Book stores and more

Last year one of my friends gave me a gift card to a book store. I must have lost it along the way, but recently found it. My husband and I went to the store for our date. We bought a new game and 2 great books which we are reading together. We didn't have to spend a dime on our date, we used the gift card and had so much fun.

Drive In Movies

If you're as fortunate as we are you live near to a drive in movie. Last night we went to the drive in movies and had such a great time. We brought with us our dog, no extra charge.

A Geo Caching We Go

This Friday we will be going on a Geo Caching date night. One of our friends from BC Canada sent us some Geo Coins to put into some Caches. This is a fairly inexpensive date. If you own a GPS and go to the following link (registration is free) http://tinyurl.com/4kdaa you will have a fun filled treasure hunting night/day. Remember to bring with you paper, pen, and small little novelties to replace the treasure you find.

Some times it's kind of difficult to find the cache/treasure but it's ok to not find it the whole point of the hunt is to spend quality time with your spouse.

Happy Caching!!!

Romance, Love, Marriage, and Parenthood

Elder Boyd K. Packer said that “romance, love, marriage, and parenthood” are “the purest, most beautiful and appealing experiences of life” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1993, 28; or Ensign, Nov. 1993, 21).

Goal Setting

Make a list of the goals you want to accomplish in one, five, ten, or twenty-five years together. Seal these lists in envelopes with a “to-open” date written clearly on the front.

Tonights Festivities

Tonight is our date night, we're not going out but we are staying in and having a small birthday celebration for my mother. My husband and I will be making a stir fry together and some dessert for dinner. After the meal we all will play some games and perhaps watch a movie.

Taking a Walk

The other day for date night we went to near by park and took a walk with the dog. The dog got great excercise and we were able to talk about our day and our future. We all had a great time.

Board Games Anyone?

My husband and I love playing games. In our library there is a special place for all the games that we have acquired. We periodically get a game or two out, pop some popcorn, and listen to music, book on tape, or watch a favorite TV show or movie---we have such a fun time.

ROMANTIC DATE IDEAS

• Play flag football together.
• Go to a local high school game, college game, or pro game together.
• Pick up some takeout and cuddle on the couch during the game.
• Turn the game into a game. Sneak a kiss for every first down.
  
• Spend the first half together and then let your guy watch the second half.

To read the entire article go to the following link
http://www.romancestuck.com/romantic-date-idea.htm

Sample a variety of cafe's

Sample a variety of cafe's. Instead of just staying at one restaurant, have dinner at one place and dessert at another. Try to find places within walking distance, this way you can enjoy the scenery.

Going to a Concert

A couple of our friends (husband and wife) the other day invited us to a concert, they had some free tickets---it was a great date for my husband and I. We were able to spend time with our friends as well as have a date.

If you are not as fortunate as we were to get to go to a professional concert for free, but you and your spouse like live music there are all types of inexpensive live music in every ones community, even the high school or middle school. The local news paper should list all the concerts in your area.

Library Trip

There are so many great things at the library; DVD's, VHS, Audio Books, Books of all kinds, magazines, newspapers, CD's, computers, and classes.

Take a trip to the local library together and choose something to read, listen, or to watch together. Choosing can be as fun if not more fun as reading, listening, or watching whatever you choose together.

Fortune Cookies

Oder out for Chinese dinner, but make your own fortune cookies. Make the cookies before dinner so that after eating your meal you can have a fun cookie that you and your honey made.

Fortune Cookie Recipe and some Creative Fortunes

Love, Like Rain

Recently I read the book The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom. In the book Mitch Albom writes about love;

"Love, like rain, can nourish from above, drenching couples with soaking love. But sometimes, under the angry heat of life, love dries on the surface and must nourish from below, tending to it's roots, keeping itself alive."

Personal Art

Get together huge sheets of paper and pens, or charcoal, or crayons or watercolors. Take your date to an art museum or art gallery or art festival. After, return home (or go to a park with a picnic table or other location) and create your own artwork.

Progressive dinner

If you and your friends live close together, then a progressive dinner can be lots of fun. The idea is to go from house to house for each phase of the dinner. At one house you have appetizers, at another the salad, at another the main dish, and so on. You might stop at four to six houses for the full meal. Organizing it can be half the fun.

Two Spooning it

This date is one that my husband introduced me to, and we had such a fun time!!

1) With your date, go to the library or book store and pick out a book, or comic that you want to read together. (on one of our dates we choose Calvin and Hobbs)

2) Go to the grocery store together and pick a fancy flavor of ice cream, pint size. Pick up 2 plastic spoons at the grocery store.

3) Go home or to the park and take turns reading out loud to each other and sharing the ice cream.

12 Date Ideas

This is specially for our friends in our marriage class, hope you enjoy the ideas. Please add your comments.

1) Go for a bike ride (or walk), either in your community or take a trail ride with mountain bikes. Take water and snacks, and take time to rest and talk. Enjoy the journey, rather than focusing on a destination.

2) Make a couple of pans of brownies. Then drive to various friends' houses and deliver a small plate of brownies to each friend and visit for a while. When it becomes too late to be visiting people, go home and finish off the brownies.

3) Go to the park and feed the birds. Take a bag of bread. Share childhood memories.

4) On a sunny Saturday morning, travel around the countryside and photograph special sites and serene scenery.

5) Bring a good book of poetry or have you and your date each bring your favorite poetry. Then sit down one evening and read prose together.

