Book Code Love Notes

Weekly date night can be tough. We get so busy and wrapped up in the every day routines, we forget to "really" take time for each other. That can go for spouses and also with children. Since our little girl was born, we have not set aside any time to spend some real quality time together. Adjusting to life with two little ones is getting to be a bit easier, but we still have our challenges.  So we are wanting to change that. Each week we are going to set a side a time for date night.

When we think date night, most people think they need to get a babysitter and go out for a bit. That is really hard. Especially since you will most likely be paying your babysitter. The expensive of going out and paying someone to watch your kids can add up quickly--especially doing it every single week. Glenn and I wanted to spend some quality time together--but not feel broke afterwords. We also wanted to not resort to sitting on the couch and watching some show.

We decided that once a month we will do one out of home date, three at home dates, and occasionally a family date (us and our kids). We also switch off each month taking Johnathan out for some mommy/son time or daddy/son time.

How do we make date night at home different than any other night? 

We are starting to switch off who plans the date night. Glenn plans odd weeks, I plan even weeks. We switch off every month on who plans the out of home date.
We actually had a date night to plan dates. We wrote down a list of fun things we would love to do for our date nights (both at home and out of home). We know have a list of things we can bounce off of when it is our turn to plan. To make our at home date nights a little different from the other nights is we make a little fun treat to go with our planned activity.

What are some resources on getting at home dates started? 

You don't have to go all out and crazy for them, but one great place to start is to check out the Dating Divas sight. They have so many at home and out of the home date ideas that are different than your typical dinner and a movie. They have a lot of fun free dates. https://www.thedatingdivas.com/

This past week, Glenn and I got the idea from the Dating Divas to share love notes we wrote using a code we wrote from a book. It was fun and to see what the other person came up with was even better.

First: go pick up some cheap (random books) or if you want to use some books you already have on hand, go for it. We did circle a some words in the books, so if that bothers you--get some books you don't care to have a few circles in.

We picked up a couple books that were 50 cents each. 

Now to begin:

You can either think of a message you want to write your spouse before hand (what Glenn did) or wing it after each word (what I did). Flip through your book and find the words for the message you want to write.

• Circle the word in the book. 
• Write down the page number, paragraph number, and page number on a piece of paper. 
• Continue until you have a complete little love note for your spouse.

After you are done, give your spouse your book and note. Your spouse will then flip through the book based on the page, paragraph, and line number you wrote and decode the message. 

We had a lot of fun with this activity and reading what the other person came up with was fun and exciting. We ended sharing a little treat and putting together the little toy that came in it! YUM.

Are you afraid of the dark?!?!

When I was 6-8 years old, we lived in South Carolina. I had a couple really good friends from church, and I would go sleepover at there house sometimes. One of our favorite things to do  during sleepovers was get out our sleeping bags and watch the Nickelodeon show 'Are you Afraid of the Dark?'

This television series was aired in the '90s. The show consisted of a group of middle school aged kids who referred to themselves as "The Midnight Society." Once a week this group of kids would get together around a camp fire in the woods, and one member told the group a scary story. While the story-teller told the story, it would be displayed on the screen for the viewer to see the story play out. Most of the stories ended with a happy ending, but a few do not.

Some of you maybe got a flash to the past with me bringing up this show. Well, Glenn had never heard nor seen this show before. With that being said, Glenn and I popped some popcorn, poured a bowl of m&m's and built a fort. We not only did that, but we set up my laptop and sat under the fort watching 'Are you Afraid of the Dark?'

Glenn thought this was super fun; in fact, he keeps telling people that his wife came up with an idea to build a fort. I think I made his day.

I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike

If you did not recognize the title of this post. . . if is lyrics from the song Bicycle Race by Queen. One thing that I will do is make sure my children are raised on Queen. Queen, Journey, and much more. They will know these legends.

Any ways, I am getting side tracked. Glenn and I had a date on Saturday, and we (drum roll) rode our bikes! We had some pit stops along on this date, which made it even more spectacular.

First we rode our bikes to this little candy shop/ice cream parlor/ BBQ place. I use to go here a few times before my mission. It is a great little shop and one of Rexburg's hidden gems. Unfortunately, the ice cream parlor is not longer in service.  We did, however, have a wonderful BBQ lunch and then bought a little treat at the candy shop--we had a buy one get one free deal. I don't think there is a time Glenn and I ever go out with out some kind of coupon.

Here are some pics of the place I just talked about:

 After the delightful lunch, we decided to see what was offered on our starving student card to see where we could get a good deal on ice cream. We went to Millhollows for a frozen yogurt treat. Yum. Again, buy one get one free! We both enjoyed a yummy cup of strawberry cheesecake flavor.

 Now that that craving was out of the way, we rode out bikes over to the cheap theater and bought tickets to see Rio 2. We had some time to kill and so we found this Mario painting on this building. We then headed to the theater and enjoyed out snacks from the candy shop during the show. Great day date!

Don't let them see your worst fear. . .

