Last night Doug and I had a wonderful dinner to celebrate our anniversary. We went to an old hangout from our days of coupledom (you know B.C. — before child), the Water Street Grille.
I cannot count the times we wined and dined at that restaurant, but it must be a lot because we had our very own booth. There was even a name plate on the back of one of the seats.
When the former owner, Craig, sold the restaurant, the new proprietors kept everything the same, but removed our name plate. We never went back. It just wasn’t the same.
After six years of marriage we decided to revisit the scene of many “date nights”. WSG is a block from one of our favorite bars, Top Hat (Dad, don’t take this the wrong way, Frank & Ernie’s will always be number one in our hearts). I can remember having dinner and walking over to Top Hat for a drink and conversation with the local pals we knew who also frequented the taverns downtown.
I ordered the prime rib. Normally I’d have the baby back ribs because that’s what I always had, but I feared the recipe wouldn’t be like Craig’s. Why take chances? Doug had the same and the food was delicious. I was very impressed.
I had one Malibu and orange juice (can you say STRONG?) and I was drunk after one cocktail. After dinner, we were so full we didn’t even have the energy to walk to the bar. Man, we’re getting old.
My brother was babysitting and he was shocked to see us arrive home less than two hours later. Like I had hoped, Dawson fell asleep at 8:00 p.m. and Doug and I just stretched out on the couch as we watched Dancing With the Stars. We went to bed right after the ten o’clock news and slept. Happy Anniversary to us!
This morning I woke up and felt dizzy. In the shower I nearly fainted. My head felt heavy, and when I looked at anything I felt like the room was spinning. I don’t think a person can get a hang over after one drink, but I suppose there’s a first time for everything. But I would think that the alcohol, the equivalent of maybe 2-2 1/2 shots, would wear off after 18 hours, right?
When I got into the car, I felt so nauseous that I actually rolled down all the windows while driving. On the way to work I had to pull over because I was afraid I’d cause an accident. I nearly threw up.
I have no idea what is going on. I don’t feel “sick” per se. Not like having a cold or flu or anything. But the vertigo is terrifying. I honestly feel like I’m on drugs.
Even Renee (Dawson’s daycare person) said I didn’t look right. She asked if I felt okay because I was swaying when I walked. But I’m not drunk! I have no balance. It could be an ear infection, but my ears do no hurt. I have no signs of an inner ear infection, either.
Now, two hours later I still feel dizzy. I called my doctor and he told me to go to the emergency room if it gets worse or unmanageable.
Then my co-worker asked if I was pregnant. The timing doesn’t match my cycle, but maybe my body shifted course. Who knows? Maybe I’m ovulating? Do women get dizzy when their ovaries release an egg?
…my husband and I will put on our party clothes, the baby sitter will be here to watch Dawson and we’ll have an amazing dinner (rain check from the Anniversary Date that was canceled). And if we’re lucky, the Doodlebug will be asleep when we arrive home. You know…because I’ll have had a few drinks and I will not want to deal with a little boy who likes to stay up past his bed time.
Saturday came and went and I must tell you that Go, Diego, Go, Live! was more fun than I imagined it to be. Gorgeous sets, colorful costumes, song and dance that had me bopping in my seat; this was the closest I’ve come to seeing a Broadway show. But we didn’t just see a musical, we had other adventures throughout the day.
I woke up at 8:30 on Saturday and I was a little miffed. I overslept. I wanted to be on the road by 8 a.m. so we could go to everything on my list of places to see. After I showered, I quickly got dressed and then went to get Dawson ready. He was sleeping in my bed and when I nudged him, he opened his eyes, rubbed them and said, “Today is Ego, Mommy?” He was very excited.
We left the house at 9:15 and when I got to the highway I saw a detour sign. We had to go the long way to Highway 10 because County Road B was under construction. The idiots running our town decided to widen this road. Ten miles out of our way and the loss of 20 minutes caused us to to fall behind on time.
We saw this car on the road with oodles of bumper stickers:
I thought the red sticker that said “Rats have rights” was funny. I hope they all live in her house.
We finally made it to Appleton at 10:45 and Dawson told me he wanted a hashbrown from McDonald’s. I gave in and got a small coffee to go. I didn’t realize how yucky McDonald’s java tasted, but it sure smelled good. If anything the scent of roasted beans was enough to widen my eyes.
