Girls Night Out

Once a quarter I venture out of the house sans kids for a night on the town with two girlfriends I've had ever since I moved to Baltimore nearly 9 years ago, Kera and Melissa. They are the wives of two of my husband's best friends from middle and high school and we've been blessed to hit it off as well. The six of us have been through some pretty crazy times together and definitely have some stories to tell (although perhaps not all to the kids)!

Kera, Me, Melissa
So we girls have made it a priority to get out on our own and try to find some sort of respite from the chaos we have waiting for us at home. We always take care to make sure that we pick a place that has a fun and interesting menu, an exciting wine list and is free from little ones throwing grilled cheese sandwiches on the floor.

This past quarter, we went to Pazo, a somewhat over-priced, but fun, tapas restaurant in Fells Point (a historic, waterfront and culinary-rich neighborhood in downtown Baltimore). The ambiance there makes you feel like you've stepped out of the everyday and the food makes you feel more sophisticated just by eating it. Granted, the whole tapas thing is really misleading as a $7 "small plate" may only consist of 3 bites. The whole affair, as you can imagine, can add up quickly. But, regardless, we had a good time. We dined on homemade empanadas, lobster pintxo (on a stick), duck with papas frites (french fries), bread with warm cheese fonduta and more.

After enjoying a terrific meal we met up with the guys at DuClaw to cap off the evening and compare dinner stories. Duclaw is one of our favorite after-dinner spots to kick it until it comes time to go relieve the babysitter. It's nights like these that allow me to regain SOME of my sanity I've lost from wading through the "valley of the diapers".

Slog, slog, slog...

It's also great to have the time to connect with good friends and share this time of life together.