It's who you're with. I'm just sayin' . . .

A date.

One of the best gifts Joey and I can receive - a date.

Sounds simple doesn't it?

Well, let me walk you around in my shoes a bit!

The military life is a mobile life. When you move to a new state in this great union every year or so, it's hard to make third level friends.

Let me explain.
*First level friends are really only acquaintances. You may or may not know their name, but you know who they are and wave when you see them.
*Second level friends are those whose names you know, and actually may have had conversations with.
You may know of their job, bake them cookies at Christmas, or even have them for dinner some time.
*Third level friends are the ones you truly know. Where their from. What they believe. Do they have a criminal record.

Now, back to the date. We can only go on a date if we have a babysitter.
I will only leave my girls with third level friends. And even then I leave a cell phone with them and a ridiculous list of 'do this' instructions for 'if that' situations.
Call me overprotective. It's OK. But I'm determined you will never hear some over coiffed anchor telling my kids' sad story on the evening news squeezed in between headlines of new Pandas at the zoo and the local high school winning a playoff!

What it boils down to is this - we have date night when family is in town.
It's not that often, so we try to make the most of it.

This Christmas we found the best new date place!
Valet parking, Maitre'D, white linens, candlelight . . .Yeah, there was none of that.
It was 1:30 in the wee hours of morning. Joe couldn't sleep. Neither could I.
All of a sudden he hopped up and said, "OK. Let's go!"
"Are you serious?"
"Sure. Let's go!"
Don't have to ask me twice! I put in a ponytail and threw on some sweats. Joe did the same - sans ponytail.
We left a quick message for the 'rents and the kiddos, and slipped away into the night!

Now the big question, where to go?
Hattiesburg, being the booming metropolis that it is, had many choices to offer. There was the IHOP, the Waffle House, the Huddle House, the coffee machine at the gas station down the road. . .

In the end, we went here.

It was a misty, moisty, cool morning. We were greeted with a smile and a hello holler that made me feel like Norm walking into Cheers.
The waitress called us 'darlin' and was johnny on the spot with our order.
We pretty much had the place to ourselves, so we took our time.
We had grown-up conversation and great coffee!
It was perfect.

It's not what you wear, or where you go that matters. It's who you're with.

I'm just sayin'.