On Tuesday, February 22nd, George and I celebrated 12 years together. What’s kind of funny is that this year I’m the same age that he was back then. I can’t imagine spending this much of my life with anyone else.

To commemorate the day I made a quick and easy supper for the kids and George’s dad came over to babysit them for a couple of hours while we went out for a grown-up meal. You know the kind, the sort of meal where you actually get to eat all of your food while it’s still hot without having to jump up to refill juice glasses, there’s no bickering over who gets which fork/plate/placemat tonight, etc. I had heard of such things but it had been awhile. Not only did we get to eat in peace, we got to enjoy uninterrupted conversation. It’s nice to know that we still remember how to do that!

We went to a restaurant called Table 51 to eat. It advertises itself as being “urban cuisine” and I’m still not 100% sure what that even means, but what I do know is that the food is good. I went there last year with the PPO and was eager to go back.

First up were the appetizers, mini tacos stuffed with delicious lobster. They are so good that I could easily just order a couple of platters and call that a meal in and of itself. Tasty!

Since we chose the pasta of the day for our entree, we also got the soup of the day included with the meal. It was a creamy corn soup and I was mildly skeptical since the only way I generally like corn is when it’s still on the cob and coated in butter and salt. It turned out to be so good that I was kind of wishing I could have a second helping.

The pasta of the day was penne tossed with sundried tomatoes and salmon. I love salmon so much but never make it for myself so I like to eat it as often as possible when I’m out. I had originally intended to try the veggie burger (which is reputed to be amazing and it’s made from lentils, brown rice, and oatmeal, yum!) but as soon as our waiter mentioned the salmon I was convinced to change my mind.

A nice glass of Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon accompanied my food (it was good but I’ll go with Pinot Noir next time) and I was so full by the time I finished my key lime pie for dessert (sadly I neglected to photograph it before eating it) that I couldn’t even finish my wine.

It was a really nice hour out of our day to spend together just enjoying an evening out. I didn’t want to rush straight home so we headed over to Indigo to check out some books which is kind of reminiscent of our first date which involved going to two secondhand bookstores before eating, heading to a movie, and a drink at a bar. I forget which book George got but I finally got myself this book – it’s about time, I’m dying to get started on it.

Since it was a school night we headed home after that and I manged to get the kids into bed only half an hour later than normal. I was far too full of food to do any yoga that evening so we watched a bit of television together and just relaxed. We may not be party animals anymore but it was a wonderful evening.

Seriously, 12 years, sometimes I still can’t believe it!

When I was reading this hilarious entry over on MamaTulip’s site, I laughed. But then I read Katie of Motherbumper‘s comment on the entry. She said this:

I double checked, and you are right, there is nothing in the vows about that but there is a clause that states HE must be able to select and purchase the correct flow-requirements and preferred brand of feminine protection without breaking a sweat or being embarrassed. It’s a double standard really, but fair trade I think.

That sparked a memory from November that still makes me laugh so hard that I just had to share.

I know that there actually are men out there who are so squeamish about a woman’s period that they can’t even bring themselves to walk into a pharmacy and buy pads for their wife. While I understand that different people are embarrassed by different things, I’ve never really gotten the aversion some men have to picking up a pack of pads and paying for them. I mean, it’s not like anyone is going to think they’re buying them for themselves, right?

I’m lucky though. George occasionally rolls his eyes or jokingly refuses to buy me any when I put them on the list or ask him to pick some up on his way home, but he truly has no problem with buying them. It probably helps that I’m not all that picky. If I’m in the store buying them myself, there are specific brands and types and blablabla that I prefer, but if I’m on the phone asking him to buy pads, I don’t really care. For the most part they tend to work really well regardless of brand.

That means he doesn’t have to pay much attention to what he’s buying and he usually just strolls down the feminine hygiene aisle looking for the one that’s on sale for the lowest price.

This can, apparently, be a mistake.

One day I asked him to pick some pads up while he was out. And by “ask” what I really mean is that I moaned, “Oh my GOD, I need some fucking pads, oh my god, cramps, augh!” To that he responded with a negative, at which point I said, “fine, I’ll just use your socks again” and he scratched his head and asked, “oh is that what was wrong with them last month?” I know. We’re dorks.

So off he went and he bought all the stuff he was supposed to get and then he came home with a few bags. I started unpacking groceries and putting things away, and then from the bottom of the last bag, I pulled out a package. And I stared, somewhat incredulous. And then I started to laugh hysterically.

Maybe I need to develop brand loyalty after all, and demand ONLY that pad from now on. Because George bought me Poise “discreet bladder protection” pads.

Really, it was a dangerous mistake. I don’t know about you, but my PMS can swing pretty wildly. I *could* have gone completely batshit crazy and started crying. Luckily I was on an “up” swing right then and the only tears were from the laughter. I laughed so hard that I’m surprised I didn’t pee my pants.

Too bad, really, because dude, I was totally prepared for loss of bladder control.