I got dressed to go "out" - an outfit that could be a little overdressed in a totally cazh atmosphere or a little underdressed in more refined environs. I couldn't decide between the "nicer" shoes or the "funkier" shoes, so I put on one of each and headed downstairs to get Dude's opinion (he was the one who knew where we were going, after all). He liked the funkier ones and said, "But have you decided what you're going to wear in the morning? Are your toiletries together? You really should at least get your toothbrush." I was all, "Whaaaaaaaaa......??" Seriously. What was he talking about? I have never spent the night away from the girls. Ever. And not only that, but they have never spent the night away from me. Never ever. I looked at him quizzically, "Are you serious?" Yep. He was.

I went upstairs and got a few things together, and as I was packing up my toiletries, the worry about this overnight thing set in for real. I actually started to feel a little angry that I wasn't given notice so that I could mentally prepare for the separation. And what about the girls? Dude obviously hadn't told them or I would've heard about it (they are TOTAL blabber mouths). They needed more preparation than this! I was starting to think this was most definitely not a good idea.

Dude put the girls to bed and I went downstairs to give Bri more than an earful of instructions. She assured me repeatedly that everything was going to be fine - "You really need to relax." So easy for her to say. Dude came down and said that he needed 10 minutes and he'd be ready to walk out the door. "Oh, and did you pack something to wear in the water?" I looked at him in utter disbelief. See... the other thing I should mention here is that yesterday was the worst day of my period, too. I explained to Dude that I was not about to put on a bathing suit OR get into water of any kind. I just wasn't. He told me that was fine and ran to get his stuff together. I thought I might have a panic attack.

Ten minutes later, we walked out the door and left. Oh. My. God. It was happening.

Dude had gotten us a room at the McMenamin's Edgefield and there were 9pm dinner reservations at the Black Rabbit restaurant waiting for us. I ordered a glass of wine and things started to seem a little... rosier. Dude and I had a lovely, lovely dinner (steamed mussels; roasted beet & arugula salad; trio of small plates for entrees - grilled quail with roasted potatoes and gaufrettes, Tunisian beef kabobs with sweet potato balls and spicy tagine, tea-smoked duck breast with Asian slaw and crispy wontons; cheese plate). By the end of the meal, I wasn't worried about the girls anymore. I mean really. They'd be fine. I even decided that I wasn't going to call Bri to check in until morning.

Dude's intention in all of this clearly was to be super romantic and get some quality hours for just the two of us. Part of this, naturally, was to be spent in the boudoir (we ARE husband and wife, after all). But as I mentioned before, I was in the middle of a visit from Her Majesty Mother Nature herself and that was really, uh, out of the question. So you know what happened instead? We played one hand of gin rummy, during which I started to pass out. And then Dude read his book while I snuggled up next to him and fell into a deep, deep sleep. And I slept and slept and slept and slept... until 8:09am!!! You non-kid-havin' readers will think this is no big deal, but I assure you that it is monu-fucking-mental. I slept for 8+ hours in an uninterrupted row. That hasn't happened since some point in the middle of my second trimester of pregnancy. And let me tell you that being well rested feels pretty sexy.

I called Bri at approximately 8:11am. She put me on speaker phone. The girls were all, "Hi, Mommy! Bri here!" As it turns out, there had been zero crying and everyone was perfectly perfect in every way. Who were these little angels? Surely not my trouble dolls...

Dude and I had a big ol' breakfast, walked the Edgefield grounds a little bit, then checked out and headed home at 11am. I ran in the house and Belly and Buggy greeted me with hugs, but not desperate cries. Who knew that this would be so easy? And now that we know, we shall do it again. But maybe next time Dude will do a little better with the timing of it all...