Ode to Carrie!

My friend Carrie (and world’s greatest babysitter) showed up on Saturday night to give us a night out. Carrie’s much anticipated arrival (Hope spent the entire day asking how much longer until Carrie would be over) was acknowledged with a standing ovation full of cheers, applause and dancing.

We all love Carrie and we look forward to what the night holds when she shows up. It means a night out with adults only, usually a nice quiet dinner with fantastic food topped off with a bottle of red wine and a decadent chocolate dessert – a night where Roger and I have fun as a couple (I know, just imagine – no children…). A night where we can catch each other up on the latest with the kids, solve the worlds problems, make unrealistic plans for buying a new house or installing an addition, buying new cars or traveling to Spain. I can usually get Roger to buy into my crazy ideas by the third glass of wine! I was pretty sure I had him on the house addition but I’m now realizing that unless we had called the contractor that night it probably won’t ever happen. I mean, look at the fence! Oh, but it’s so fun to dream and it’s all the more fun to have someone to share in your dreams for a night, even if they never do become reality. And just to prolong our fantasy land we’ll often end up at the neighborhood bar for one final glass of wine before heading home to our real life and real house that we have undoubtedly outgrown.

And all this entertainment made possible because we have the worlds greatest babysitter. She comes equipped with dresses and heels, lip gloss, movies, bubbles – always a little something to make the night extra special. It’s non-stop fun for all until Nico crawls up on the couch, sprawls out over a pillow and promptly falls asleep at only 7:15 – exhausted from way to much partying. Carrie is simply amazing - If I were rich I’d pay her a million dollars a night – she is just that good!

So, this Saturday night we met Sarah and Warren and Gwyn and Dan at the Grand Central Lanes and forgot all about our parenting responsibilities. We ate, played pool, sang and even danced a little and had some great conversation.

It’s not about how well you shoot pool – it’s about how good you look while shooting pool! That was my motto for the night!

Roger and Warren mesmerized by the bikini babes in the hip hop video

A testament to a fabulous night out...

Once back to reality and fast asleep I hear the pitter patter of Hope’s footsteps make their way through each room in the house with the final stop at the side of my bed. It’s a routine that I am all too familiar with now, so as I fade in and out of dreamland (I mean, it is 2:00 a.m.) I half listen as Hope asks in a whisper “Is Carrie still here?” She begins to quietly cry and reminds me for the hundredth time that she just loves Carrie and she wishes Carrie could spend the night… no, she wishes Carrie could live with us and she’s just so sad that Carrie is gone… and finally, “can I please sleep in your room because my heart is so sad?”

The next morning Hope recaps her own fantasy land evening with Carrie and always ends with how she can’t wait to grow up and live with Carrie where they will be princesses and live in castle! That’s pretty close to my fantasy land when I’m out with Roger except that I’m the princess and Roger’s the prince and we make plans to add onto our castle...