45..75..90...What recession?

I have some fantastic news. The recession is O-V-E-R! Woot! Kick up your heels and celebrate.

See, hubby and I decided to get a babysitter tonight and enjoy an adults-only dinner before he spends 7 days in training for work. By ourselves. No children. No mac n' cheese. No screaming, "Cut it out!" at our table. It was going to be lovely.

I tried calling our first choice at 3:30 and they didn't have any reservations for two, but the hostess politely told me, "You are welcome to walk-in and may have a slight wait." Oh yummy. It was my first choice for our adults-only dinner and I had a craving for their lobster and shrimp pasta.

Twenty-one degrees later, with a windchill of negative 100, we arrived for our "slight wait."

Me: "How long for a party of two?"

Perky hostess: "Let's see. Right now. One hour fifteen to an hour and a half."

Me: "Huh? Uhm. Ok. Thanks anyway."

See, I had a babysitter at home and right there that dinner already cost us an extra $15.

Next place. Decided on a large Italian restaurant figuring lots of seats, no wait.

Me: "How long for a party of two?"

Not as perky hostess: "Do you have a reservation?"

Me: "No" and would I ask you how long if I had a reservation?

Not as perky hostess: "Hmmm. About 40, 45 minutes."

Me: "Ok. Guess it's not our night. Thanks."

As we drove from establishment to establishment to strip mall and back we were realizing that without a parking spot at any of these places (and the crowds spilling outside in negative 100 degree weather) we may end up at the sub shop down the street.

As luck would have it, literally on the way to a sub shop down the street, we tried one last place (that we had driven past earlier) and there was a parking spot. So we took it, went inside, and wanted to slip the hostess $100 when she told us, "Only a ten minute wait."

Of course at this point we had been driving around for over an hour (no joke) and could have just stayed at our first choice and been on our way to a table to order lobster and shrimp pasta. Instead, we settled for mediocre food (but cold wine and that's all that really mattered at this point, right?) and a much less expensive food bill.

Given the crowds and long lines on a Saturday night, I'm glad to report the economy is recovering!! Take the money out from under the mattress and start investing...things are looking good.