Having both been in relationships that ended in divorce, Big E saw a reel on Instagram that he shared with me. It was a quick convo about the 7-7-7 rule:
Every 7 days have a date night.
Every 7 weeks go on a weekend getaway.
Every 7 months go on a vacation.
We agreed that the 7-7-7 rule was something we want to incorporate into our relationship with each other. He has already greatly influenced the amount of time I spend at work, encouraging me to shorten my days and take much needed time for myself at home. While he patiently waits as I log-in remotely at times, I no longer feel the need to rush to fix the things.
This past weekend was our first official weekend outing. We spent the weekend at the Embassy Suites, along with members of an Indian wedding and a slew of volleyball players and their parents in town for a volleyball tournament. We reminisced over breakfast as we watched a multitude of children (and some parents) going through the dining room still in pajamas with bedhead and sleepy eyes. Never ones to keep to ourselves, we spoke with several families from Atlanta and the Nashville areas. The pre-nuptial photo shoot was quite entertaining as the groomsmen pummeled the groom with pillows in the lobby.
With him having a Minor in History and myself having a huge interest in history, especially architecture, we set off so I could introduce him to the pleasures of the architectural salvage company, Preservation & Co. Located in the former Lincoln Commissary, this family-owned and operated store is run by the Butler family and their 13 children. While a majority of their stock is doors, they also have a large selection of other industrial and architectural elements available. I ended up with a very sizeable industrial iron cog that had been repurposed into a sculpture and now sits in my office. We used Big E’s wheelchair hoist to lift it into his chair so I could get it up to my office where it literally took three of us to lift it onto the credenza.
Prior to setting off on our adventure, we stopped at a little hole-in-the-wall cafe for lunch. The Blue Plate Cafe is a winner for us and someplace we will most likely frequent on future visits. With a small-town diner feel to it, the draw was the parking lot which was full. Located on a corner off Governor’s Drive SW, parking was plentiful and the entrance was handicap friendly. The menu is so simple it reminded me of an algorithm – choose your meat from the daily choices (of which there are 4) and then either 2-3 sides which are listed below the daily choices of meat. The wait staff is friendly, happy and helpful. They advise you of the daily specials – the select vegetable and the select dessert – as they hand you the menu. Sheree was our waitress and she seriously never stopped smiling, not in a creepy way, but in a genuinely happy-to-be-working way. He had the chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes with brown gravy and green beans. I had the pot roast, hashbrown casserole and green beans. It was home-cooking at it’s best and the portions were HUGE!!
I look forward to our next date night and our next weekend getaway. Obviously, the 7 month vacation will take a bit more planning but I’m sure it will be filled with laughter.
Mudd Street Chronicles 