Return to the 57th Fighter Group

Today we returned to the 57th Fighter Group Restaurant, a place we haven't been to in twenty years.  It's odd that we haven't been back in that long, as it's actually a really nice place.  We just never got around to it, really.  But the significance of the moment was this:  it's Mommy's birthday today, and exactly twenty years ago to the day, Daddy took her out for her birthday, our very first date.

It was earlier that weekend that Daddy heard she just wished she had a date for her birthday, so he thought it would be a nice idea to take her out and treat her to a special night.  He got there early, and brought a rose along to set on the table.  Leaving the restaurant, he pretended he was just arriving and meeting her in the parking lot.  The rose was a surprise at the table.

And it was something Mommy was praying for.  She just wanted someone to take her out for her birthday, and wanted a flower.  Daddy was doing something right that day!  Here we are, twenty years later, sitting in pretty much the same seats that we were twenty years earlier, to the very day.

The restaurant is as it was, themed as if it were some hangout for members of the 57th Fighter Squadron.  You can see the walls above lined with sandbags, and of course there are army jeeps and planes on the property.  Music themed to the 40's plays over the radios, and patrons are even able to listen in on traffic control via headphones in the booths.  At least, it used to be like that - we weren't sitting in a booth this time.  We sat by the window, eating and watching the planes come in for a landing.

As for the food, it's delicious.  Daddy misses the entree he had two decades ago, a New Orleans steak, seasoned with crawfish on top.  But the ginger soy salmon today was pretty good.  Even better though was the company:  it was a very nice date with Mommy.  It's a bit of a drive for us, but we made time by doing this at lunch, and it all worked out nicely.  Also, we got there very early, and didn't have to worry about crowds or anything like that.

The rest of the day was rather typical, once we got home.  Madison came home from school, and soon after that we were off to piano class.  This is the last one before the recital, so all the kids were playing in front of everyone, and there are still a few days to go so that all the kids can clean up their performances.  Some are quite nervous, understandably:  these are complicated pieces of music, more complex than anything they've ever played before.

Tonight, we read a bit, and talked a bit about twenty years ago.  It's a story that I'll have to share some time here, a remarkable and wonderful one, where everything just lined up so perfectly.  And it's been like that for twenty years now, and now with Madison, a very lovely happily ever after.