Empty Nest Quandary

Tami and I have found ourselves with unexpected time alone lately. Michael had his two day college orientation and works almost every day. Abby has been hanging out with friends (Kings Island etc...). We're not exactly sure what to do with this time. We sit around and ask each other what to do and the the typical reply is, "I dunno". We consider going to a movie and quickly realize there is absolutely nothing worth watching. At least nothing that warrants spending nearly $20 for two tickets. We love going out to eat, but that gets real expensive, real fast. We don't have disposable income to be going out to restaurants all the time. Their prices are outrageous anymore! Sitting around the house or pool relaxing is nice, but there's only so much of that you can do. I mean, crossword puzzles are fun, but not for hours on end. We also love to take rides in the car. We especially like visiting places we've never been. But with the price of gas, it's difficult to justify spending that kind of cash for a ride in the car. We're not big fans of the Omnimax Theater or Museum Center (been there, done that). Going to visit Sveta is always a tempting option, but the Mortons have lives of their own (busy, busy lives) and impromptu visits aren't possible very often. We could go to the library and get some books. We both love to read, but again, for hours on end, it can get a bit old. We could go to Newport on the levee and walk on the Purple People Bridge. But that's not much fun in the heat of the day and again, that would lead to a restaurant and spending more money.

Do you see the quandary? We find ourselves with short stints as empty nesters. Yet we don't have a ton of money to keep ourselves constantly entertained. Please don't get me wrong though. Somehow we always end up having a great time together and we don't have to break the bank to do it. Tami is still my best friend and there's nobody I would rather spend my time with. I am constantly reminded how and why I fell in love with her and those feelings are only stronger today. However, when we do have these times alone, there is one topic that always comes up... the kids. We talk about the kids all the time. They are our favorite subject. And speaking of the kids, Michael is very excited about college and Abby is happy not to be a freshman anymore. Jessi is an incredible mother to my sweet little Sveta. But these are topics for blog posts another day.