Yesterday afternoon, after a frustrating hour and a half, Amaya absolutely REFUSED to take an afternoon nap. I had Bible Study in the morning, so she got a shortened morning nap, and I thought that she would be wiped out this afternoon. When I put her down, she was stomping her feet in the crib - of course screaming at the top of her lungs. I tried rocking her, I tried laying down with her on the couch, tried walking her around. After 30 minutes of frustration, I thought we'd give up on the nap and play. While playing, she was whiny, rubbing her eyes, yawning... grrr... So, back to the crib - more stomping and screaming. Back to the rocker, the couch... that's it! Mommy is not a happy camper and neither is Amaya. Daddy to the rescue!! Steve arrived home and I told him that he was on "Daddy Duty" for the rest of the evening and that Mommy just needed a break.
After we ate supper, I thought we'd do some retail therapy and shop for Christmas presents (we're halfway done!). Somehow it was taking us FOREVER to get out of the house! At 5:55pm, I'm ready to get our coats on, buckle Amaya in her carseat, and with shopping list in hand, Steve says, "We have to wait five more minutes for a surprise." Surprise?!? I looked out the window and see Grandma and Grandpa Horning to the rescue!! Yahoo! Surprise date night! (How sweet of Steve to call his parents and ask them to watch Amaya after I had a rough afternoon with her.) Little did I know, Steve kept this night SECRET for TWO WEEKS!!!
We said our goodbyes, and while in the car, I asked Steve a billion questions - where are we going? Do I need my shopping list? Are we going to a movie? Are we going to the Cities? Am I dressed appropriately? Are we going out for dessert? Are we going to see Bjorn Again (an ABBA tribute band)?
I was fairly certain we were going to the Civic Center to see a concert, but I couldn't remember when Bjorn Again was coming to Rochester. When we got downtown and parked, there is a sign outside of the Civic Center listing all of the upcoming concerts. I saw Oakridge Boys run across the screen and said, "Oh, please not the Oakridge Boys!" And then "Winnie the Pooh" flashed across the screen. I never did see the listing for Bjorn Again, but when we got inside there were signs directing us to the concert.
We had a blast! Steve did an amazing job keeping it a secret and it was a great surprise! It was amazing how similar they were to the real ABBA - not only in voice, but in mannerisms, dance routines, humor, and costumes. Bjorn Again sang all of my favorites: Fernando, Mama Mia, Take a Chance on Me, SOS, Waterloo, and Dancing Queen. I shouldn't have been surprised concerning ABBA was around in the 1970s, but there were people in their 50s, 60s, and 70s! I felt like I was the youngest one there! Anyway, it was a great date night and a much needed break! Thanks Steve and thank you Grandma and Grandpa Horning for being co-conspirators!