Night Market and Art Walk

For this date (last week), Jason decided to take me out for some local Bellingham activities.  This year a Friday night market began in Bellingham, and we had yet to check it out.  It turns out that this was the final week it would be open for the season, so we made it just in time!

It's a quirkly little market.  There were a couple of food vendors, some locals selling their crafts/goods, and a live band for entertainment.  I don't think it was quite what we were expecting, but it was fun nonetheless.  Plus, we did find some really cute onesies and kid's t-shirts that we will keep on our radar for later...  I think we expected some produce and local dairy stands (we've been on a cheese kick lately), but alas, there were none.  While we were wandering, one of the vendors noticed Baby H's little bump, and offered us a gift.  He gave me a piece of quartz taken from a spring on Mount Baker.  Apparently it will help with lactation when the time comes.  He was quite friendly, and later as we walked by his booth full of rocks and stones, his seemed to be the most popular.  Maybe that gives you an idea of what this night fair is like.

We wandered for a few minutes and didn't see too much else of interest, and then realized that being the first Friday of the month, it was also Art Walk! Perfect!  We ended up walking around downtown and checking out some shops that neither of us had ever been to before. We saw some great architecture at a relatively new showroom, and perused some art galleries. 

We finally noticed that our stomachs were growling, so we landed at D'Anna's. We had been there once before, and were unimpressed with service and food.  However, it had been a few years, and they always seem busy, so we decided to give them another try.  Poor choice.  Jason's beer didn't taste right (likely from dirty draft lines - euw) and our food was bland.  Not to mention, service was less than mediocre.  It wasn't an awful experience, but Bellingham has so many other food choices that we won't be going back.

Lastly, with our bellies full and feet tired, we made our way home and read the final chapter of Revelations.  

Farmer's Market

It's already the end of September, and we had yet to use up the Farmer's Market as our date.  How could it be?!?  So, finally, we crossed this one off the list.  It was a little bit wet outside, but that didn't stop us.  It was a perfect day for the Farmer's Market, because the chef from one of our favorite food trucks, Streat Food, was doing a free tasting and demonstration.  Yum!  He showed us how to make a delicious pastry, which I cannot recall the name of.  I have a copy of the recipe somewhere, and might try making it myself.  Perfect for a fairly easy appetizer or quick bite.

One of the things I love about the Farmer's Market is trying all the yummy food, but also seeing all the bright colors of fresh produce... and discovering just how colorful they can really be.  I had no idea that cauliflower comes in a green variety!  I also really like the people-watching that you can do in public spaces like this, and of course running into friends and acquaintances.  We wandered around, picked up a few veggies for the upcoming week, and enjoyed one anothers company.  One of the nice things about the Bellingham market is that it continues through December. We'll be back in a couple months for our annual holiday wreath. 

 

Rainy Weekend in Whistler

This week's date was a little bit more extravagant and special than most.  We celebrated our fourth year of marriage, and Jason took me on a weekend getaway.  If you've been in the Pacific Northwest this summer, then you'd know our weather has been phenomenal.  Amazing. Gorgeous. Hot. Sunny.  This weekend, it was everything but.  Historically, this particular weekend in July is supposed to have the best weather (sunny, lowest chance of precipitation). Not a chance.

If you've been to Whistler, you know that, a) it's a town you check out by foot, and b) all activities are outdoorsy.  Perfect mixture for a rainy weekend.  I still can't get over this, it was the ONE rainy weekend we had in months....anyways, maybe it was just what we needed. Neither of us had ever been to Whistler during the spring or summer months, so we were excited to fit in some hiking and check out the peak-to-peak.  However, neither of those worked out because it was too cloudy for the Gondola, and we don't have hiking gear meant for the rain (and mud). Not to mention, my energy levels were still pretty low.  Regardless, we had a great time relaxing and enjoying each others company.

Jason had booked us a room right in the middle of the Village, so we spent a lot of time walking around, checking out the shops, eating, and wandering.  In our wanderings, we stumbled by a place called West Coast Float.  Have you ever heard of a sensory deprivation tank? Jason had, and he thought it would be fun to try.  So, we booked a time slot and checked it out.  If you've never heard of floating, it's basically a shallow bathtub with so much epsom salt that you float.  The water and room temperature are both at body temp. The idea is that you can't feel where the water ends and the air begins.  This is supposed to be a restful time.  Jason loved it.  He found it to be relaxing.  While I didn't mind it, I would have preferred this as a time to relax and talk.  I found it difficult to find a comfortable spot for my head and arms and was adjusting every few minutes.  In addition, I did not like the lack of air circulation, and thought the air was too warm, to where I felt I needed to open the door a few times to catch a breath of fresh(er) air.  Regardless, it was a fun experience. 

