THE 5 A.M. SHOWER

submitted by: Mel

Since my husband and I married while still working through college, we spent a lot of time on cheap dates. We have done everything from the standard stay-at-home dinner and a rented movie to taking a road trip to "wherever that road over there leads" (granted, with present gas prices, we couldn't exactly keep that one under $10 anymore!)

One of my favorite "dates" was in the early morning, before work. There was supposed to be a meteor shower at 5am, in January. I don't know how he convinced me, but we got up, bundled up, and walked to the nearest park with a wide view of the sky. We held hands, glove in glove, reminiscing about our engagement era, which also took place in the winter. The view wasn't really the most romantic aspect of it-- it was the time spent huddling and cuddling and remembering the beauty that is all around us. Sometimes it just takes an icy reminder to get us to see how vibrant our lives can be, with a little effort!