Hey, I know you...

So far, so good.  For the first time since kids, Karla and I feel as if we have our lives, if not in control, at least somewhat organized.

Stress levels are way down, the house is clean (at least by man standards, according to Karla.....whatever), and while financially we may not be packing away as much money into savings as we would like, we are doing just fine.

So now we have reached the point where we can ask ourselves, "What else can we do?".

The answer, we decided, was the need to address our relationship.



Being a parent is an extreme sacrifice.  All of your money and every waking moment of your day is consumed by children.  Parents basically put their own personal lives on hold while they raise their kids, creating some tense moments in regards to parenting styles, money, school, and most importantly, their relationship, or lack thereof.

For years Karla and I have put our own personal interests and activities on the back burner as we concentrated all of our energy into raising our kids the best way we know how.

I can't remember the last time I went hunting (World's worst hunter, by the way).  The last Chiefs game I went to was around five years ago and I haven't been to a Royals game in equally as long.  If I'm lucky, I may get to go fishing once or twice a year.

I can't remember the last time Karla had a night out with the girls to scrapbook or to just have a few drinks.

But, most importantly, I can't remember the last when we have had consistent quality time with just ourselves.

That, however, is about to change.  Toby turns fourteen next month and, although he doesn't know it yet, that qualifies him to be our free babysitter.....HOORAY!!!!!

I may even make him an official laminated card and wrap it in a box for his birthday.....Wouldn't he find that awesome?  :)  Shits and giggles....Yup, I can just see the excitement on his face now.

Then a thought occurred to me.  What did Karla and I do before kids?

Uhhh......

My God, has it really been that long?

Karla and I are adamant that while a date night - being something like going out for dinner or coffee - is fine, we just feel like we need to do something more...But what?

Hiking....That's what.  I remember the two of us rented a cabin at Custer State Park up in South Dakota and spent the entire weekend hiking the trails; and we had a blast.  Shortly thereafter, Toby was born and we haven't been hiking since.

A little side story:  Karla was pregnant with Toby when we went hiking.  We were just going to do the short one to two mile trails but Karla read her map wrong (she swears she would have stopped and asked for directions had there been anyone to ask) and we ended up hiking over fourteen miles in one morning.  She was totally wiped out afterwards and literally slept the entire trip home.

Her mom would have blown a gasket had she known that Karla was hiking in the mountains whilst carrying her first grandchild.  So Karla didn't say anything about her pregnancy and continued to not say anything a month later when the entire family went white water rafting in Colorado.

Karla would wake me up while it was still dark and send me out for tea and crackers to settle her stomach before everyone else got up and around.  She hid her pregnancy masterfully.

Being young, we didn't think anything of it.

Being older, the thought of my daughter or daughter-in-law hiking and white water rafting with a bun in the oven scares the shit out of me......What in the hell were we thinking?


So Karla and I have been working out faithfully since the beginning of January.  I can't wait for the day when the two of us can strap on our backpacks and put fifteen or twenty miles behind us.  Given our busy ball schedule our first hike will probably have to wait until the fall, but it'll be worth the wait.

I wonder how Karla deals with the dogs when she's working out?  Our Shih Tzu, Mario, is driving me nuts.  Every time I try to do planks or crunches he's right there by my side.

"Dude, get off of me."

"Ah, you just snorted in my face.....Get away!!"

But, by far the worst, is when he starts sniffing in my ear.  I don't understand his fascination.  Do I look like a June Bug floundering to get right side up?  Maybe Mario thinks I'm in a life threatening situation, that I've fallen and can't get up...I don't know....I just know that he's driving me crazy...


Karla did make a good point in that our us time doesn't always have to involve a lot of planning.  The one thing we have forgotten how to do as we were raising our kids was the playful banter that we used to partake in.

Holding hands in public, a small peck on the lips as a way of saying good morning....

A swift smack on the ass......"LEVEL UP!"  POP!!!!

"OW, DAMMIT, QUIT THAT...."

You know, affectionate type stuff.....

I loved my kids when they were young.  But now that they are older I can't help but feel liberated.  They are independent enough that Karla and I can get reacquainted with each other.

And I am so looking forward to it....