Jason spent most of the day trying to convince me that we needed a float tank for our home, but he didn't quite sell me on it.  We wandered, watched some dancers while the sun peeked it's face for a moment, and wandered some more.  There was also an Iron Man taking place on Sunday, so of course that inspired Jason to work on his parkour and ninja warrior skills.  It doesn't take much to make Jason want to jump around and do things that make me anxious, but he was very inspired this weekend.  Jason also decided that if these people could do an Iron Man, that he could definitely run a marathon.  So he has decided to sign up for one in the near future.  Oh boy.  I really do love this man, but I don't know where all this energy comes from.  It's good, because he keeps me on my toes!

The weekend getaway was a great trip for us.  The weather was disappointing, but part of the fun was just being together and having to rework our plans.  It made for a trip that was both relaxing and spontaneous.  I wouldn't mind doing a few more weekend getaways together...maybe next time we'll catch some sun too.

 

Cost:
$$$$
(Lodging, food, entertainment)

Tumbling

This date was a really fun one.  When Jason told me we were going to an adult tumbling class, I had no idea what to expect.  Unlike Jason, I never took any sort of gymnastics class as a kid.  Of course I learned how to do somersaults and cartwheels, but that was just in the grass of my front yard.  For this date, we dropped in on the Friday night tumbling class offered by North Coast Gymnastic Academy.  Apparently, it was a slow week night for them as many of their students were out for competitions.  However, that meant we had the entire gym all to ourselves!  After warming up, we tried a few basic movements.  I didn't try too many things, as my upper body strength ins't like that of Jason, and my mobility is currently a little limited.  

Anyways, Jason and I had so much fun playing around, trying jumps, tumbles, bouncing, balancing, and all sorts of other things I don't know the names of.  I was even a little sore the next day. After we wrapped up at the gym, we decided to continue our date with dinner.  We tried out a new restaurant in town and enjoyed a low key evening with each other.


Cost:
NCGA - $15 per person
Dinner - Approx.

Shopping For...

Most of you probably know by now that Jason and I are expecting a baby at the end of this year.  No...? Surprise!  Anyways, this date was a thoughtful one on Jason's part. If you know me well, you know I don't particularly care for shopping, and I normally don't enjoy spending money on things for myself, like clothes.

Well, as you also may know, your body changes a little bit during pregnancy.  Before the baby bump makes its way for the world to see, there are other areas of the body that change first. And, you probably know where I'm going with this, but I'm just going to come out and say it - breasts.  Breasts change during pregnancy.  Whether Jason noticed this change or it come up in conversation, I'll let you decide.  Regardless, he knew that I was in need of some new pieces of apparel to accommodate these changes.  

So, on a Friday night after work, Jason and I hopped in the car and went on a date to the MALL! What? Are we 16 again? No, but eating dinner (mmm, Chipotle) and walking around the mall (even if briefly) made me feel like it.  Anyways, we ate some grub, then he took me to Victoria's Secret to get fitted for a new bra.  I am SO glad he did.  This is something I probably would have put off for far too long... and ladies, you can relate...you know how nice it is to have a properly fitting bra.  And, I didn't feel hesitant spending the money on TWO new bras because Jason helped me realize that the benefit of comfort would be worth it.  

Jason patiently waited for me as I tried on a few different styles and finally made a selection.  I'm sure he felt a little uncomfortable waiting around for me, but I really appreciate that he did.  At least I let him help pick between a couple I liked, so he got to participate in some fashion.  Afterwards, we got a smoothie to share (mm, more mall treats) and sat in the food court and read from our Bible.  

Husbands, this is a really easy way to take your wife on a date just living ordinary life.  This is something I would have EVENTUALLY done on my own, but it was nice to have Jason spending the time with me doing it.  If you see something your wife needs, make a date out of it and take her to get it!

Cost:
Chipotle - $18
Victoria's Secrets - $65
Orange Julius - $7

Sunday Picnic

Jason is the best! For this date, he had to plan a little in advance and prepare our picnic in the morning.  We went to Church, had a member's meeting, and then took off for Boulevard Park.  He brought our outdoor blanket and we found a space to set up with a little sun and shade (don't worry - we brought sunscreen too!).  A couple years ago I won this Bota Box picnic set, which has most everything you need for a simple picnic...including a holding space for your wine bladder - but we didn't utilize that feature.  Jason had packed a lunch in the morning which consisted of cheese, meats, fruit and crackers, along with a tasty sparkling lemonade.  I love picnics, and I love cheese!

