So this was our first date night in awhile! So glad to have Chris back, and glad to get back to date nights! I went ahead and planned this weekend again since Chris was gone for the last three weeks. On Saturday there was a gun and knife show at the local El Maida Shrine. The event was packed! It took us forever to find parking. There was an entrance fee, and then we immediately bought raffle tickets (I don't remember what the gun was that was up for raffle, but Chris was excited about it). There were a ton of booths crammed into the auditorium. Some showed guns, some showed knives, and still others were completely unrelated (jewelry, antiques, etc.). We walked around for awhile and Chris ended up buying a cleaning mat for his M&P .40 that shows how to break it down. On our way out, we stopped at a quilt booth for the Wounded Warrior Project. With a donation you could sign a square that would be made into a quilt and donated to a wounded warrior.
After that, we headed home because Chris had to take care of some issues with his phone. We took a nap, then headed out for part two of date night. There is a parking lot on post behind the colonel's houses that overlooks the valley of downtown El Paso and Juarez. I wanted to wait until it was dark out because I think it is a beautiful view at night. We made some coffee (and added a little Kahlua) and sat on the tailgate and just took in the view for awhile. Every time I run by this spot at night, I always think about how nice it would be to just stop and take in the lights and the sound of the distant highway. After this rendezvous, we headed to Freedom Crossings to meet up with some friends at Shamrocks for drinks. It is sooooo good to have Chris back!
So since this past weekend was part of the Thanksgiving weekend, we celebrated our weekly date night with the Rebello family :) Keeping in mind we had a wide age range, Chris and I decided bowling would suit everyone nicely. I researched bowling alleys in the Gilbert, Arizona area and Brunswick Zone XL came up with good reviews. We even had dinner in a nice little restaurant outside the bowling alley called Pockets. Everyone was really friendly, the atmosphere was very family-friendly, and the adults even got to partake in a couple pitchers of beer. Blaise and Derek both held their own, and I think they each even had a strike or two! Chris and Dad went head-to-head for the best score. I broke one hundred in the second game, which was a huge feat for me! There was a stretch in the second game when Derek, Erin, myself, and mom all had a strike, making four strikes in a row! We ended up squeezing two games in our 2 hour time allotment. Just as we were finishing, cosmic bowling started. It looked really fun, but we were all becoming a little tired. This was another great date night that we got to share with those around us (Erin's 3rd date night!). Next date night is up to Chris, he's had a long break so I'm excited to be surprised again! Hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving.
