Five Star Event

Last evening we shared in a bit of belated Christmas joy.  Each of the adults in our family received tickets to the play "Lend me a Tenor" and a promise for dinner out before the show as part of our Christmas gift to them.

Everything went perfectly except that one of my son in laws was sick and unable to go with us. He was truly missed. Although the restaurant, a BBQ place was very busy we enjoyed visiting with one another as we waited to be served and seated. It was fun to see everyone's choices from the menu. There were plates piled with ribs and meat, buns piled high with tender and sweet pulled pork, baked potatoes nearly the size of a shoe box with all the toppings and a big scoop of BBQ meat on the top. There were sides of coleslaw, cheesy potatoes, beans, corn, applesauce, and more. 

We sat outside on the patio and the weather was perfect. It was also much quieter outdoors so we could more easily visit with one another over dinner at our long shared table for 10.

The timing was perfect when we finished dinner just minutes before the doors opened for seating at the play. It was just a short walk to the theatre across the street.

The show was very good. It was well performed, funny, and very entertaining. We all enjoyed the performance. We all sat together so we were able to enjoy one another's laughter, quiet comments, and a treasured shared memory.

My husband and I were thrilled with the results of our evening out. It was just what we had in mind for our adult family members. As parents it is very rewarding to see your adult children enjoying shared  time together and to know that each one of them made it a priority to be there with our family.

It is fun to get to see the adult kids having a night off from being mommy and daddy to my adorable grandchildren and getting to be just who they are and a date to their spouse. It is great fun to have the original family unit together and marvel at how well each one of our in law kids fit into our growing family unit.

This was not a five star event in the fact that we were all dressed up dining with china or attending a black tie Broadway play. It was a five star event for our family because our goals as a family were met as we enjoyed every single minute of time together. What more could parents ask for? Last night we received far more than we gave!