To top it off, the weather outside was perfect!  We could have played some games or thrown around a frisbee, but our lives have been quite busy, so it was nice to have some relaxing time to catch up and discuss some of the things we'd been thinking about.  Also, I love people watching, and the park was plenty busy for that!

Shari's

These days, we tend to choose local places for a dinner out, places with bistro style foods, good happy hours, or tasty beers on tap.  This time, we went to Shari's, so this date wasn't for the fine dining...rather, it was a little bit of a 'throwback' for both of us.  Are we the only ones who spent countless evenings in high school hanging out with friends at places like Shari's and Applebee's?  We spent several nights there in our youth - after concerts, youth group, days at the lake, and other activities.  

We intended to go for dessert, but my appetite had been a little 'wonky' that day, and I was pretty hungry.  So, we ordered mozzarella sticks, and then we both got breakfast for dinner.  As expected, the food wasn't amazing, but it was nostalgic.  It was really great because Shari's was pretty quiet that night, which seemed to fit with both of our moods.  We had fun perusing the giant menu, and felt like kids again, ready to order whatever sweet thing sounded good.  Doing something different, yet familiar, was a nice change to our routine.  We've since joked that we might need to do some more cheap late night dinners after busy days.

Singles and Sunshine

For Date 19, Jason found our tennis rackets, and took me out for some friendly singles play at one of the local high schools.  It turned out our balls were all flat, so all we needed to do was stop and pick up some new ones.  It was a beautiful and hot day out (in May!), so we slathered on the sunscreen and brought lots of water.  Neither of us have touched our tennis rackets in a year, at least, so it took us a few minutes to warm up our swings.  Jason may be better at many other things, but he was a good sport while I won nearly every match.  After the game, we grabbed our Bible and found a shady spot to continue reading through Romans.  There is so much to grapple within Romans, I am so glad we are reading through it together.

Dates don't have to be complicated.  In fact, this was so simple.  We did something we know we already enjoy, and was minimal expense to us - I love it!

Cost:
Tennis Balls - Approx. $4 

Foot Golf!

If you have known me any amount of time, then you would know soccer is my favorite sport. I started playing when I was in kindergarten, and soccer took up a vast amount of time as a youth.  A couple years ago I finally joined an adult league here in town, and a little while later Jason even joined in on the soccer fun!

Last year we discovered this thing called FootGolf.  If you like soccer and haven't tried it - go do it!  Or, maybe you don't like soccer, but you like kicking around a ball - go do it!  The golf course on Lake Padden offers it on weekend evenings.  Basically, you 'tee' off, and try to get your soccer ball in the hole in as few touches as possible.  Just as in golf, there is a par value assigned to each hole, and you are competing against friends for the lowest score.  The distance ends up being a little shorter than that of the golfers as you tee off closer, and the FootGolf hole is before you reach the green.

Initially, we did have to wait a few minutes until the groups ahead of us were onto the 2nd hole, so we had a chance to sit and enjoy the sunshine together.  So lovely.

Anyways, rather than me telling you about it, you should get out and try it.  It's a fun way to get outside, enjoy some sunshine, and be active with your significant other or friends.  We ended up playing a few holes together, and then did another round with friends. 

Side note: When we were checking in to play, I found out that Jason had booked our tee time back on Tuesday (we played Sunday) and I was incredibly impressed.  For some reason, knowing that he planned our date and set things up ahead of time made me feel really good.  So simple!

I loved this date idea, as it was easy and fun!




Cost:
18 holes for 2: $36.00

Check out Lake Padden's FootGolf.

Barnes and Noble Date

On Friday evening Kim took me and out to dinner at Anthony's Hearthfire.  We had a $20 gift certificate which made the bill easier to handle. This was only the 2nd or 3rd time we have eaten in the dining room.  Hearthfire has an amazing happy hour in the bar, which we normally enjoy.  Dinner was great, with a wonderful sunny view of the bay.  After dinner Kim told me to drive toward Meridian.  We normally keep most of the dates a secret until they happen.  The suspense is more fun.
We ended up at Barnes and Noble for our after dinner adventure.  My grandpa gave us both giftcards for Christmas which we still needed to use up.  The bookstore is a super fun date spot, you can spend hours browsing around at subjects you could only dream about.  Kim had a fun idea of picking out our favorite childhood books (Under 5 years old) and read them to each other.  I haven't thought about Corduroy for years!  For the most part we knew the books that each other picked out, but Kim had a couple I didn't remember. I'm sure Kim read more than I did as a kid.  Harry the Dirty Dog is pretty darn funny.
After reading our favorite kid books to each other we went and found a bible and read a bit more of Romans.  We actually ended up purchasing the bible, it was a really nice brown leather ESV.  We ended up with a wooden chessboard (an upgrade from the plastic chessboard from our dollarstore date), the Bible, and a cook book for a gift.  We spent about an hour and a half wandering around Barnes and Noble and spending time together. This is a fun potentially zero cost date.  You can learn a lot about a persons likes from the books they pick out.  I'm normally in the food/cookbook section or the DIY/home remodel section.  Kim spends more time looking for good novels, also the financial and cookbook sections.
Overall, A+ for a creative date idea.  My only regret is for not purchasing a chess for dummies book.

