Cheap Date

I often joke that I'm a "cheap date" because it takes very few drinks before I begin to feel the effect. Halfway through the second cocktail and I'm already feeling the buzz. Part way through drink #3, I'm telling you things that I NEVER intended to say out loud. By the end of that third drink, I'm acting like an idiot, while I'm handing over my car keys!! That third drink can sometimes be embarrassing.

In Vegas, Paul and I went to a bar outside Harrah's. One time, in the middle of the afternoon, we stopped in to hear the live band. After a couple of drinks, I was feeling no pain, watching the woman at the next table (clearly also feeling no pain) dance on her own private dance floor. The band asked for some female volunteers. I didn't even wait to hear what I was volunteering for. I was in the moment. I grabbed my dancing friend and dragged her up on stage with me. (She thanked me later - said it was fun.) The group totaled about six volunteers, most of whom had to be coerced to the stage, unlike dancing queen and myself. The band introduced us one at a time, then played snippets of dance tunes to which we were expected to "shake our booties" for the crowd in the bar. Hey, no big deal! I like to dance. And after a few drinks, I don't generally concern myself with whether or not I'm making an ass of myself. I didn't win the contest, but I had a good time.

Soon after, back at the hotel, for reasons I don't quite remember, I launched into a lecture about why guys should NOT give little square jewelry boxes from expensive jewelry stores to their girlfriends on Valentine's Day. No more jewelry boxes! (Did I say that out loud??)

Paul and I have talked, albeit somewhat vaguely, about getting married. It was a tough subject to avoid when we went to Vegas. The wedding chapel comments were too numerous to count! But between the two of us, we have four kids who live at home at least part time. Three of those "kids" currently age 18, 21 and 22, will all be on their own in the next few years. Paul's kids will graduate from their graduate and undergraduate studies next spring. My daughter will be in college this fall. Right now, we'd need a home that would accommodate six people. However, that number will be cut in half over the next few years. It doesn't make sense for us to buy a huge house. Therefore...we wait.

A couple nights ago, I was feeling down (remember?) and had a few glasses of wine after work. (Uh oh...) Paul and I were on the phone and I once again found myself saying things out loud that were meant to stay locked inside my head! I told him that our kids would continue to live at home as long as we made it easy for them. If we arranged our plans according to their schedule, we'd be waiting for two to three years, minimum. He agreed. I told him I wasn't willing to wait that long. I told him these kids are adults who had spent their lives having us cater to their needs. They might find having to make adjustments to accommodate us inconvenient, but in the big picture of their young lives, it would amount to a blip on the radar screen. On the other hand, he and I are OLD. Who knows how much time we have left? We shouldn't be wasting it living 40 miles apart. I could give it a year, and after that...well...those kids were just going to have to realize that, for once, the world was not going to revolve around them. For once, they'd have to make a few compromises for the sake of their parents! (Did I say all that out loud??)

I did say all that out loud! Like I said, that third drink can cause me tremendous embarrassment! But at least he agreed with me.