Author's Note: This is the last of a three part series on date night suggestions. Happy Valentine's Day!
Date Night #3: "The Cheap Skate Date"
- Prepare each other a gift that cost you nothing. Give it to one another as you leave the house. It will set the "thrifty" tone!
- Go to at least 4 fast food locations. Order ONLY one item per person at each restaurant. (Example: your drink at Taco Bell, your appetizer at Wendy's, your main dish at Arby's, and your dessert at McDonald's)
- If you have a smart phone that has a good photo app, take a picture of yourselves at each place and create a photo collage of your "dinner."
- Find a free community event and attend it. Choose something that you never would have attended otherwise--it'll make it more memorable.
- Take a blanket to a scenic spot and watch the sun go down together, with a carafe of coffee from home!
Date Night #2: "The Something Old Date"
- Recreate your first date as closely as possible. If you still live in the same town, this will be fairly easy to do. If you live in a different location from where you began your relationship, you might have to substitute some things, but make the evening's agenda as close as possible to what you did the first time you went out together.
- Talk about your favorite memories from the first days and weeks of your relationship. What special things do you remember from your first few dates that endeared your spouse to you early on?
- Bring along your wedding album and/or your box of photos/mementos from your dating days and go through them together.
- If you still have a copy of your wedding vows, read them to each other again.
- Bonus thought: If you still have an article of clothing or jewelry that you wore early on in your relationship, wear it on your date. Depending on its out-of-dateness, it may cause a laugh or two, but that will only add to the memory making!
A couple of years ago, my husband and I realized we needed to step up our date night game. The kids were getting older, we were getting busier, and it was becoming easier and easier to forget about taking time to be together.
One on one time.
Where we dressed up.
And ate nice food.
And talked about big people things.
And laughed.
And had new experiences together.
And came home not just loving each other, but really, really liking each other.
So, now it's something we prioritize, which is harder than it sounds. And what we've found is that the more time and attention we put into our date nights, the more they lend themselves to heart connections and the more memorable they are. Not that dinner and a movie isn't a perfectly nice thing to do, but if it's all we ever do, the dates seem to run together in retrospect instead of sticking out as special highlights as one calendar page turns to another.
But, I'll be honest. It's hard to come up with creative dates again and again. Which is why I'm a big fan of taking other people's ideas. So, in the spirit of generosity, "Treasure the Ordinary" will be offering three date night ideas for the next three days, leading up to Valentine's Day. I pray they might be a blessing to you as you jump start creativity in your relationship.
And if you happen to be someone who is without a significant romantic relationship in your life right now, might I offer this suggestion? What would happen if you prayed for God to show you someone who needed encouragement, someone who is alone in this season of their life, and asked them to accompany you on a friendly outing? You can take these ideas, make them completely platonic, and you might just change someone's outlook on life.
Date Night #1: "The Something New Date"
- Guys: Bring your spouse a type of flower you've never purchased before when you come home!
- Go to a restaurant you've never been to before.
- Order something you've never ordered before.
- Tell each other a story you've never told before.
- Go to a bookstore and buy a "how to" kit for something you've never done before. (Examples: origami, playing the harmonica, paint by numbers, etc.) Go somewhere and tackle the new project together!
- Stop in for coffee before heading home in a new environment. This is a great time to try out a new, hipster coffee joint!
"There is beauty and adventure in the commonplace for those with eyes to see beyond." - Jonathan Lockwood Huie
The older I become, the more I've realized that my life is not made up of hills and valleys like I once thought. It's made up of tiny moments on the road that stretches over hills and valleys.
Tiny moments like making my husband a cup of coffee.
Brushing my daughter's hair.
Listening to my son laugh.
Feeding the whole crew yet another meal.
Hearing about my child's day.
Watching the oldest wink at the youngest.
The choked up feeling in my throat when my friend tells of a victory.
The choked up feeling in my throat when another tells of personal pain.
The feel of the blanket in my hand as I tuck in the one who still asks.
Starting the last load of laundry for the day.
The sound of his breathing as he settles into sleep.
These moments make up my life. They lead me from the valley to the mountain that always stretches in the horizon.
They are everyday. They are common. They are nothing.
Until He gives me eyes to see beyond.
