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| One of our fancier date nights last year |
Several readers have asked what our date nights look like. Since we don’t yet have children, we treat every night as a date night.
Unless we have Bible study or another commitment, we usually spend our evenings relaxing together. After enjoying a home-cooked dinner, we either practice music, play board games, read, or watch a TV show on Netflix.
On special nights, we might make hand-mixed milkshakes, which are one of Mr. Handsome’s favorite desserts, or a batch of healthy microwave popcorn (click here for the recipe).
Every weekend, we make a point of taking one evening to dress up and go out to eat. My husband’s all-time favorite restaurant is Famous Dave’s. I don’t have a single favorite restaurant, but some of my top choices include Famous Dave’s, Olive Garden, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chick-fil-A, Texas Roadhouse, and a Nashville BBQ joint called Jack’s.
Do you have a favorite restaurant? Or maybe some date night ideas to share?
My husband and I love Chick-fil-a we have a lot of our date nights there then may rent a movie from Red box or watch something we recorded.This week our date night will be movie night at our church they are showing War Room. We keep our date nights simple the most important thing to us is being together.
Hi Shela,
Let me know what you think of War Room. I really liked it! If you haven't seen it before, be sure to bring tissues. 🙂
Ellie
I saw it! Really good movie. Liked the twist at the end.
Lily.
Hey Ellie I have seen War Room and loved it!! I think it is a very powerful movie. I am very much looking forward to seeing it a second time. I will have the tissues ready.
I'm glad you enjoyed it! It's fun to see the Kendrick brothers' film-making skills improve with each movie. Looking forward to watching more from them in the future.
Ellie
Roller blading and ice skating are always fun and typically inexpensive!
I agree! We went ice skating earlier this month, and I found a local roller skating rink that I would like to try sometime.
Ellie
I love Olive Garden,Red Lobster,Reds,Buffalo Wild Wings.
Red Lobster is a good one! I've never heard of Reds though.
Ellie
Reds is in North Liberty Iowa.
That's probably why I haven't heard of it. 🙂
Ellie
That's nice how you say every night is date night. You are absolutely right. Cherish these times with your husband. Because time flies and before you know it you'll have three kids pulling at your leg and date nights will be a little more difficult.
I've been married 9 years and when we can't go out we will just put the kids to bed and we'll watch a movie and catch up with what's going on in our lives. Our date nights are usually after the kids are in bed!
Thanks for those words of wisdom. Sometimes I find myself longing for children, but these special times with just the two of us truly are a blessing.
Ellie
I don't have personal experience in that (i'm not a mum, not am I married, but I do love children), but I would advise you to wait a bit and enjoy this time. 🙂 After all even if you wait 2-3 years you'll still be a very young mum! But whatever happens happens, so best wishes for your future!
That's very true. Thanks for the encouragement! 🙂
Ellie
I'm a teacher, so I work a lot. Even when home I have to plan, grade papers, and make center activities. My husband will help grade paper or stamp pages with smily face stamps. We walk the dog together.
How sweet of him to help you grade papers!
Ellie
I am happy that two people in this world are happy!It doesn't take much to make you two happy as long as you are doing it together!
Thank you! We try to enjoy the simple things in life. 🙂
Ellie
Lovely couple, looking good!
Thank you! 🙂
Ellie
I am not sure if the show is on Netflix or not, but the show Amazing Race is really good. It is about these 11 teams of two who have to go out and do these hard tasks and which ever team wins at the end (after eliminations) they win one million dollars. As a Christian I find it a very appropriate and fun show to watch. 🙂
We used to watch "Amazing Race" as a family, back in the early 2000s. I haven't seen it in years, but it would be a fun show to watch with my husband. Now that you've reminded me, I'm going to look into it. Thanks!
Ellie
Amazing race comes back on in February. I can't remember the date.
Thanks!
I love Jacks!! It's a must when visiting Nashville.
Hi Odie,
I agree! I'm glad to have found another fellow Jack's fan!
Ellie
Sounds nice but I remember that you were sort of putting out an appeal for a book shelf. You being a brilliant girl I am sure you know about opportunity cost. That being what other opportunities you could have with that same money you spent on what has to be fairly expensive food. I know you are an obedient wife so you are doing what your husband wants to do for his dates for you and just enjoying being pampered as his Queen. I am happy for you that you are loved so much by your generous husband and accept it graciously. (But he probably learned this way of showing love from his dad when he was growing up.) My honey likes to take me to a drive through at a coffee shop to get a coffee or tea on the go.
I am thinking of getting a big thermous and preparing our outing drink in advance and we can stop in a parking spot and drink that instead! Good luck to you and Mr Handsome!
Thank you! We enjoy coffee dates, as well. We actually have a few coffee shop gift cards that we've been meaning to use. 🙂
Ellie
Do you ever invite people over for dinner?
We're still new in town and making friends, but we do enjoy inviting people over for dinner. We had a couple over last weekend and will have another one this weekend.
Ellie
Try watching Dick Van Dyke married to Mary Tyler Moore, that is great old TV!
We enjoy "The Dick Van Dyke Show," as well!
Ellie
How about going to the theatre or to a concert?
Do you like to dance?
Those are both good date ideas. As far as dancing, it depends on the type of music and the setting.
