Girls' Night OUT

I had the best time last night, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me give you some background. So two years ago my parents gave me this book. Didn't read it. Then we decided to get serious about money...ooo ya didn't my parents give us that book that one year?.... So I read the book. So we made a plan to follow the Total Money Makeover. Now, I'm not a big spender. I don't go out and spend $100's on clothes or even toys for my kids. Nor do I eat out more than a time or two a week (usually just to get the kids out of the house for a little while, and me too of course) On our new budget we are very strict. No extra spending that's not budgeted for. The hardest part about it is Chad gets out all the time. He works all day every day. Which I'm very grateful for because it feeds me. Then he plays volleyball on Mondays, basketball on Wednesdays, and then basketball and/or volleyball on Saturday morning. Sometimes he goes to the gym on other nights to get some exercise in. All good things. But they are all free. (for the most part, he doesn't pay when he goes we have paid it all already) So I've been stressed, the kids have been horrible and my bad attitude (please refer to the "I hate January" post) hasn't helped anything. And this week has unleashed all it's torture Pam potential and I was feeling beaten. I have debated all week about breaking my budget rule and going out with the girls because they were going out for a birthday party. So....Saturday afternoon I was not going to go. And I will admit. I was acting like a 5 year old about it. I was sad, walking around the house with a cloud above my head. Chad asked me what was wrong. I said nothing. He knew. We were supposed to go out on a date, but that didn't work out. So I was super bummed out. Just as I resolved to locking myself in the basement and scrapbooking all by myself, Chad text my friend to tell her to come get me and I was going out. I was so MAD at first. I had tried to figure out a way to deal with it and he went behind my back and "solved" the problem. BUT I am SO GLAD he did. I had so much FUN! AND even though we had a 1 1/2 hour wait to get our seats, while we were chatting and laughing like girls do I actually had a moment. A "I really needed this" and a "I'm not feeling stressed" and could actually feel the stress ease away moment. I had no idea when I'd be home, and for once I wasn't worried about when that would be either. I had no stress. No babysitter to rush home to. My husband had made me go. I didn't drive. I had no stress. We went to the mall and I was good and didn't spend any money. I was good at dinner and didn't order dessert. We went to the Cheesecake Factory. I'd never been before. And the ladies I was with all shared a taste of their cheesecakes with me and it was PLENTY! AND SOOOO GOOD! I'm so blessed to have a family that loves me. And blessed to have such wonderful friends. I love my ward. I love my family. Thank heaven for girls night out!