Tuesday night we went out to dinner with some friends.

My first surprise of the week for Michelle was the fact that I took an extra half day off on Tuesday. After all, it was her birthday, and I didn’t want to be late!

So, I got home quite early (nearly scaring her out of her skin, unfortunately). We took our time getting ready to go, got our babysitter acquainted with Shaelin’s current routine, and headed out the door to the Olive Garden.

Now, to some of you that’s a perfectly fine destination. And I agree, it’s not a bad choice. However, in the running was a trip to Mongo’s. While that’s a little budget-stretching, they have some of the best Mongolian barbecue one can find within a reasonable driving distance. Unfortunately one of the couples had never done anything like this, though, so we opted for something a little “safer.”

Our good friends Jessica and Kevin and new friends Tami and Joe were there when we arrived, and we were seated shortly afterward. We got to sit in a little semi-private room – the first time I ever noticed this room was even there – and we chatted for quite a while. Perhaps a little too long, really, but our server was patient.

As always the food was pretty decent, the time together was enjoyable, and we had a lot of good clean conversation (and fun). Before we knew it, over two hours had slipped by, and we were saying goodbye to Tami and Joe, as she had to work that evening. Jessica, Kevin, Michelle and I continued the conversation for another hour and then decided to head over to the Copper Rock for some coffee and tea. That didn’t work out so well as they close at 10:00 p.m. during the week, and some of us ended up with a beverage and others didn’t. So, we took a stroll down College Avenue. I was a little surprised at how busy it was. We were fortunate enough to see the end of the men’s 4 x 200m freestyle relay. I mean, the very end… the last 50 meters. It was inspiring to see the USA team pull through to capture the gold.

We ended up at our house for a little while for a little more conversation and watching the women’s team gymnastics final. The Romanian team was obviously the team to beat before the meet got very far along, and while team USA tried, they couldn’t match the Romanians’ execution.

Happy Birthday, Michelle!