Evening at the Planetarium

Did you know that Western has a planetarium on campus?  Well, I did. And part of me thinks Jason stole this date idea from me! Apparently I need to be more secretive about my potential date ideas... Sheesh.  It's okay though, none of the planetarium showings fell on my date week.

Anyways, it was fun.  Jason and I got off of work on a Wednesday evening and headed over to campus.  Jason already had tickets and we found street parking very quickly which left us some time to wander around campus.  It was a beautiful day and the fountain was going...Jason even put on his cheesiest smile for a selfie.

Once the show in the planetarium begins, you get a tour of our stars and planets.  This is my favorite part. In this case, it was one of Western's professors who showed us some of our favorite constellations, told us about some history and Greek mythology.  It is a fun view of the sky because they are able to rotate your view, zoom in, move around, and show you what things look like at different times of the year.  Looking at the stars and admiring the vastness of this universe invokes feelings of wonder, amazement, and humility.


The second half of the show is a film that follows one story line more closely.  In this case it was called Stars of the Pharaohs.  This show discussed ancient Egypt and how the people used the stars in multiple ways, from building pyramids to telling time.  

If you have never been to a planetarium, I highly recommend you take the time to check it.  The one on Western's campus is open to the public and is affordable.  Check out the Spanel Planetarium website here.


Cost:
Planetarium tickets - $10 each

Roller Derby Date

In Bellingham we have a very active roller derby league called the Roller Betties.  This league consists of 4 female only roller derby teams.  The teams have bouts about once a month at the Sportsplex indoor arena.  The derby sets up on the soccer field and brings in the floor for each bout. Kim took us to the bout for a our date this week.  The Sportsplex filled up with players and fans, ready for the action.  I had zero idea of what to expect.  The only education I've had on roller derby was from Whip It the movie. I don't think I learned much about the strategy of the game from this movie.
I will try my best to explain the game to you.  The players outfit themselves with flashy, outrageous, somewhat aggressive attire as to scare or intimidate the opponent.  There is one lead "Jammer" that wears a star helmet, and another skater with a striped helmet who leads the strategy of the block.  The lead jammers goal is to break lose from the pack and then lap the group over and over.  All the other skaters act as defensive blocks and also run screens to allow the lead jammer to pass.  The lead jammer is the first jammer to break lose, when the other teams jammer breaks lose they can also score points as they pass players, but they don't have all the benefits of being first. The lead jammer has control of when to stop the Jam. The strategy of the jammer is to know when to stop the jam as to optimized her points and minimize the other teams points.  It kinda reminds me of Football. The majority of the team stays together in a line ready to block and limit movement, while the jammer (mix between quarterback and running back) races around the track avoiding being blocked.
What a fun time to get loud and watch some highly physical contact sport.  One thing I really appreciated was when a player would get hurt.  They would turn off the music and everyone got quiet until the player got up, and then they would cheer them off the floor.  Roller Derby has a great sense of family and comradery.  The teams are competing, but it appears as they all understand that they are in this sport together and at the end of the bout it is all about staying safe and having fun.
Kim took me to grab burritos during the game, and afterwards we headed home to sit on the couch and continue our reading through Romans.  I really enjoyed my first roller derby experience.

Improv and Ice Cream

After a bit of procrastination, I am here to finally tell you about the last date Jason planned.  After a normal evening of Crossfit, and a moderate form of speed-eating, Jason took me out.  I was pretty sure I knew where we were going, since it was a Thursday evening, and we had to be there before it started.

If you have improv comedy nearby, you should go.  We went to the Upfront Theatre here in town, and enjoyed an evening full of laughs.  We love going to the Upfront, and I was keeping this date idea in my pocket for an emergency, too bad Jason got to it first!  However, it was really good timing.  We got to see our local celebrity, Ryan Stiles, perform.  You may have heard of him...and he's just one funny guy among a whole crew of hilarious people.  For some reason I was  also having a bum week, and laughing was just what I needed! 

