A Night Away From Dad

I THINKYesterday, my wife decided to take the kids and spend the night out at my sister’s house. She does this from time to time to give me an opportunity to get some illustrations done or to work on various other projects without interruption from the kids. Last night with Destiny, Abby, and Alex out of the house I was able to draw, ink, and color 20 illustrations. It was no easy task but something that I was able to complete because of the time my wife gave me.

But let me tell you something, I sure do miss them when they are gone. The house is a lot quieter, the dogs are more settled, and it is just more lonely. Even though this loneliness is just for one night I miss the sounds of chaos through-out our walls. I miss the “daddy I needs”, in addition to the non-stop entertainment Abby and Alex provide. Ultimately, I miss the company of my wife. She always has something interesting to say, tips, and suggestions. Plus when all is said and done she’s there to snuggle with before falling asleep. Our bed is pretty comfortable but when it’s just you by yourself, that comfort is hard to find. The bed didn’t get harder or lumpy, it’s just not the same without my beautiful companion. Saying “sweet dreams” over the phone just doesn’t have the same impact as a kiss goodnight.

Another thing that I find myself not doing when nobody is around is eating. I cook and eat significantly less when I am by myself. Last night I didn’t even make dinner until really late. Even then I probably could have gotten away with not eating anything at all. It’s kind of weird. You would think that a man all alone in a house full of food would binge on everything in site. That’s just not the case. It’s like I go into survival mode where I live off of only what I have too. Plus who wants to dirty up a sink full of dishes just for a one person meal… Not me!

The wife and kids will be home later this afternoon. I am extremely excited to see them and spend some quality time together. It is suppose to be rainy today so hopefully we can all do some relaxing and watch a movie or two. Maybe even play with some LEGO or something else. I do have the GeekDad book series… Maybe I will get those out and see what kind of projects I can whip up on this wonderful day. We will just have to see how everyone is feeling once Destiny and the kids get home. For now, it’s time to clean up the house and make sure everything looks great for when they do arrive. I don’t want my wife walking into a natural disaster!

What do you do when you are alone without your significant other and the kids are all gone? Post a comment and share your story below! Lastly, in honor of the latest Star Wars trailer release I leave you with a cute picture of Abby dressed up as Yoda.

Abby-Yoda

Richie

My name is Richie and I am a 40 year old father of two, a daughter and son. I am married to a beautiful woman named Destiny. She is the foundation of our family, and without her, none of this would be possible. During the day I work as a network security administrator for a local school district. At night I can be found illustrating books, working on websites, or creating music, but more than likely though I am spending time with my kids.

4 thoughts to “A Night Away From Dad”

  1. Wow – alot of missing for one night. I don’t think I’ve ever spent a night alone in my house. It might be weird. My wife goes away for business sometimes and it’s definitely a much different dynamic.

  2. I actually love that first night alone. The silence and stillness of the house. Anything more than that is tough, though. There’s a big sense of “now what?”

  3. Hi Richie. I’ve had this experience a couple of times recently. There’s a short period of wandering around aimlessly, and then I usually make a grilled cheese sandwich. Totally agree about cooking – most of the time I love to cook, but when I’m home alone it has to be some combination of cheese and bread. And no plate.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.