Friday Night Date

It’s no secret that small children can put a road block of sorts in Friday night dates.  While we occasionally employ well-qualified babysitters, we’ve become quite creative in our continuing courtship.  Summer is the easiest to be imaginative with our dates because we’re not confined inside.  With the window’s slightly cracked, should one of our girls cry, we can easily hear it in the still night.  Having some time to ourselves, Jack and I particularly enjoy bonfires and strolls outside once the sun has gone down.  Wanting to do something different, Jack had a brilliant idea last summer.

Having been charged a technology fee for school, he decided to put it to good use.  He rented a projector and speakers to create our very own drive in movie, displayed on the face of the barn.  Even though the barn doesn’t house animals anymore, it’s far from useless.

We experimented the night before and sent out invitations to friends to join us.  After stapling plastic tablecloths and a long strip of creamy fabric to the barn, the picture was clear as a bell and the speakers amplified the sound brilliantly.

The turnout was superb.  I passed out milk and cookies while October Skies played on the big screen (courtesy of Jack’s aerospace friends).  Some guests relaxed in their cars while others pulled out chairs and blankets and watched in the cool night, fortunately free from mosquitoes and wind.

The cats crashed the party, unabashedly crawling in people’s laps for a stroke.

It was a date night out of the ordinary, one which we tried to recreate the following week but were foiled by a strong storm with winds that mercilessly ripped down our movie screen.  Oh, well.  Once warm, friendly weather resurfaces, we’ll undoubtedly be back at it again.