I might say this a lot, but Jason knows me so well, and he often knows just what I need. Sometimes he knows I need ice cream (which we grabbed on our way home from the theatre) and sometimes he knows I need sleep, or food, or a chill pill, and so on.  Sometimes it is nice to go on a date and let someone else take care of the entertainment.  A date like this is pretty easy, all you have to do is find the show and get the tickets.  Finishing our date by stopping to get our favorite dessert always helps sweeten the deal too.




Cost:
Tickets to the Upfront - $8 each
Dessert - $6

Sweet Treats at Home

After work on Friday, Kim planned a fun evening at home.  We have at a very busy last couple of weeks traveling to Seattle each weekend, so it felt really good to stay home and relax together.  With Crossfit and a general want to be healthy, we tend to watch what we eat. We try our best to stay away from dairy, gluten, and processed sugars.  This doesn't mean that the cravings for sugar go away! We figured better if those sugars are ones found naturally, right?  Kim planned an evening around healthy ice creams!  She had 3 ice cream recipes picked out for us to try.  Two were banana based ice creams, and one used coconut cream.  We started with the coconut cream because it took the longest to make. Still a pretty easy recipe, but it calls for more freezer time.  After you mix it all together you freeze it and mix it a couple times over a few hours until the consistency is good.  We also added a scoop of the protein powder I use to give it some flavor and substance.  The next two recipes were very similar to each other. They used frozen bananas that you blended.  The texture is awesome!  Also the bananas are sweet like ice cream. We made one with bananas, coconut milk, almonds, chocolate powder, homemade vanilla extract, and coconut flakes. Almond joy deliciousness!  We made another with banana, vanilla, and frozen blueberries!  This one was awesome.  It tasted like a blueberry sherbet ice cream.  This and the almond joy were my favorites.  The first one is good but not worth the extra work. The banana ones are ready to eat right after you make them.  We now have a go-to healthy sweet fix when we need one.  Now I have left out an important detail of this date.  Kim outlined the date and added one twist, we had to be completely n*%^d the entire time.  Yup that's right mom and dad we were running around the house n*%^d making ice cream.  I just want to stay that some good old fashion n*d@^y is great in a married relationship.  Just make sure your kids are gone and you have some good blinds on those windows.  Who knew making ice cream could be so fun.

Dives n' Dessert

Jason has this thing for dive bars. It's not that we actually go to them frequently, but he mentions them enough that you might think that is our niche. Generally speaking, I don't like places that leave you feeling greasy and grimey. Yuck!  Regardless, I knew that Jason would fit a dive bar into our 52-week challenge at some point(s), and last Friday evening was the first.

We were already in Seattle for the Moisture Festival (Varietè/Comedy) at Hale's Palladium, so Jason took me out after that.  First, we headed down to Belltown to this incredibly classy pinball themed dive bar called Shorty's.  It has been quite awhile since either of us had played a pinball machine, and it took me a few minutes to get in the groove.  We ended up on an Indiana Jones machine for a few minutes, and had some moderately terrible games.  Okay, so we aren't very good at pinball, but it was fun anyways!

Our dollar bills started to run low so we didn't spend too much time at Shorty's.  We got back in our car and headed over to Ballard.  Jason and I are suckers for dessert.  So when he discovered Hot Cakes, he knew we had to go there.

It was delicious.  We ended up sharing two dishes - a hot cake (basically molten lave cake) with peanut butter goodness inside, and a warm chocolate chip cookie.  Both with vanilla ice cream.  While we were enjoying our scrumptious desserts, we discussed a few things relating to Church and theology.  It was fun so share our thoughts and ideas.  I find that conversations that end up having more 'meat' leave me feeling more intimate and fulfilled in our relationship.  Sometimes it is a challenge to have these authentic and organic conversations (especially when you think you already know these things about your spouse), but they are always worth it!

Approximate Cost:

