the gym, while the other watched Brady. Now, we both can go to the gym and Brady can play with other kids. I knew that if Andy was there when I dropped him off, there would be a meltdown and if they cry for more than 15 minutes they come and get you. So, I went in with Brady and there was only a small whimper when I handed him over. By the time I got out to the hallway and peeked in the little window, he was playing happily with trains. Andy and I spent about 45 minutes to an hour working out before we went to pick him up. For me this is great because I burned more calories in 20 minutes than it takes me in a hour at home on the Wii Fit. When we picked Brady up, we again peeked in the window and he was playing with toy tools. The caregiver said he was great the whole time and they'd have never known that it was his first time. Next month, he will start swim classes, and in two weeks their mini water park will open for the summer.