Ellie
Oh, another idea could be to enroll in some kind of course together, if you can afford it. There are pottery classes, dance classes (you can choose the type), bookclubs, things like that… If, for example, you find a class you both would enjoy band it's once a week it could be a weekly appointment to look forward to. And maybe an occasion to spend time with other couples or young people in general.
Or (tonight I'm full of ideas) why not learn a language together? There are online courses, for example… It's hard work but also uplifting. You can improve yourself and help each other. 😉
Those are all great ideas! I especially like the idea of taking a pottery class together. Thanks!
Ellie
You say you used to weekly plan, prepare, serve (and clean up) a meal for all your mates, in the future you will be serving a family … I hope you enjoy the blessing of some lovely times now so you don't turn into a bitter, old wife!
Is it just me or this comment is kind of rude?
No this comment was rude!
I'm wondering if something wasn't lost in the translation??
My husband and I only have a few date nights out each year. It is usually for special events or functions and we tend to spend those evenings with friends, sharing a meal and chatting. But every evening after the children are in bed and our prep for the following day is done, we spend the evening together. We're always in the same room, and it is that proximity that we love. When it is interrupted by work schedules and other activities, we really miss it. Thank you for this post. It has reminded me of how special our time together is.
One thing my husband and I will do on date nights sometimes is look up relationship building and "get acquainted" questions online to ask each other. We make up answers to make the other person laugh (and some we answer seriously). It's really fun! Occasionally we will have an impromptu "cheese and wine" date with just cheese, crackers and grape juice outside watching the sunset. 🙂
Hi Anne,
I love those ideas! I was looking up at-home date ideas on Pinterest and came across some get-to-know-you questions.
Ellie
I like to go out less then go somewhere a little nicer with candles and tablecloths not chain fast food. I look on Yelp and give it a try.
That's so special that y'all go out on dates. Once we had kids we maybe only go out on a date once a year. That's because it's hard to find someone to watch our kids. But I did enjoy all our dates before we had kids. We do also go out every other weekend for lunch as a family. My kids always looks forward to those . They also enjoy helping me cook . But it sure is hard find recipes they both like to eat.
I've already commented but I came up with an idea for a at home date. Do you print your photos and put them in albums? Nowadays everything is digital but I think it's beautiful to have good memories on paper, and it makes you want to look at them more.
Maybe you already do it, but you could make it a monthly of bi-monthly appointment with your husband, to print the photos of the activities you've been doing and put them in an album, maybe with a small description. I think that doing it together can give you an occasion to reminisce and be grateful for the good things.
I hope you like this idea! 🙂
I love that idea! We don't take as many pictures as I would like, so I suppose that would be the first step. Earlier this fall I printed photos from the past two years and organized them into albums, but I like the idea of doing that more often. 🙂
Ellie
Looking into mouths all week is probably motivating your husband to get out and experience the beauty of life with you. It is wonderful you can dress up and have some nice palaces to go out to. You and your husband look beautiful.
Thank you! 🙂
Ellie
Another show is Waltons it's on INSP. Is on in the afternoon from 2:00-4:00.central time zone. Also again at 6:00pm. It's a really good show i've been watching Waltons since I was little.
Do you every watch Soap Operas?
Nope, we don't watch soap operas.
Ellie
My hubby and I rarely get to go out on dates. We have 4 little ones and babysitters are quite expensive. I often joke that our only date nights are when we are heading to the hospital to have the next baby! Lol
All joking aside, we tend to find a documentary we both have interest in and watch it after the kids go to bed. I always lay on his lap and he rubs my shoulders for the entire documentary. It certainly helps on those long days of teaching the kiddos!
Enjoy your time together now. If I could, I think I'd go to a go-cart track with hubby and just race each other to our hearts content! We've been married 20 years and it's nice to try being kids together again. God bless!
Haha! We plan to have a large family, so I suppose that will be our life someday. 🙂
Ellie
Another good show to watch is the Waltons it's on INSP.
I watched one of two episodes of the Waltons as a kid, but I'll have to look it up again. Thanks!
Ellie
Oh yes, "The Waltons" is a great family show!!! You should definitely look into it! Everyone in our family (we have 7 kids, preschool-aged to young adult) just loves it!
It sure is wonderful when you find a show that everyone can enjoy!
Ellie
wow, I'm surprised you and your husband dress up every weekend and go out to eat. Don't get the wrong idea, there's nothing wrong with that, but I just thought you were more frugal than that. It just doesn't seem like a good way to save money.
We don't end up going out ever single weekend, although with just two of us, it doesn't end up being too expensive. (We usually order something to share.) We pinch pennies in other areas to make up for it. 🙂
Ellie
BRGR, Bravo, Panera
Panera is a great one! Their broccoli cheddar soup is incredible (although definitely not the healthiest thing in the world).
Ellie
BRGR is a burger place in Pittsburgh.
We usually do breakfast dates and then go spend the day outdoors. Breakfast makes a cheaper date than dinner and hiking (or snowshoeing right now… Darn winter) helps is get some weekend exercise 🙂
Breakfast dates are fun. We enjoy hiking, too. We went on a winter walk over the weekend and were definitely missing summer!
I'm blessed to have you as a reader. 🙂
Ellie
I prefer to eat at home because I am a home health nurse and I drive around my city and suburbs all day. My husband and I have at home dates and we relax.