Shorty's (drink and pinball) - $25

Hot Cakes - $15

Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory

This last Saturday we saw Willy Wonka and his chocolate factory.  Just kidding, but we did go to a chocolate factory for the full tour! We were in Seattle for a good friends big 4-0 birthday so Kim decided to make a whole day out of it.  Our first stop, Theo's Chocolate in the Fremont area of Seattle.  We parked nearby on the street at a 2 hour only parking space (This information is important for later in the story).  Theo's was really neat, they lead us through a 1 hour tour of the factory with lots of tasting!  One thing that really surprised me was to learn that the cocoa beans are surrounded with a fruit.  This fruit, similar to mango or guava, was all that was eaten, discarding the bean for many decades.  At some point they learned that they could ferment the bean with the fruit still on it making the bean easier to access and it made the flavors better.  Theo's is a bean to bar chocolate factory which means they source their own cocoa beans and take it all the way to the finished product. Overall, we had a really fun time.
What a great date. Tours and events in groups would be perfect for first dates! No matter how long you have been together I hope you realize how important it is to date, and be intentional.  After our tour we wandered around the Fremont area, and saw the troll.  We got a pint of beer at Fremont brewery and got an awesome burrito at a local cafe.  When we got back to our car, we noticed that the kind folks at the City of Seattle decided that I had been parked longer than 2 hours and to give me a $44 ticket.  $44, are you kidding me!? We sped out of there and headed to a near-by park.  Volunteer Park has a water tower that has a great view of downtown and the Space Needle. At the top of the tower we sat down and read through the first chapter of Romans.  This was a great day of fun and relaxation.

Cost: $20 2 tickets to Theo's
         $12 2 Pints at Fremont Brewery
         $6  Shared burrito at Solstice Cafe
         $44 Parking ticket

Love at 5 AM

Normally, we don't sleep in THAT long.  Normally.  But for some reason, I was feeling particularly tired last week, and daylight savings was coming up, so I was really looking forward to sleeping in on Saturday morning. 

Well, Friday evening Jason suggested we go to bed early because he would be taking me on a date in the wee hours of the morning.  Yippee!  There was a fleeting moment where I was bummed I wouldn't get to sleep in, but then it registered that my hubby was planning a sweet date.  So, what did we do? Duh, we hiked up a small mountain and watched the sunrise! And, it was glorious!

Jason was kind enough to let me know what we were doing on Friday night, so I was able to lay out some warm clothes and sleep in as long as possible.  In the morning, we jumped out of bed, got coffee at Starbucks, and grabbed some fruit from the grocery store.  We ended up hiking up Galbraith Mountain (which is right in town) where we searched for a spot to watch the sun come up over Mount Baker. 

Jason could not have picked a better day.  The moon was full and provided a bit of light as we started hiking in the dark, and the clouds had cleared up early that morning.  It was a bit chilly, but we didn't notice the cold until we sat down.

Once we found a little spot that was adequate, Jason pulled out a blanket and some light snacks, in addition to the coffee and fruit we picked up.  We set up on a cute little log, and waited for the sun to come up.  The quiet of the morning was so wonderful...the only sounds we heard were the songs of the birds.  I am amazed that we can feel so removed from the bustle of the city, while being so close!  As we waited for the sun to make an appearance, Jason read some bible verses relating to nature.  I thought this verse from the book of Psalms captures a morning like this well:

       On the glorious splendor of your majesty,and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.                                                -Psalm 145:5 

We didn't spend the entire time chatting. And that's okay.  I think there is something special about spending a few moments without the need to say anything at all.  Enjoying the beauty of God's creation together was more than sufficient to fill our silence.

Cost:
Coffee - $6.00
Fruit - $3.50
Nuts - on hand

The Dollar Date

Kim had a fun idea for our 8th date that cost us very little money.  After Crossfit on Friday we headed over to the dollar store.  Kim had figured out the cost, plus tax, of 5 items at the Dollar Tree.  She had separated this money into two envelopes, one for me and one for her. Kim's idea was we would purchase our activities for our date, and go back home for a relaxing evening at home. We had a good time wandering around the store looking at all the items $1.00 can buy.

We ended up with a chess board, a foam finger rockets, seed planters, a 500 piece puzzle, a book of Sudoku, large army men, a blow up hammer, a crystal forming tree chemistry project, a metal puzzle game, and play-doh. Really a bunch of junk, but super fun for an evening at home.  We started the puzzle when we got home, and finished it a couple of days later.  Those of you with kids at home will like what we did with the finger rockets and army men. We set up the army men on the table and then shot them off with the rockets! That was a good time.  We played another couple games of chess, Kim is getting better.  The crystal forming tree is pretty dumb, but after 48 hours we did have some colored crystal formed of the paper tree. Kim solved the metal puzzle by just pulling really hard, which I think is cheating.  Oh, and I hit Kim with the blow-up hammer a lot, because what else do you do with it,  We didn't get to all of our items that evening, but it was fun idea for a lazy night at home.

Cruising Date

As you may have read in a previous post, we went on vacation! It was wonderful. And, we were gone for more than a week, so this vacation also included one of our weekly dates! While most vacations end up feeling like a really long date, we were on a cruise with family, so we still had to be intentional about setting aside some time for the two of us.

Our vacation was a lot of fun.  We left home (with fresh pedicures) and made our way to Florida where we met up with Jason's parents, and our close friend.  Throughout most of our trip, we all ate meals together and hung out.  So, on Saturday, our last full day on the cruise ship, Jason planned our date.

