And then there were two...

Things are a little quieter at Lachenman Gothic these days… This week Eli and Gabe went off to spend time with their Grandparents and both will be gone for nearly two weeks. So I guess you could say that Dan and I are getting a taste of being “empty nesters” though it’s hardly an “empty nest” with 2 dogs, 8 chickens, a rooster, 2 goats and 2 guinea pigs :).

The morning of their departure, I awoke with a heavy heart and a lump in my throat. Dan was a bit more enthusiastic. I travel for business pretty frequently, but it’s different when they are the ones leaving. Of course I know that they are in the best possible hands (in some ways, even better than ours!) and that they will both have a fabulous time, but still… After seeing them off, Dan and I walked back to the house arm in arm with the dogs in tow…everyone’s tail a bit droopy.

That was Monday. Now it’s Saturday and while I still miss them (to death), I have to admit that this week has been…well…pretty cool for Dan and me. Evenings this week have not been entirely our own because we were both serving as leaders for Vacation Bible School (I ran the music and Dan did Bible stories), so it was a bit hectic, but there is a decidedly more mellow tone at the farm in the evening (except when Dan is chasing me around, which he’s been doing quite a bit of ;). We walk hand in hand around the farm commenting on the garden or the look of relief in the tree branches sagging with much anticipated rain or the goats goofing or our dear rooster’s fondness for the goat food. Then we usually prop our feet up on the couch, put something relatively mindless on the box and bask in the air conditioning. I have to say, it’s been a little swell…

And tonight we have a real date night :) – you know, the kind where you dress up and go some place “fancy”. We are going to hit a charming restaurant in town that gets rave reviews and that the boys would be totally underwhelmed by. I had to laugh about how I’ve been talking about it for days (as if it’s a first date) and spent 20 minutes already today pulling out dresses and trying to decide what to wear.

It’s funny, I feel almost guilty writing this because we do really miss our boys and there are times when the quiet in the farm house is a bit deafening, but I guess you could say that we are finding things to like about it and reminding ourselves about all the things we love about each other.

Maybe part of this guilty feeling for me is really less associated with enjoying time with Dan and more associated with how I’m spending my free time… When there was talk of the boys taking this trip, I had a list of all the things I was going to do…Read those 25 books I got at the book fair…Cook gourmet meals…Get the house Completely organized…Write a novel… The reality looks more like me propped up on the front porch reading Women’s Health (or worse, People) and drinking a margarita with goats braying in the background ;).

Oh well…it’s early into this. I’m still in training.