Family Date Night

When we were in Australia as a family the definition of a romantic night out changed a bit. To go out without Link we needed to hire a babysitter. And as we didn't know any babysitters in Sydney it meant we had to use a service. Which meant we paid quite a bit for a night out. Roughly triple.

We took one night to see La Soiree, where our friend Ryan McCarthy performed aerial acrobatics on straps hung from the ceiling. It was amazing. But the babysitter cost us $200 for the night. More than we paid for the tickets to the show. Not something we could repeat with any level of frequency.

So while loved going out it normally included Link. And for real romance, it meant going out alone. One of us would watch the little guy while the other did something fun on their own. When in Melbourne, Julie watched Link while I went to the Australian Open. It was amazing.

And on our next-to-last night in Sydney, I watched Link while Julie went to the opera where she saw a famous violinist perform Mozart concertos. Not my cup of tea, but it's one of the greatest venues in the world and I'm thrilled that Julie was able to experience it.

While Julie was dressed up and watching Mozart, Link and I hit the town. Our plan was to hit up a few whiskey bars, make some new friends, and introduce Link to good liquor. However, each bar I went to had a strict 18+ policy and wouldn't let me in with Link. Such a bummer, as I scoured the city for a great place to get a whiskey-double, neat.

Alas, I ended up back close to our apartment where I found a reasonable place to get a drink. And I was really lucky in that there ended up fireworks over the harbor. It was Link's first time seeing fireworks.

Link loved his first fireworks display. He got to see lights (his favorite). I got to enjoy some Tasmanian whiskey. And we were home and he was bathed and in bed by 9:30. All in all, it was a good date night.