The ship we were on had loads of entertainment, from Blue Man Group and Cirque du Soleil to dueling piano bars and The Second City comedy show.  In addition to the evening comedy show, The Second City also put on a Murder Mystery Lunch.  I have always wanted to do a murder mystery dinner, so this was a great time for us to try it out!

While it wasn't quite what we expected, it was entertaining.  The comedians followed a plot and certain parts were dictated by the crowd.  I thought there would be more audience participation and crime-solving action than there was.  For a couple hours of entertainment and lunch, it was a pretty good experience - and we tried something new!

After the show Jason and I headed across the ship to the library, with a candlestick.  Just kidding, we found a chess board and he challenged me to a game (I had just learned how to play chess a few days before!).  We spent some time talking about our trip, and read through another chapter of proverbs.  Looking back, I think my demeanor wasn't as perky as it should have been for being taken on a date on vacation.  I think I was a little bummed that our time away was coming to an end...and I was a bit exhausted from all the FUN we were having!  I couldn't tell you which one of us won the game of chess, but it was nice to have some time relaxing with my favorite guy.

While our date was not the only instance when we spent time alone on our trip, that very easily could have been the case. Even on vacation it is important to be intentional with your spouse!

Cost:
Cruise - expensive
Chess - free
Murder Mystery lunch - $15 each

Don't forget the Polish

Date 6 happened on Friday the 13th. This date was the night before we left for a 7 day Caribbean cruise.  I'm a little late posting this because the sun tanning on our trip interfered with my blogging ability.  Kim decided to take me to 13 nails in Fairhaven for a pedicure.  Oh yes guys, pedicures are actually really nice.  Do you think that women would keep going if they sucked?

There is a good story behind this date.   A couple of months back I was working with a Ninkasi beer rep and we decided to stop into 13 nails because they indeed sell beer and wine.  The Female Ninkasi rep talked me into getting pedicures while we were there.  Sometimes you have to take one for the name of business!  This was my first pedicure and it was awesome.  They rub your feet and take care of all that gross extra skin. After hearing of my positive experience Kim was very excited to go with me.  What a great date right before wearing flip flops for 7 days.  This was a very relaxing date and is a great time to talk with each other.  We talked about all the activities that we looked forward to on the cruise.

After our pedicure experience we heading back home to pack.  This was a great relaxing quick date.  Don't think your date time has to be an all day or evening event.  To close the night off we prayed for our trip and safe travels.

Throwback Thursday - Photo Scavenger Hunt

Thursday night- I get home from work and immediately Jason tells me we have to get ready to go. I have no idea what we are doing. So, I end up asking Jason about attire for the night, and eventually the conversation ends up like this:

Me: so, I don't have to look cute?

Jason: you always look cute

...and gentlemen, that is your lesson for the week.

In all seriousness, last week was a little rough for me. I had been busy at work, was moody, cranky, tired and overall unpleasant...and of course, poor Jason has to put up with me. This was one of those weeks where I was feeling a little worn out and exhausted, and it ended up reflecting in my attitude. Really, I just wanted to crawl into a ball on the couch and spend the evening with my friend Netflix.

I am so lucky because Jason has an abundance of love for me. I knew doing this weekly dating thing would be challenging, I just didn't realize how quickly that would happen. I'm not sure how to explain it, but during this date I caught myself thinking about other things going on rather than being present in the moment with my husband. It was awful, because that is not what I want in my marriage.

Anyway, it took me a few minutes, but once we got dinner (taco truck for the win) and got to our destination, I started to feel a bit more enthused.  Then, Jason revealed the evening activity - photo scavenger hunt on Western's campus. And it was awesome. Don't worry, you will get to see our list in a minute, but first I must give you the highlights:

- running around campus taking photos was fun. It's that simple. 

- we reminisced about things from our university days. It's almost been 5 years since I have had any class at WWU, and that's weird. Where did the time go?

- we actually searched for books in the library, and had an amazing time exploring and discovering biblical literature. We found what we are looking for and got cozy on the library floor and pointed out passages and interesting books to one another. We did not get a photo of that time, but it was special, intimate, and very memorable. I needed this. 

I really adore my husband and loved spending time being goofy, wandering around campus enjoying each other's company.  I don't think I was terribly rude or anything, but once I allowed myself to set aside the other things on my mind, my attitude completely changed.  Sadly, that tends to be more difficult than it should be....and I know that it helped me to have more fun! 

