Our first Colorado date night was a smashing success.

As we drove away from Ella last night, Josh was feeling more nervous than normal. We have only left her a few times since she was released from the hospital. And let’s clarify, it had nothing to do with Nurse Janet. It was simply that we had not left Ella with anyone since we had returned home to Colorado and it just felt strange.

We headed 5 minutes north of our house and ended up at the Brio Tuscan Grille, an upscale Italian restaurant. They just opened on Wednesday night, so it was their 2nd night in business at the Park Meadows Mall location.

The patio was beautiful and the weather was perfect. We sat on the outdoor couches and started with wine while we waited for a table. For their grand opening, they were carrying around free appetizers to taste.

Once we landed a table, it had a great sunset view of the mountains. You could tell that the service was a bit rough on the edges – – the staff was all new and just trying to figure things out. I think we were enjoying our free time too much to really care. The wine and atmosphere made up for all of it.

While we were sitting and waiting for salads to arrive, the general manager came to our table and introduced himself. We shared that we were on our first Colorado date night and gave him a 5 minute short description of Ella and our journey. Clearly, he was touched and felt privileged that we had picked his restaurant for such a big occasion.

Once we ordered, the server came back to the table and informed us that the manager was intending to cover the entire bill tonight. We were shocked! That was such a nice gesture and so unexpected.

About 5 minutes later, a gentleman from a nearby table approached us. He told us that he was a Christian and had overheard our conversation with the general manager. We shared more details about Ella, and he told us that he is a chiropractor. He offered his services free of charge, if we needed it. Wow, who would have thought that going to the Brio Tuscan Grille would have resulted in such generosity?

During dinner, I enjoyed Pasta alla Vodka and Josh enjoyed the Roasted Lamp Chops. Our entire date lasted about 3 hours and it felt like 10 hours. It was nice to escape away with just the two of us.

The entire time, we just reminisced about our journey this past year and wondering what God has in store for us in the coming days.

For those of you that have not read between the lines, I am going crazy staying at home with the Bun. It has nothing to do with my love for her and anyone that knows me well is not shocked by this confession. I have stated before that I am not the “Suzy Homemaker” type; God simply did not design me with those talents. Plus, I think that Ella’s medically fragile condition simply makes the entire stay-at-home mom experience even that much more challenging.

It has been tough for me because I have been battling feelings of guilt. I’ve felt bad that I don’t enjoy the stay-at-home mom experience more. Now that I have experienced it myself, I can honestly confess that it is the toughest job. I admire women that can stay-at-home with their kid(s) and feel fulfilled.

The bottom line is that we always want to be obedient to God’s will. That is why we went to Gainesville initially, why we decided to stay there longer, and why I quit my job to take care of Ella for the past 6 months. God was clear in the direction He wanted from us, so although the days have been tough at times, we knew it was the right decision for this season.

So as we look back and reflect while pondering what the future might hold, we look to Him for direction on the next best steps. We know that if we get clear direction from Him and we obey, it always works out. He takes care of all the details that seem impossible.

While we ate dinner, we also talked about the blog and all of you that have joined us on the journey. It has been an amazing way to share our story and receive support and love from friends, family and those we don’t know except virtually! Also, we talked about how touched we are that Nurse Janet came out to see us. She was one of the nurses that fell in love our baby girl. She is so sweet and it just meant a lot for her to visit.

It’s hard to believe that Ella will be 1 year old in 6 days from now. It’s so exciting to see how God worked this past year and it blows our minds to contemplate what He has in store for Ella. I’m sure it will be like nothing we could have imagined.

We are continuing to seek Him and waiting to hear His voice.

Psalm 119:2
Blessed are they who keep His statutes
and seek Him with all their heart.