Spending the night at a hotel with your husband 10 miles from your home is totally worth the money.

John Lowman turned 41 today. Congrats to my husband, who will always be 6.5 years old than me.

When asked what he wanted for his birthday, John replied the usual, "a sweet card from the boys." So....I booked a hotel room in Dunwoody and made reservations at the restaurant where we became engaged about 11 years ago. The sitter was arranged and we were off on our adventure. John had no idea where we were going or what we were doing.

We pulled up to the hotel and I opened the trunk, where he found his dress clothes and our packed bag. We went for a short swim and then to the restaurant for a YUMMY dinner. After dinner, we sat on oversized couches and talked about the last 12 years.

We retired to our room late and spent the night in the luxury of a kidless room and surprisingly soft and comfy bed to both our liking. The best part was rolling over at 8:30, not having had to get up to get breakfasts for two rugrats and check W's BG and give insulin (Stephanie, you will now be written into our will!).

All that being said, we love our family. We love the time we spend together. We even love the hustle-bustle of having two kids in school doing multiple sports at one time.

But there is something to be said about going back to the beginning and taking time to enjoy the company of the man with whom I chose to spend my life. He is funny, respectful, fun, interesting, and is still the person with whom I would choose to spend most of my time.

Everyone should shell out the extra money and have dinner, drinks, and a night with no responsibilities. It's amazing what it can do for a 12 year old relationship.

Happy Birthday, Hunty. I love you.

L