At least that is what we learned from the 3rd Narnia movie.

Last night Glenn and I had our date night. We are going out of town this weekend, and we thought we would go a head and do it on Thursday. Last night's date was to make pizza together. We had fun and made a yummy honey wheat pizza dough and used BBQ sauce as the sauce and topped it off with cheese, sausage and pepperoni. It was delicious.

While the pizza was baking, we popped on Narnia and then enjoyed our yummy master piece during the movie. It was great to spend some good quality time together before Glenn had to spend the rest of the night studying for is math test that he has today. I was asleep in bed before he even finished.

Hope everyone else enjoyed a delightful date night this week--it could have been your roommate, spouse, sibling, daughter, son, father, mother, or someone else. Just go out and date.

50 Dates

A little while ago I did a blog post about dating your spouse and how I put 50 date ideas into a bucket, so when Glenn and I do not have a date already planned for that week we can just draw one. My brother Blake asked what the 50 date ideas are. I am a pretty creative person, with quite the imagination for ideas; however, this time around I decided to just take the 50 date ideas from the Six Sister's Stuff book. Next time I put together the date idea bucket I will through in some of my own ideas, but for now it just came from this book.

Some of the ideas Glenn and I already do and have done really since we started dating; we decided when we draw those ones, we will try to make it a little different or add a twist to it to change things up. Also, some ideas might be fun with another couple or a group, or even as a whole family date thing. It is your dates, your time, and your imagination.

Here are the ideas (the bold are the ideas, and the rest are my own little side thoughts):

• Make your own fondue. Dip fresh fruit, cake, cookies, marshmallows, or pretzels in melted chocolate. I also really like dipping fresh bread in cheese fondue. Yum. 

• Make homemade pizzas together. If this is not new for you, try a different kind of pizza, or split the dough and have a little competition. You could even try a desert pizza. 

• Fly Kites. You can usually find them at the dollar store or try making your own and going out to fly them. 

• Try a new sport together.
• her some snacks and play some games together. 

• Be a tourist in your own city. Find out what tourist attractions are in your city and spend the day or night acting like tourist. Take pictures too.

• Go inline skating. Indoor or outdoor. 

• Explore. Go somewhere out in nature you never been before a go exploring. 

• Go to a thrift store.  Make it where each person gets $5 dollars to spend and see who ends up with the best item. 

• Have a picnic.  If weather is bad, have a picnic on the floor in the living room. 

• Go see a play. It could be a local community theater, high school, or big-city play house. If nothing is going on, try to find some other form of entertainment to go watch and enjoy, or create your own play. 

• Stargazing. Do some research before you leave so you can know which constellations to look for. 

• Go to a park.  Swing on the swings, play Frisbee, or feed the ducks. If you feel like you have been to the park too many times, see if you can find a different one. 

• Check out a local museum.

• Have a crazy dinner. Each person gets $5 (or any amount you decide) to spend on any food item at the grocery store for dinner. Come home and prepare your meal with what ever was bought. It might be delicious. 

• Make ice cream sundaes. Relax and enjoy your yummy treat. 

• Go to a local sporting event.

• Go treasure hunting. You can either go out on a Saturday morning and see what some local yard sales have to offer or create your own hunt. 

• Go on a bike ride. Some areas even rent bikes. You could also have a picnic. 

• Have a living-room camp out. Make a tent out of blankets, watch a movie, and sleep on an air mattress. You can even turn off the lights and use flashlights and a lantern.

• Love Languages. If you have already taken the test but it has been a long time, take it again. http://www.5lovelanguages.com. There is also a love language challenge that you and your spouse can do. . . Just Google Love Language Challenge. You can end the evening with a yummy treat.

• Go for a swim.

• Have a coupon date. Glenn and I have already mastered this. We never even go out to see movies, bowl, or eat unless we have a coupon. 

• Volunteer. From soup kitchens to retirement homes,  there is somewhere you can volunteer. 

• Go to a local fair or carnival.

• Take a free factory tour. There is most likely some kind of factory near you. 

• Visit the zoo. If there is no zoo, go see where there is local wildlife. 

• Take a drive. Go see nature and local scenery. 

• Have a video game night. Grab some snacks and play some of your favorite video games. If you are not a video game kind of person, like me, get creative. 

• Go bowling. Try bowling in different styles to make it more interesting. 

• Make s'mores and read campfire stories.

• Have a movie marathon. Pick your favorite movies and go for it. Make some treats. 

• Have a TV-marathon. Pick a TV show and get a whole season's worth to watch together. If you have Amazon Prime, you can get TV seasons on there. 

• Have a theme night. Pick a theme for the night and center everything around it. 

• Try a new restaurant. Pick somewhere neither of you have been before. Glenn and I love doing the thing from the show Restaurant Impossible. We critic the location, atmosphere, food, and service. It makes things a little more fun for us. 

• Take some lessons. Dance, pottery, or cooking. Whatever you would like to learn together. 

