Not on a horse. Not on a ranch. In a car. In a parking lot.

Friday was date night. Although we had planned to make a big evening of it, we kept it simple out of necessity. (A gall bladder surgery is one sure way to keep your date night budget low :))

Mimi’s Cafe was our dinner destination. We’d been there before, so we knew we’d like the New Orleans-style atmosphere. Mimi’s will definitely be one of our go-to places for dinner now! Stephen was highly impressed with their service, and while we split our entree and dessert, I do believe they actually served us more than a single serving for our entree. I’m positive our dessert was actually 2 servings. Wow! Two meals for the price of one!

Now for the romantic part of the evening–Stephen gave me a lesson in how to drive stick. His 1995 Toyota Camry will hopefully be replaced this year, but in the meantime, I’d like to learn a new skill. Who knows when it will come in handy? We picked a deserted parking lot and kept driving the same circular route several times. Man, it was hard to let off the clutch and step on the gas with just the right precision! Sometimes, I did okay, but as we galloped through the parking lot, I was very grateful to have learned to drive on an automatic. My heart goes out to anyone who had to learn how to drive on a manual transmission. I have no idea how one accomplishes that! Needless to say, I’m not yet ready for the road, but at least I’m one gallop closer.