Last week on Wednesday, just as S and I were settling into having lunch, Thomn called me from work to tell me that we had won the lottery.  The night before, we had been chatting and I told him that I was feeling lucky and I thought we should play the lotto that night.  Well, sure enough, we won.  No, we didn’t win the Mega Millions or whatever was being drawn that night, we won the Hamilton Lottery.  Two tickets, center stage, second row to see Hamilton in Chicago on Thursday night for a mere $10 each.  On any given night, the tickets to see Hamilton can range from $300-800 per ticket, so for the last five months Thomn has entered into the drawing and not once had he won.  I must have asked him 25 times if he was for real or just kidding, but it was for real and the ticket office needed to know if we wanted the tickets in a matter of hours.  Keep in mind, we had not yet been on a date since T4 was born, but sure, we will find a way to see Hamilton the next night in another state.  And we did.  My sister, being the amazing person, she is, didn’t think twice before offering for her family to come with us and watch the kids.

It is still a bit surreal to me that we were able to go.  An evening walk through the misting rain in downtown Chicago made for the perfect date night.  We have been listening to the music of Hamilton for a better part of a year in our house as it fueled Thomn in many ways while writing his prelims. Dear Theodosia has been my favorite song of them all since I first listened. Having two small children at home makes this song more than a little relatable and as it was being sung on stage, the tears streamed down my face. Take a listen and I am sure you will understand why.

Dear Theodosia, what to say to you?
You have my eyes. You have your mother’s name

When you came into the world, you cried and it broke my heart

I’m dedicating every day to you
Domestic life was never quite my style
When you smile, you knock me out, I fall apart
And I thought I was so smart

You will come of age with our young nation
We’ll bleed and fight for you, we’ll make it right for you
If we lay a strong enough foundation
We’ll pass it on to you, we’ll give the world to you
And you’ll blow us all away…
Someday, someday
Yeah, you’ll blow us all away
Someday, someday

[HAMILTON]
Oh Philip, when you smile I am undone
My son
Look at my son. Pride is not the word I’m looking for

There is so much more inside me now
Oh Philip, you outshine the morning sun
My son
When you smile, I fall apart
And I thought I was so smart
My father wasn’t around

[BURR]
My father wasn’t around
[HAMILTON]
I swear that
I’ll be around for you.
[BURR]
I’ll be around for you.

[HAMILTON]
I’ll do whatever it takes

[BURR]
I’ll make a million mistakes

[BURR/HAMILTON]
I’ll make the world safe and sound for you…
…will come of age with our young nation
We’ll bleed and fight for you, we’ll make it right for you

If we lay a strong enough foundation
We’ll pass it on to you, we’ll give the world to you
And you’ll blow us all away…
Someday, someday
Yeah, you’ll blow us all away
Someday, someday

S and T4, I am dedicating my life to you and every day you blow us both away.  We are doing our best to lay a foundation and you will never really understand how we have bled and fought for you. Someday, someday.

Thank you, Nichole and Jeff, for our date night and for loving our kids as much as you do.