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!