When did we get old?!

Do you ever get so busy 'adulting' you miss the part where you actually got old?

When my wife and I met, we used to go out into town every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday night, that could then easily turn into going out on the Sunday night and the occasional Wednesday night.  We'd have drinks before went out, go and meet our own groups of friends in town then we'd all meet up in the clubs, do shots and dance till 3 am.  We would then finish the night with a dirty pizza from the kebab shop, head home and play music until the sun came up.

Even as we grew older and more serious about each other, we prided ourself on our ability to not let it effect our social life.  Our circles of friends merged into one group and we'd all hit the town together, every weekend.  But somewhere along the line, I'm not sure when every turned into most, most turned into some, some turned into few and few turned into never!

I have no idea when it happened, I couldn't even tell you when the last night out was, I can't imagine I knew it was the last night at the time.  I mean if I'd have known it was the end of that era, I might have made more of a fuss.  Ordered champagne  got myself barred from a club, something to mark the occasion, go out with a bang, you know?  However, I didn't even realise the transition had happened, it almost snuck up on me.

I recall the moment I realised.  I was sat in the coffe shop of our local garden centre with my Mum, Nanna and wife on a Sunday morning (still hadn't realised).  I asked my mum why she looked so tired.  She said she'd had to go into town at 4 am to pick my little sister up as she couldn't get a taxi. I laughed my - sister is just like me, I thought.  I asked my mum where she was now (it was around 11am), she was apparently still in bed - again just like me, I thought.  Sundays were made for recovery.  

That's when it hit me, recovery from what?  Fillet steak and half a bottle of red in my fat face lounge pants and homies slippers?  When did saturday nights change? Weekends used to be about going out in skinny jeans, downing Jäger Bombs and Southern Comfort, eating greasy pizzas, queuing for taxis, disturbing the neighbours at 4 am, waking up with mascara all over your white pillow (I'd go ballistic if that happened now on my 1000 thread count Egyptian cotton) and spending the next day throwing up and eating carbs, preparing your body to repeat the entire process again! Now I think 11pm is late and anything stronger than an ameretto over ice after dinner is just uncivilised! 

I was so mortified by this discovery I kind of freaked out.  I announced to my wife not to go shopping for anything next weekend, we where going out!  I told her I'd book a reastaurant in town we'd both been fancying for ages, she was impressed, she even offered to drive - no need I said, I've booked us a taxi! I was very proud of myself! 

Saturday came and we both got our glad-rags on.  I'd booked the table for 7 pm thinking we'd finish at about 9 giving us time to hit a few bars before the clubs opened.  I booked the taxi well in advance remembering how hard it is to get a taxi at "peak time" on a Saturday night and that they were always late.  

Our taxi, however, came early.  We arrived at the restaurant at 6:45.  No bother, we'll have a cocktail whilst we wait.  No, our table was ready.  Oh well, we'll have some bread and peruse the menu.  The waiter, however, didn't really seem impressed with my idea so we ordered.  In short, we'd had starters, mains, deserts, coffee and amerettos and we where settling up the bill by 7:45! 

Moving on...we headed out into the town to hit this new swanky cocktail bar I'd heard my sister go on about.  It was empty, we where the only 2 people in there.  It was bizarre  the bar tender was so happy to have someone to tend to he kept bringing us free cocktails he was experimenting with!  By 9:30pm we were starting to flag.  We needed a crowd, some energy!  So I text my sister - Hey you out? Text back; Yes, why are you OMG?  (I really didn't think it warranted an OMG). Yeah out with this wife, where you at? (See I can be down with the kids).  Still at home mate (Mate? Mate? I'm your bloody sister I changed your bloody nappy).  Having PRINKS - taxi's booked for 1 am into town...

WTF are PRINKS?  After a 5 minute conversation with the bar man, it seams we've totally missed the vibe with town.  People don't go out now until well after midnight.  Instead they get PRe town drINKS whilst getting ready at each other's houses, and if we don't get a taxi before 10pm we'll have no chance, 

So that's what we did.  Just like every Saturday of the previous 2 years, and every Saturday night for the rest of my life, I was sat at my dining room table at 10pm in my fat face lounge pants debating wether to open a bottle of red or get an early night!

But you know what...with the OH by my side, I wouldn't change it for the world!