Date 11 of 52: Living Room Campout

It's been awhile since we had a really involved date, so when one of Brian's teacher's gave an extension on this week's homework assignment, I jumped at the chance.  A little extra free time means date time!

We have been talking a lot about camping and actually just bought a bigger tent to accommodate our growing family.  All four of us have been camping in a little 2 person tent.  It was pretty big for a backpacking tent, but getting a little snug for a family of 4.  I had camping on the brain and decided to dig out the old tent and camp in our living room.  

I wanted to recreate the most important parts of camping; a bonfire, s'mores, the great outdoors, and good company.  Earlier in the day I gathered all the fixings for s'mores, a can of Sterno cooking fuel, decks of cards, miniature wildlife figures...

While Brian put the kids to bed I set up camp.  I used our large brown doormat to simulate the ground in front of our tent and made a "fire ring" with some large stones from the backyard.  I put a Sterno can in the middle of our fire ring and lit a match.  It was actually a pretty good indoor campfire.  It even crackled a bit.  I brought all our house plants into the living room and placed them around the tent for that outdoor feeling and scattered some rubber frogs, snakes, and lizards about the camp site.

Brian came down and I was using one of our fondu forks to roast a marshmallow over our roaring campfire.  He loved it and quickly started roasting one of his own.  We sat around the fire for awhile, munching on s'mores, drinking Shirley Temples, and talking.  Sitting around a Sterno can just isn't the same as sitting around a real campfire, so I was prepared with some other outdoor themed entertainment, the movie The Great Outdoors.  What's not to love about John Candy and Dan Aykroyd?

Raging Campfire

Our campsite was infested with snakes, lizards, and frogs!

We settled into our tent to watch the movie and munched away on other camp snacks.  I admit, in the end,  we did head upstairs to sleep in our bed rather than "rough it" in the living room, but we still had a great camping experience.

Date 10 of 52: Charades

Woops!  This date actually came after our Valentine's Day dates, but I completely forgot to post it.

Brian has a crazy work load, so I have been trying to come up with quick dates we can do for a study break, something to give him a break from all the seriousness.  I decided to do a silly game of charades. I told Brian to write down 5 nouns on 5 pieces of paper, and I did the same.  Then I put them in a box and we took turns drawing slips of paper and acting them out...typical charades.

Brian had no idea what the words were for, so he just wrote down the first things that came his mind.  Turns out he had cars on the brain, so I ended up acting out wonderful things like gas and steering wheel.  I, of course, knew what they were for so Brian got to act out things like swimming, flipping pancakes, and mountain.  Oooooo, I really went crazy with those ones!  He wouldn't let me take his picture to show off his amazing acting talents.

I have to say this date was not my favorite, but had us both laughing in the end, so I guess it was a success. Brian went back to his studies with renewed vigor, ok maybe not...

Date 9 of 52: SPRING BREAK, Part 2

We spent just over a week in Florida and took full advantage of the live-in babysitters!  This time I chose a  place for dinner, again, just downtown from where Brian's parents live.  We drove Brian's mom's cute little convertible and just let the wind in our hair blow away all the stress of the day...dealing with two boys that were out of their routine, monsters!

The restaurant was right next to a lake.  The clouds were building, but the rain hadn't started so we took our chances and sat at a table out in the open next to the water.  We ate some of the best calamari I have ever had, watched the lightening off in the distance, and listened for the rumble of thunder.  By the time we ordered dinner it had started to rain so we moved to the next table over that was covered by a big umbrella.  That seemed to keep us dry enough.  We didn't want to lose our great view of the storm.

The thunder got louder and we talked about going home early since Owen is afraid of thunderstorms.  Brian assured me that Nana was good with storms and could handle it, so we continued to enjoy our dinner and a show.  Eventually the rain got too heavy and we had to move in under the restaurant's covered porch.  It was fun to eat outside listening to the pouring rain, watching the little Anoles(lizards) run for cover, and the water stream off the palm fronds.

By the time we finished dinner the storm had passed, and we took a stroll around the downtown area.  It is a rather touristy area so there was a lot of foot traffic even after the storm.  There was a certain magic in the air with the lights reflecting on the wet pavement, couples walking hand-in-hand, and little girls asleep on their Daddy's shoulders as they headed home for the night.  Corny, I know, but it really was so nice.  The only down side was the number of mosquito bites I received while at dinner, all on my ankles and tops of my feet!  Holy itch!

Once again we came home to two sleeping little boys who had miraculously turned back into sweet little angels.  Thank you again, Nana!

Date 8 of 52: SPRING BREAK!

We have been a bit behind on dates, NOT GIVING UP, just behind.  We found the perfect opportunity to catch up on a couple dates during Brian's spring break.  Plus, we got to go on "real" dates.  We went to Florida to visit Brian's family.  Family = Babysitters!

It was Brian's turn, and he chose a little wine bar in downtown Celebration, Florida.  The weather was warm, but not too hot.  We sat at a table out front on the side walk and enjoyed a glass of wine as we watched people and their dogs walking by.  I absolutely love people watching, so it was a really enjoyable relaxing time.  We continued with a light dinner and somewhat heavy conversation.  Maybe deep is a better word.  Heavy has a negative connotation in my mind.  It wasn't our goal to talk about our fundamental beliefs or anything, but it turned out to be a great reminder of how well suited we are for each other.  Anyway,  by the time we were finished with diner it was getting a little cold so we decided to head somewhere else a little warmer for dessert.

