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.