6) each of you write a letter, poem, or song for each other. Read them out loud to each other at a special place

7) Go on a beach and cuddle on a blanket with candles all around, while you stare up at the stars and listen to the waves crash....Magical (Olcott Park is a great place)

8) Go to a State park. Blindfold your date to make it a real surprize. Surprise him/her with a favorite home cooked dinner, complete with a red rose and candles. Unblindfold your date just in time to eat dinner while watching the sunset. After dinner, curl up in a blanket with your date, and watch the stars come out.

9) Find a restaurant in a little town about an hour away. On your trip to your destination stop every now and then to take pictures of each other (or have someone take a picture of you together). Take romantic pictures, funny pictures, pictures of the scenery. If you time it right, you can get a picture of the sunset. Get the waiter to take your picture together. Then on your next date, after getting the pictures developed, make a collage of your date together.

10) Have a candlelight picnic in the backyard.

11) Take a hay wagon ride. Come back to hot chocolate and doughnuts.

12) Take your date to rent a bicycle built for two. Ride down to the lake and rent a paddleboat. Once you are out in the middle, have a picnic lunch.

Dollar Store Date

Give each other a couple of dollars to spend in the dollar store. The goal is to buy items for your mate. Be creative. ***Make sure each other doesn't see the items until you get into the car or go somewhere special.***

When you get to the place that you will be giving the items to each other, explain why you got the item.

My husband I have done this and it's so fun. It can be romantic, funny, or just plain fun.

Videos at Home

Turn all the phones off, yes even the cell phones.

Rent a video, pop some popcorn, get some favorite candy, cookies, or treats and watch the movie.

Girls allow your husband to pick the movie some times. Even if it’s not interesting sounding to you watch it. When you watch it to see what your husband is interested in. Try to appreciate why your husband likes this kind of movie….you may learn a lot about him.

After the movie if he’s up to it ask him some well thought out and sincere questions, i.e. so when did you see that movie for the first time? What part of the movie did you like the best? When your husband is answering listen. Listen to how he is talking about the movie and get excited with him as he does. Share the experience with him.

Honey Do List

Work together on the Honey Do List. The other night we had to change a couple of electrical plugs in our house. I could have just let my husband do that task, but I choose to help out…granted I only held the light.

I never knew he had any electrical skills. I learned something new about my husband, and he loved me being impressed with him.

Make Dinner Together

Making dinner together can be so fun. Remember if you assign your husband a task to do, let him do it his way---I made a big blooper on this one girls, first time we made dinner together, I gave my hubby an assignment. I noticed that he was doing it differently than I expected so I went over and took the plate and utensil away from him, right out of his hands (I was an only child). Oops, he was not a happy camper and he told me how he felt about that….oh I felt so bad….but remember to learn from your experiences and not to beat yourself up, just move on and don’t do it again.

When we cook together now and I give him an assignment I let him do it any way he wants…..I mean really what matters here the most---a pretty cut carrot or a happy and helpful husband. Now a lot of times my hubby asks me if there is a specific way that I would like the task to be done J so often though it really doesn’t matter does it.

Our Valentines Day

What a full and wonderful Valentines day. Any and all of what we did this day are great date ideas.

Growing together Spiritually
In the morning we took a trip to the LDS Palmyra Temple with another couple from our ward. We did one session. When my husband and I are able to do spiritual activities together we have grown together in more love toward each other. It's a wonderful feeling.

If you are not LDS, or you are don't have a temple recommend yet, than a different idea for a spiritual activity could be reading your scriptures together, going to church together and afterwards talking about the topic discussed in the meetings.

Service for Family Members
My grandmother was admitted to the hospital Saturday. After coming home from the temple Dan and I went to visit and comfort Gram. When you do service for others with your spouse you are able to see another side of your spouse, a beautiful part.

Shopping for Dirt---Getting involved with their hobby or work
After visiting with Gram we went to Lowes (when we got married one of our dear friends gave us a gift card for Lowes) and bought dirt. My husband has a hobby of growing warms, composting and making soil in our basement. This is my husbands hobby as well as, we will be using the soil (perhaps selling some) for our garden (his hobby too) this year. I could have just let him go alone and pick up his own soil, but he really wanted me to come and be a part of the process. I went gladly. I am very proud of his work. He not only is making this garden for us but he wants to help the people in our neighborhood to make theirs too. One day he would like to go to Africa and share his gardening. He wants to help feed the hungry of the world---I am so proud of him. He has such a big heart.

When we can take the time to be involved in a hobby of a spouse it helps us to gain a better perspective of our spouse. We can see them for who they are, what they like and what some of their passions are----what a wonderful thing to do, to be involved in out spouses lives.

Out for Dinner
After our adventures of the day we used another gift card. We went out for dinner. When we go out for meals, we usually share the meal that we order. We usually order one meal and ask for an extra plate. Now a days the restaurants give you double the proportion that a person should eat, so we split it. Some times we don't even ask for a second plate, we just eat off the same plate. Before Dan I had never done this, it's so fun sharing your food. Sharing is fun!!! :)

Day Before Valentines Day Date

The night before Valentines my hubby is taking me to a Church dance and activity. I love spending time with my husband. Friday night is customarily out date night. Date night is when we go out on a date.

Check out my other blog called Building Strong Marriages, there is a really good article on the importance of dating your spouse.