Next, we headed to St. Mary’s Cemetery to visit Joe McCarthy’s grave. It’s been several years since the last time I was there. I know that Old Joe caused a lot of controversy in the United States Senate with his hunt for Communism, but I think if it wasn’t for McCarthy we wouldn’t have had the inkling to investigate the Verona cables and discover that many of the people he accused indeed were communist spies and had soviet ties to communism.
Many people disagree with me, and that’s okay. I know that the story as it’s told has a lot of holes. Good Night, and Good Luck wasn’t as accurate as people think. I noticed that roses were delivered to his headstone the Monday before, and the card was still attached. It read, “Some of us listened. Thank you.” I thought it was rather touching to see that other people do care and appreciate Senator McCarthy’s efforts.
After our visit we went to the Gardens of the Fox Cities arboretum. They were hosting a Fall Fun day with games and activities. Dawson was still a tad under the weather so he refused to participate in any of the kids’ games, like ring toss and pumpkin bowling, but we did go on the hay ride. He loves to ride on the hay wagon pulled by a tractor. It was a nice little tour of the fall foliage around the gardens.
Then we went to the Fox Cities Children’s Museum. Little did we know it was 4-H day and several animals came to visit. We saw a pony, a goat, baby ducklings, an iguana, hens, puppies and kittens and some little bird in a cage. I thought it was a pigeon, but I could be wrong.
Dawson didn’t want to pet any of the animals. I think he was afraid. I don’t blame him. The pony must have looked huge compared to him!
He decided to play in the Fire Engine, the rubber sand box and the block area. I thought it was neat that this museum had water tables. Dawson loves water. I couldn’t keep him out of our water buckets all summer long, but at the museum he refused to play by the water. I don’t know if it was because he didn’t want to put a rain jacket on or if he was too shy around the other kids. I hope to take him there again to see if he tries it next time.
Finally we went to the show. Due to the lack of time, we had to skip the Houdini Historical Museum.
We got to the Performing Arts Center an hour early because I wanted to be able to find our seats. The Nick, Jr. souvenir tables were filled with attractive toys, t-shirts, hats and stuffed animals. Dawson decided he wanted his very own Rescue Pack. It was $15 and I thought that was reasonable for a back pack. We made our way to our seats and the little boys next to us had light up thingie-majiggies and Dawson insisted he needed that, too. I shelled out another $15 for the toy. Not so reasonable, but the lights are way cool.
My favorite part of the show was the singing and dancing, especially the “Cha-Cha Cocunut Trees”. They did several dances and at one point exclaimed, “Why walk…when you can MERINGUE!” and proceeded to meringue their way across the stage. It was cute.
I managed to smuggle my camera into the auditorium. There was a strict rule against photo taking and recording devices, but I was clever enough to use Dawson as a body shield against the seating attendant’s line of vision. I got some great photos!
Here’s a video of the closing number. You can see the Cha-Cha Cocunut Trees dancing at about 1:05 into the video. They were my favorite. (I think I said that, already.) Diego was really cool, too.
We really did have a wonderful time. After the show we had dinner at T.G.I Friday’s and the moment Dawson showed signs of crankiness (he was so overtired, he missed his afternoon nap) I had the waitress box everything to go. This is a tip I learned from Mary Tsao! Thanks, Mary!
Six years ago, I married the man who never fails to make me laugh, the man that always does the laundry and never complains about it, the man who loves to cook as long as he doesn’t have to do the dishes (but often does them anyway), and the only man I could ever picture having children with.
A bed of roses, our marriage is not, but my husband helps remove the thorns (especially the ones on my arse. I’d do the same for him, but his arse is much hairier).
All kidding aside, I adore you, Douglas. Even when you drive me batshit crazy over ridiculous things, I still love you more than I ever imagined a woman could love a man.
Six years ago, this exact date — Saturday, October 13th — we pledged our love for one another. We made our vows to love, honor and cherish each other until death.
Dana began her Mom career in 2004 with the birth of her first son, Dawson, aka The Doodlebug, and little brother, Owen, was born in 2009. She spends her days putting out fires, climbing mountains and chasing monsters. More About Dana.
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