In many of my previous blog posts especially "Carpe Diem," I spoke about seizing the moment and taking time for you and your spouse. I received a lot of responses asking for ideas for date nights. Many people don't like to do the typical dinner and a movie so I decided to dedicate a post to date night ideas. I hope you're blessed and enjoy these!
1) Dinner and a Movie
My husband and I both LOVE watching good movies. So we often go to a nice restaurant for dinner and then head over to a movie. However, at times, our budget has been TIGHT! So to avoid cutting out the entire date night, we may go to a fast food place for food and then just head over to the movies OR we cut out eating out altogether and we just eat at home and then head to the movies. You choose what's best for you and your household budget. But don't throw away the idea altogether if you can help it.
2) Exercise.
I love to do Zumba and my husband loves to play basketball. However, I'm not good at hooping and he's not the most Zumbafied lol. Sooo..we meet in the middle! We do cardio together by doing push-ups, sit-ups, squats and more. Our routine includes a lot of intense, yet fun exercises. And guess what? It makes it so much more fun and motivating when you can do it together. You can encourage each other to keep going, keep moving and finish strong. You also build unity and teamwork amongst you two.
3) Jazz Night/Concert
We loveeeeeeeee Mali Music!! (Hey Mali!! If you ever read this!) So one night, my hubby surprised me with tickets to see Mali Music in concert. It was in a very intimate venue so we were able to truly experience the show and ended up having an amazing time. The tickets were super expensive, but the show was EXCEPTIONAL! Do a little bit of research and you can find great shows for good prices.
4) Obstacle Course
I met my husband at Kids Across America (KAA U-Kno!!) and it was an amazing Christian sports camp. One of the great things about KAA was that they had obstacle courses that were high up in the air and used for team building. My campers would do "the ropes" together and it served as a true teambuilding effort. Girls conquered their fears and others became instant motivators as they navigated their way through the course. This would be an amazing experience for a husband and a wife, creating unity, teamwork and support. Try it! One or both of you may even be able to conquer a fear in the process. Go for it!
5) Wine or Sparkling Cider and Painting
My sister in love hosted a wine/cider and painting night for her birthday and it was a blast! Even better, the owner of the company came to us! We set up downstairs in the basement of my other sister in love's house and had a great time. The painting time was so relaxing and allowed up to have open conversation while our creative juices were flowing. If you're looking for an inexpensive yet relaxing date night and/or if you want to increase/strengthen communication in your marriage, I strongly encourage this activity. Have fun painting away!
6) Walk a trail.
As you embark on this journey together with your spouse, you will encounter bumps, trials, and obstacles. Thus, walking on a trail is such a great date night activity to symbolize that physically. Walking a trail with your spouse cultivates communication, allows you to exercise together and helps you to understand how walking together won't always be easy but can be conquered with oneness. If you see a pool of water on the trail, you have to BOTH go around it. If not, one of you will and the other one will be splashed as a result. Instead, oneness will cause you to be on one accord and escape the obstacles in your way. Very symbolic to what you have to do together in marriage! :-)
7) Play a game.
My husband's side of the family looooooooves playing games when we're all together and I totally understand why. It's sooo fun and truly brings the family together for laughter, fun and healthy competition. I love the game Monopoly, Uno and Twister and my husband never says "No" to a good game, so we love getting our competitive juices flowing with a great game. It's even better when you can compete in a healthy way and talk "junk talk" to your spouse one minute and then give them a kiss the next. Lol! I know...I know....I'm a mushy wife. Play a game together and you'll see what I mean.
8) Talk it out.
That's right! Take a night to chat. This may seem strange or even very simple. However, I encourage you to take a night where you turn off the TV, silence your phone and just talk to your spouse. Remind them of why you married them, tell them qualities that you love about them, goals that you have as a couple, what your favorite song or artist is at the moment, what GOD has been speaking to you lately and more. My husband and I wrote down a list of things that we loved about our marriage and things that we wanted each other to do more in our marriage. It allowed open communication and truly gave us an opportunity to grow as a couple. It was beautiful! Be open and ready to hear and truly listen to your spouse. Communication is key and assumptions are dangerous. So eliminate those assumptions by talking it out.
9) Have a picnic.
This doesn't have to be expensive at all. Find a beautiful park (Millenium Park is ideal here in Chicago) on a beautiful day, grab a bite to eat (Subway or homemade sandwiches), bring a blanket and relax. After eating and chatting with phones on silent, you can both lay on your backs, throw on a pair of shades and look towards heaven while next to each other or you can look at each other. Do whatever makes you the most comfortable but enjoy the beauty of creation and the beauty of your marriage all at the same time.
10) Bake and/or cook a special dish together.
You don't have to be as good as Emeril Live! but have fun and be creative making a delicious dish. You'll be surprised how much fun cooking together can be when you separate the tasks and duties. You can even make the night themed. My husband and I like to do "Taco Tuesdays" and cook Mexican food together. He's GREAT at making guacamole and I love making the taco meat so we turn on Zumba music and go to work! It's super fun as I dance while cooking imagining I'm in Zumba class and he makes jokes while making his infamous dish. Tacos are pretty inexpensive and the entire meal takes 20 minutes at the max. It's a great time together that leaves us both full of joy and full to our stomachs.
Nuggets to remember:
1) Don't forsake your date night. Cherish and protect that time.
2) Get creative with date night! There's so many fun, inexpensive things to do.
3) Date night is a time to relax, communicate and enjoy each other's company.
4) Don't think or plan too much and too strictly. Allow yourself to let loose and have some fun!!
Be blessed!
~CW
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