• Restaurant hop. Go to a different place for each course--appetizer, main course, and dessert. Take turns picking where to go. 

• Have a spa night. And yes, boys can enjoy it too. 

• Play 20 questions. Write a list of 20 questions to ask each other. Share your answers. 

• Make breakfast together and eat it in bed.

• Exercise together. Just do something active. 

• Go for a test drive. You know your dream car that you can not afford. Go test it out. 

• Take a hike. 

• Break a record.  Read through the Guinness Book of World Records and find something you two can achieve as a couple.

• Visit a bakery. 

• Cook a meal together. Try something neither of you have made before.

• Write a bucket list.  Write things the both of you want to do before you die and then go do one to cross one off the list that night. 

• Go house hunting.  Tour some homes and plan out your dream home. 

• Make a restaurant at home.  Create a menu and have a meal at home. 

•  Go to the arcade. Get some quarters and go have some fun.

Now you see it, Now you don't

This weekend was filled with fun and excitement all around. From people being raised up in the air to the orchard being in full bloom. We for sure had a fun time!

Friday night we went to The Jason Bishop Show on campus. It was amazing. Jason Bishop is known has one of "America's hottest illusionist." Not only were the illusions breathtaking and unbelievable, he was also very entertaining and funny. Glenn and I are still trying to figure out how he did some of them. For example, his assistant, Kim Hess, disappeared in the smallest box with swords through it.

The thing that gets us puzzled is that they show us the box from all views, so where could she have gone? Or when they switched places after he had been tied up in a bag and locked in a box? Then the last trick when he raised Kim up in the air and he went up as well. The confusion about this one is how did he do it? He was walking around stage the entire time and she was moving around as well; it was hard to believe that there was strings attached because of how it all happened. The show was amazing and I would still be amazed if I were to see it over and over again.

 Saturday was another great day. On campus there is an Orchard, and Saturday was the Apple Blossom Festival. It was was beautiful day. They were giving out free popcorn and cotton candy. Glenn was excited for the cotton candy. I honestly find cotton candy disgusting, and I don't understand why someone would want to eat nothing but pure sugar.

One of the challenges we had to do was in the orchard. There was some golden apples hidden. You had to find at least three of them in order to get a prize. The prize was flowers that we brought home and planted in a pot. We indeed found the golden apples and got some flowers, along with a tomato plant. It was a perfect day to walk around the orchard and enjoy this time of year. Not to mention, I am excited to have some tomatoes fresh from the plant. Yum.

Get Creative

I don't know what people are told outside of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but within the church we are told to date our spouse frequently. Often times we get busy or stray off because something is not of interest to us. Douglas Brinley mentions in an Ensign article to date your spouse frequently.

And I quote, "You and your spouse need time together to renew your relationship. New perspectives come with time away from the mundane. That means dating is essential. If you have children but few resources, look for creative ways to go on dates. For example, you might ask in-laws or neighbors to watch your children while you two get away for a mini vacation. You might exchange childcare with other couples for different date nights. Above all, recognize that a babysitter is cheaper than a divorce." 

We are to try and enhance our relationship with our spouse, not drive them away. Most divorce's come from a lack of communication and not spending enough quality time together. As you get older, your personality may change, your interest may differ, and you may see things differently. To keep your marriage strong and a continuous working matter, you must continue to get to know your spouse. Get to know there likes and dislikes. They may not be the young, spunky person you once fell in love with, but they are still your spouse. Make it work.

Now that I am done with that little spill, one piece of advice I have received from many different people is to have a date night at least once a week. Of course, if you are on a tight budget, like Glenn and I, you can still get creative with the ideas (even if that means staying home).

I wrote down 50 date ideas, folded them in half and placed them in a container. Now all we have to do is draw one and do it. Some weeks we may already have something planned, such as this week we are going to a show on the BYU-I campus and also hiking R mountain/making Navajo tacos with some friends. The idea is that if we do not have a date planned for that week, Sunday we will draw one of the ideas, figure out when that week we can do it and make plans from there.

Of course, each week I will post what our date is and the fun we had doing it!

I challenge everyone to plan a date night at least once a week. It could even be 5-10 minutes if that is what time will allow. Just spend time with your spouse.

 

Ready, Set, Date! 

Ready, Set, FUN!!!!!!

As you are aware, my last semester of classes starts in two days. Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!! Well, just a few other things that made the end of the summer awesome! To me, it is the little things that matter. The little adventures and not going all out with extravagance. I just want to have fun and do the simple things that make life fun.
Last week, Glenn and I wanted to finish watching the movie Young Sherlock Holmes on the laptop in the park. However, it was raining and so we decided to set up Glenn's tent to finish watching it. I would say it made watching a mystery movie a little more exciting. Cold, rainy night in a tent! PERFECT!

 

 

Not to mention, Katie has been my roommate this last 7 weeks, and she is going to be my roomie for this last semester!!! Super excited!!! We are already off to a great start: 

And of course---I made some German food the other night!!!!!!