We ended up at  Celebration Tavern.  They had big heat discs out on their patio so we sat under one and did some more people watching.  As we were leaving we saw Brian's cousin sitting at the bar and decided to stay a little longer to chat with her.  It was great to catch up with family and have a good laugh.

When we got home, the boys were in bed.  We sneaked into their bedroom and kissed their little heads good night.  Ahhhhh, a very nice evening.  Thank you, Nana!

Date 7 of 52: Relax

Our seventh date was actually on the same night as our sixth date.  Brian didn't know I had a date planned and snuck out to set up the ice cream sundaes while I was putting the kids to bed.  Once they were finally asleep, my date started...a massage at Spa Josefina (my name in my high school Spanish classes).

With Brian's crazy studying schedule and our crazy night with out-of-control boys, I thought this date was perfect.  We both needed to relax and just let all the tension fly away.  I put blankets on the floor, bumped up the thermostat so it would be warmer, got out the lavender massage oil, and had towels to use as drapes.  I greeted Brian at the door, introduced myself and asked if he had any areas that he would like me to concentrate on.  I tried to recreate the questions I usually get asked when I go in for a full body massage.  Then I told him to get under the towels and let me know when he was ready.  It was fun to play at the part of being a professional masseuse.

Well the date was a success.  Brian was just about asleep when I finished and very relaxed.  He decided to return the favor and gave me a dynamite massage.  Then we both floated off into lavender scented oblivion, ahhhhhh sleep.

Date 6 of 52: Valentine's Day Dessert

We ordered the kids bunk beds before Christmas.  The company makes each bed to order, so there is about a 6 week lead time till they are ready for delivery.  Then it can be another 10 to 20 business days for shipping.  Then add in the first shipment containing the beds in the wrong color and you have a long wait.  Cut to yesterday, Valentine's day, when the right beds finally arrived!  The kids had no idea they were getting bunk beds, and Brian and I had our work cut out for us, trying to keep them down stairs and occupied while the delivery man assembled them and took away all the packaging.  Owen, the little stinker, figured it out.

So, our valentine's Day dinner consisted of my running up and down the stairs trying to watch how the beds were put together and trying to eat, Brian trying to control Owen, who was literally vibrating in his chair with excitement, and me running back down stairs when it sounded like I needed to mediate.  It got a little stressful.  Finally, we took them upstairs to see their new beds.  The wait was worth it.  They were so excited.  Owen decided Mathias should sleep on the top bunk with him, and Brian and I should sleep on the bottom bunk.  They have been sleeping together in a queen sized bed for over a year, and it was hard for them to understand that they would not be in the same bed.  They were very excited about the new beds, but a little hesitant about sleeping apart.  Their closeness had been protection and comfort from things that go bump in the night.  I showed Mathias that Owen was just above him.  He got up and blew him a kiss.  After spraying monster spray all over the room and setting up a monster trip line in the doorway, they settled in...

Oh wait, no they didn't.  I ended up in the bottom bunk with Mathias, something I never do, but they both needed that comfort.  We all watched the moon in their room change phases for awhile and they slowly calmed down, drifting peacefully in their outer space room.

I kissed them goodnight and went downstairs.  Surprise!  Brian planned a quick date.  He ran out to the store while I was up with the boys and got the fixings for ice cream sundaes.  Maybe it was not the best Valentine's Day dinner, but dessert would surely make up for it.  Yum.  I can't remember the last time I actually piled a bunch of toppings onto a big bowl of ice cream.  We both sat on the couch with heaping bowls full of ice cream, reeses pieces, dark chocolate pieces, hot fudge, and whipped cream.  There wasn't a whole lot of conversation while we were gorging ourselves, but it was nice just to sit and relax together after the crazy excitement of two boys and bunk beds.  Ahhhhhh....  Sorry, no pictures of the sundae.  It was too big to fit in the frame.  Instead, here is a picture of the moon in their room.

These dates may not be something huge that takes a lot of planning, but they are still giving us everything we need... a little connection after a long crazy day.  I loved it, Babe!  You can't go wrong with ice cream.

Date 5 of 52: Card Tricks

I needed a quick date to fit into Brian's study schedule, something that could be done during a quick 15 minute break(Thanks for the idea, Mia).  Then I saw playing cards at the grocery store.  I love playing cards and new a few quick games.

One night we sat at the dinning room table and played away.  I started by teaching him how to play Peanuts.  It is a game I used to play with my grandmother, aunts, and cousins when we got together for holidays.  It is pretty fast paced, but easy to learn.  It also felt really god to remember all the fun times we had playing with Grandma.

Then it was Brian's turn to teach me a game.  He picked a game called Set Back, or Pitch.  You take turns betting and picking the trump suit.  It was a really fun game.  We ended up playing for quite awhile.  I had no idea Brian liked to play cards.  Yay, date night.  You can learn something new even after 11+ years!

So cards turned out to be great for both of us.  We haven't put the cards away since the date, and when we have a minute or two we sit down and play.  My competitive streak returned, and Brian learned that I am not a very gracious winner.  Ha ha, I won both games...all in good fun of course, but just to be sure we are all clear who won, here are the score cards.

Brian's View:  

To be completed after he has a master's degree or as soon as studying permits!