Date night!

Saturday night, Lester and I went out to dinner with friends of ours, Kelly and Jason - a couple who were jointly celebrating birthdays. We went to The Chesapeake and had delicious seafood and potent drinks and laughed and talked for four and a half hours! The time just flew by, we were having so much fun.

Afterwards, we drove to the Maryland Live Casino (my first time there) to meet up with another group of friends for our friend Brent Jones' birthday celebration.

Me, Laurie (!!), Andrea and the birthday boy, Brent!

I'm not a gambler and neither is Lester, but we brought $25 to waste. I decided to play $20 on the Big Money Wheel - $10 on 10 to 1 and $10 on 5 to 1. Can you believe that 5 to 1 came up?? I won $50! On my first time ever playing a casino game!

Risk-averse girl that I am, I took my chips and cashed out. We spent the other $5 at a slot machine and lost it all in a matter of five button-clicks. That was all the gambling my little heart could stand.  We were done gambling for the night, but not done hanging with our friends. We hammed it up for another couple hours and didn't get home until 1:30 a.m.

We had a great night out with friends, eating good food and laughing and talking and just being adults. But - ugh!! I can't do that too often. I was so tired on Sunday, it took me until almost 3 p.m. to feel "awake." I'd wanted to go to church, but HA! I barely got out of my pajamas.

Remember the days when you didn't leave the house to go out until 10 p.m.?? And when the club let out at 2 a.m., you left and went somewhere else?? How on Earth did we do that? As my grandmother used to say, "youth is wasted on the young."

Anyway, the real kudos of the night goes to my sister Tahira who came out to watch the baby Davises while the elder statesman stayed out way too late. She brought her own two with her and handled all five like a dream. Dinner, pajamas, bed and no drama whatsoever. Even Clair warmed up to her, calling her "Nanamommy" by the end of the night.  I'm pretty proud of my baby sister - and grateful!

Here they are all lined up on the bed, watching the Lorax, freshly scrubbed and sleepy:

Russy, Clair, Matty, Superman and Batman.

Tahira did such a good job with the kids, I might consider going out more often if I could convince her to babysit.

And if I could stay up past 10 p.m.

My version of Heaven (in pictures)

Lester's 40 for 40 gift this weekend was a surprise trip to my Mom's house. On our way there, he made a quick stop along I-95 at a new place he discovered that is now my favorite place on Earth. And then we continued on to my Mom's for a little party Lester planned, with my two sisters and their kids, my Mom and Dad and us. I was totally, totally surprised, and totally, totally thrilled!!

Instead of gushing about it in all caps and a million exclamation points, I will just show you what Heaven looks like in my dreams.

Well, hello lovers.

"Mommy! They are moving!!"

Not anymore, they're not. (Five little loverboys. 12 pounds of amazingness.)

He bought a bushel of crabs. They are all gone.

More sea-dwelling protein.

And still more, doused in white wine, onions and garlic.

A couple sides (and my Mom's famous potato salad: not pictured.)

Mom went out and bought these adorable crab-and-lobster cracking accessories. This double-sided paper towel holder is genius!

Drunk off lobster, lemon and butter, I had no problems wearing this stupid lobster hat.

Aaaaaaaand -- there was chocolate cake for dessert. BOO-YA!

I wish I was turning 40 EVERY YEAR!!