Day 2012. It was our 10-year anniversary, and so I got up early and set up the lamp with our picture and wedding date in the kitchen, where Randy would see it, when he got home. Then I lay back down in bed. Later Randy thanked me for the lamp; for the first time in 10 years he had forgotten our anniversary, but I didn't mind.
I lay back down in bed after Randy had left with the kids to take them to kindergarten. At 9:30 am my alarm went off as I had two students from 10 to 12:30 pm. However, I was so sick that I realized I was not going to be able to teach. And I have to be REALLY sick for me to actually cancel a student, as I don't earn money when I don't teach. I stayed in bed and neither turned my computer on nor did I look at my phone. I kept my eyes closed and dozed on and off.
When Randy came home, he came bearing gifts - the forgotten flowers and chocolates for our anniversary. I asked him whether he could take Sammy with him to pick up Tammy and Emmy given how sick I was, and he did. And so I continued lying in bed not doing anything.
Randy and the kids already came home at 2 pm. Grandma was supposed to come at that time as well, but there had been accidents that led to her being half an hour late. I had already canceled my 2:30 pm lesson, and the two students I was going to have after that both canceled on their end. I felt terrible but went downstairs with Grandma and the kids. Randy left to pick up something that had been waiting to be picked up for half a year.
I did piano practice with the kids, then sat down next to my Mom on the couch. However, I was feeling so terrible that I then lay down on the floor and watched them and talked with them from there. The kids were having fun with Grandma.
At 4:30 pm she had to go, and Randy wasn't back yet. I really just wanted to go to bed, but we had dinner plans for our anniversary. I had found something really special to go to, and our friend had agreed to babysit. In fact, I had asked the kids who they'd like to come stay with them, and they had said Anna from church. I was really glad, when she said yes.
Randy soon returned, and we went upstairs. Suddenly Sammy started crying really hard. We thought he had hurt himself, but it turned out that he was crying because we were leaving tonight. He cried hard for a solid hour, while I was trying to calm him down. I was getting very worried about how it was going to turn out tonight, but then he calmed down and was fine again for the rest of the night.
I took some medication to make it through the next few hours and went to the kitchen to make their dinner. They started eating, while I was getting changed and getting ready to leave the house. Our friend arrived at 6 pm, which was the time we were supposed to leave. We told her a few things and left. The kids were excited to play with Anna before going to bed.
Randy and I hadn't gone anywhere together, just the two of us, in a long time as we don't have any babysitters or anyone to watch the kids. It was strange. I had even bought a new dress - which I hadn't done in a long time - and put makeup on which I don't do any more either. I even put the necklace with the dancing diamond on that I had won on our honeymoon cruise. Randy did not know where we were going as I wanted it to be a surprise. He just knew that we were going to have dinner.
We took the subway downtown, then walked a bit. The dinner started at 7 pm, but they had said to be there half an hour early. We got there just after 6:30 pm, after having asked at the reception where to go. The restaurant was rather small and really dark. The waiter took our coats and showed us to our table. A light was shining on our plates, and the projection of the hotel chain's name was on it. There were still a lot of empty seats, as most people showed up later. We were at a table for 4, and another couple showed up right before the show started.
But we had to wait a long time until then. I had only eaten one little sandwich all day being so sick, and so I was getting pretty hungry. It was 7:15 pm before the show finally started.
It's called "Le petit chef", the little chef. Four chefs from four different countries were making their dishes right in front of us, and in the end we had to vote whose dish was the best. The Spanish lady chef started. It was fun to watch what was going on on the table and plate. Once the dish was finished, its picture faded, and they started bringing the real plates out. They never quite looked like what the projection had looked like, and the first dish was my least favorite.
There were always long breaks between dishes. Then the second dish was happening before our eyes, the Italian guy making Ravioli. That dish tasted really well; I very much liked it.
Again there was a long break, and the medication I had taken at 5 pm was wearing off. I was feeling so bad that I had to close my eyes. I could not keep them open. I was not good company at all. The third dish was the French guy, and it was good as well. The last dish, dessert, was made by a Japanese guy. In that case, the real dish looked nothing like the projection, but it was really good.
I thought it was over and wanted to leave. Not only because I was feeling terrible, but also because I knew Anna had an early morning tomorrow. However, we were told there was one more video coming, so we paid and stayed. It was the big finale. We had to clap for the dish that we liked most, but I think it was already predetermined for the French guy to win. Then there were fireworks on the table and then it was over. We got up right away and left to go home. It was already 9:45 pm, 45 minutes later than what I had thought when we'd leave. Because of the fever, I was shivering in the cold outside. Thankfully it was just one subway ride to get home.
By 10:15 pm we were back home. Anna was sleeping in the chair by the kids' beds. She told us that they had had fun, and that Sammy had asked a couple of times when we were coming back home. We talked briefly, then she left.
Normally, I do pictures, reports and the dishes before going to bed, but I was so sick I went straight to bed. Randy was so nice to do the dishes that one time. And being so sick had the advantage of falling asleep fast.
