We just needed to get out together. And somehow my friend Kim knew it before I did. So she told me she was coming over to sit with the kids so we could go. She didn't ask, she told me, and I knew better than to say anything other than yes and thank you. We have not sat across a table alone in too long. I miss him and with all the details of our days for the last few months we rarely get to talk about how we are really doing. So, goodness gracias a funky little ramen place on the light rail was the perfect start to dating again in Charlotte. It was a warm Spring night making it just slightly too sticky as we held hands and walked down the rail line for dinner, but we did it anyway. Sometimes I'm surprised at how hard it is to tell the truth to your favorite and closest person of how you are really doing, and sometimes I am still thrilled at how much we love to be alone. The conversations aren't all peachy and easy but they give us space to find each other on the map, even if one person is out to sea.

Thank you Kim for knowing and making this happen for us. First date for our homecoming check.