Anyways, we had a list of 25 tasks, some of which included finding:
-a book about cats
-the largest classroom
-the smallest classroom
-a science lab
-graffiti
-the campus quad
-ride a shopping cart
-goofy writing on a white/chalk board
-man/bear sculpture
-art building
-garbage building (?)
-walk through a skybridge,etc.

Without boring you further, I will give you some of our scavenger photos:

Total Cost:
-Taco Truck - $12.00

Big Rock Park

Last Saturday, January 31st, Kim planned a great afternoon of getting to know each other better.  We started at our house and headed up the hill on the railroad trail. The weather was perfect, no rain and a little bit of sun. It's always refreshing to take a break from the hectic life schedule and enjoy nature and each other.  Kim had the great idea of asking get-to-know-each-other questions while we walked. We talked about if we ever wanted to move and where to. We talked about our favorite foods, dream neighbors to move to, and many other fun life question.  I forget that there is still a lot I don't know about Kim. After many years together you may think that you know everything there is, but trust me there is a ton more if you ask.
Our walk took us to Big Rock Park on Alabama Hill.  Bellingham folks, have you ever been here?  I had no idea this really awesome sculpture garden was right in our backyard. This is truly a hidden gem of Bellingham.  What a great date idea, because you learn a ton about a person in how they response to art.  Kim and I had fun time trying to figure out the meaning of each one.  We found a great bench in the park where we sat down and prayed together.  On our way back home we explored some of the neighborhoods on Alabama Hill.  Kim and I really enjoy looking at all the cool, and not-so-cool, home designs.  Here is to 48 more dates!

A Night In With Crayola

This weeks date was a fun one, and something we have never done before.  On Thursday evening we went to the gym as usual and then made dinner at home.  After dishes were put away date night commenced:

Jason pulled out black plastic, set up a makeshift table using some sawhorses and wood, and brought out two hairdryers (where did he find a second?).  Then, he brought out two glass doors and...

Aha! Crayon art!

Jason and I aren't the most artistic people, so this was bound to be interesting!  He had already pulled up some examples of artsy ideas, so we looked at those and did a quick pinterest search.  If you haven't seen crayon art, check it out.  There are some really fun designs out there.  I liked the one of a couple under an umbrella with the wax dripping on them like rain - but, we decided it was a little bit cliché.  Instead, we decided to create two separate pieces that would (hopefully) complement one another.  In addition, Jason already had an idea of using an existing photo that we had on hand.  

We melted wax on the back of the frame,
 but taped the edges to protect the wood

Jason cut out a photo for us to use, so I did my piece using a picture of Jason, and he used a picture of me.  Also, it turns out that we don't print photos very often, because the ones we had on hand were from engagement photos taken more than four years ago!  It was fun discussing how we wanted to coordinate, and how we wanted them to be unique.  We put our pictures in different spaces on the glass, and we each chose a different color scheme.  Jason also decided to drip his wax 'upside down' for a contrasting effect.  It is pretty interesting to see how we both differ artistically.  

There was a lip from the frame to glass, so I started mine on the
ground to avoid some splattering

Jason has an easy time visualizing what he wants, and making that happen.  So once he started melting the wax it was a pretty quick project for him.  He seemed to have an idea how it would look before he began, and I think he was pretty pleased that it turned out within his expectations.  I, on the other hand, have a very difficult time visualizing the outcome. I started mine several minutes before he did, and only barely finished at the same time as him.  

Jason's duct tape crayon contraption

I won't go over the details of how to do this project, but it did involve double sided foam tape and a hairdryer (if you want more specifics check it out on Google or Pinterest).  Once the crayons started melting a few of them fell off, so I ended up just holding up individual colors that I wanted to use (this didn't work great, because the wax already on the glass continued melting, and my fingers got hot!).  Once the crayons began falling for Jason, he used duct tape to make a little pack...far more efficient than my single-crayon-at-a-time effort... After knowing someone for so many years and being as close as Jason and I are, I often see how we think similarly, and forget just how different we really are!  This is one of the things I have always loved about Jason - sometimes he gives me a perspective I never would have noticed on my own.

Like I said, we are no Picasso's, but we had a lot of fun learning about one another's artistic preferences, being creative, and a little bit messy together.  Afterwards, we set our frames up to dry, left our mess for tomorrow, and curled up on the couch to continue reading through proverbs.

Cost:

Crayons - $5.89

Tape - $3.79

Glass doors - we already had these on hand!

Second hair dryer - borrowed from a friend

Finished products - backside

Finished products - front side

there it goes!

Jason melted a lot of wax quickly for a thick layer up top

Lots of wax on the kegerator.  I *think* wax splattered
when one of the crayons fell off my frame...from 5 feet away...