Work Dinner or Date Night?

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January 9, 2012 by CJ

I’m not sure if what I did this past Saturday night with my husband will qualify to some as a date night. I know when we said we would dedicate a night for us to reconnect I pictured romantic dinners, candlelight and just the two of us. I surely did not imagine my coworkers and their spouses to be involved.

Saturday night was my department’s holiday dinner. Yes, I know it was after the holiday. As a group we decided it was the easiest thing to do. There are 8 of us in our department By the time the month of December rolls around, trying to find a Saturday night where we can all make it, with our significant others, is difficult. We decided, this year, to go to a restaurant on the eastern shore of Maryland, Mason. Since this is about a 2 hour drive for most of us, we also reserved hotel rooms at Hyatt Regency in Cambridge Maryland. Going into the night the only thing I knew for certain was I was going to have a great meal and I hoped I’d remember it in the morning!!

The View from our room

The ceiling fan in the room. I just liked it

We arrived at the hotel around 3p, checked in and took a quick nap. One thing we learned from past holiday dinners with my work people, is that the evening lasts well into early morning. Our reservations were at 630p and my boss had arranged for a shuttle to take us to the restaurant and back. Around 5:20ish we made our way downstairs to the bar for some pre-dinner drinks. Introductions were made to new boyfriends and friends and hugs were given to spouses I hadn’t seen since in awhile. Soon the shuttle arrived and we were on our way!

Getting on the shuttle

Dinner was absolutely amazing, the staff, the ambiance, the food…everything!! Service was prompt and never intrusive. I just wish I would have taken pictures of some of the food. But at that point in the evening everyone was so enthralled in various conversations, the thought of bringing my phone out to snap a picture, never entered my mind. That’s when you know you are having a good time, when you forget to document it! We could not have asked for more. After dessert we went back on the shuttle and returned to the hotel. We closed the hotel bar then a few of us headed back to one of my co-worker’s room. There we talked more, drank beer and giggled like school kids.

Fire pit at night

I can’t say how many glasses of wine or how much beer I had that evening, what I can say is I laughed till I cried with good friends and fell in love with my husband all over again. If that doesn’t count for a superb date night, I’m not sure what does.

A late night snack left in our room from the hotel. I rememberd to take a picture only after I took a bite