Date Idea: Roller Skating

Kris’ Take:  If you’re not sure of what to do one night you can always take a trip back to when the two of you were younger.  For me, this brings me back to about 8th grade.  Roler skating is cheap, fun, and a great way to spend your night out.  It allows for the two of you to get into a very vulnerable and funny position.  The truth is, no matter how good at skating you once were, if you haven’t been on skates in years, you’re bound to look funny at least the first hour.  This happend to me when Laura and I had gone out.  I didn’t fall… but I came very, very close.

Of course this isn’t the romantic dinner and sunset followed by the long walk on a beach, but it’s a really fun and innocent way to spend your night out, have some laughs, and just enjoy each others company.  You can hold hands, talk, and just have a good time.  And nothing strips your dignity more than doing the chicken dance on roller blades.

Start a Date Planner

Laura: “What do you want to do?”

Kris: “I don’t know, what do you want to do?”

Laura: “Do you want get something to eat?”

Kris: “Sure, where do you want to go?”

Laura: “I don’t know, where do you want to go?”

Kris: “Doesn’t matter to me…”

Laura’s Take: I know you’ve heard this conversation before. This is me and Kris nearly everytime we go out! We’ll sometimes even take up to an hour just to figure out what we’ll do for the rest of the day. Kris and I are both pretty organized and well-prepared people. When we couldn’t even decide on what to do for an afternoon, we decided that we needed to make a change.

So here’s what we did. We began writing a list of all the activities that we can do in our town, and I mean every activity, even the ones we probably wouldn’t do. Then we made another list of all the restaurants in the area and grouped them into categories according to price and cuisine. So now when we ask each other about what to do or where to eat, we can easily browse through all of our possible choices.

Kris and I have actually even take this one step further. We’ve completely planned out specific days from start til end. Not everyone can handle this kind of planning, but for Kris and I, it’s just what we needed. With our busy schedules, it’s hard to think of ideas off the top of your head. Planning things ahead of time takes a lot of stress off us and leaves us to just enjoy our time together.

Kris’ Take: I can’t count the number of times that we’ve had that conversation, but we’ve got everything pretty well planned out now so that we don’t need to even worry about what to do. Just look at the schedule and enjoy your day! It’s tough when you’re making the schedule because it can be somewhat tedious, but once it’s done it really makes the rest of your days so much easier. I even know what we’re doing tonight! It’s nice to know what to wear and what I’ll need to do. I highly suggest trying out this idea, especially if you have conversations like the one above!

Sharing Each Other’s Hobbies

Laura’s Take: Hobbies. Some of them are fun, and others, well, not so much… but the fact is that nearly everyone has one. When you’re in a serious relationship, it’s important to make an effort to share in your honey’s hobbies, whether it’s painting, collecting something, or taking pictures. Who knows, you might find out that you love collecting coins. That hasn’t really happened for me quite yet, but when Kris buys a new coin, I try to act interested. I’m just kidding of course. He loves sharing his hobby with me, and honestly, I love when he does. It’s nice being able to share our hobbies with each other. I don’t ever want to say, “Oh, that’s his thing.”

I don’t always like doing what Kris likes to do, but I still make an effort to seem interested. Why? Because when the time comes around for me to pick out that cute outfit for the his company’s Christmas party, I expect him to be anxiously waiting outside the dressing room. By the way, Kris doesn’t have a problem going shopping with me, but I know many men who can’t stand shopping with their women, so I thought it would be a suitable example.

Keep in mind that sharing in someone else’s hobby isn’t necessarily a game of give and take. Sometimes you learn to enjoy the hobby just as much as they do! I sometimes catch myself sifting through the change I get while shopping to see if there are any old coins that I think Kris might like.

When we think something is fun, cool, or interesting, we want to tell someone right? What if you absolutely loved playing piano… (as I do) and wanted to play a song for your sweety, but he or she didn’t care… Wouldn’t you be a little hurt? Now I’m not saying that they need to take up piano lessons, but just a mere “That was lovely Sweety,” could prove that they care about you and respect what’s important to you.

Kris’ Take:  Yes, this is very important.  It can be alienating when you feel like the person you love has absolutely no interest in your hobbies, and that’s why people should make an effort to share in it.  I collect coins, as you’ve probably gathered, and many people find that to be terribly boring.  I enjoy it because of all of the history behind them, and Laura understands that.  After all, it is pretty neat holding a coin that’s 125 years old, or even 2,000 years old!  It means a lot to me when I get a new coin and I can hurry up and show Laura my latest find; it’s like finding buried treasure.  It would make me sad if I rushed home to show Laura and all she said was “OK.  That’s boring.”

The same thing goes with shopping.  Now, I don’t hate shopping, but there are other things that I prefer doing sometimes.  This doesn’t change the fact that if Laura wants to hit up the mall, I go.  I don’t drag my feet either!  Many men will go just to appease, but they make it painfully obvious that they don’t want to be there.  This isn’t supportive, in fact it might be more damaging than not going at all.  Why should I take Laura somewhere that she really wants to be, then make it miserable for her?  It doesn’t make sense, and I would even call it an oxymoron.

It’s all about give and take.  Laura spends the time to listen to me about my hobbies, and I spend the time assisting her in her hobbies.  It can’t be one sided, or someone is losing out.  Relationships are about building each other up and growing together.  Segregating your hobbies from one another just makes time for the two of you to grow apart, and that seems contrary to the idea behind a relationship.

Date Map: Dinner, Shopping, Movie

Kris’ Take: Last night Laura and I had a little date night. We knew that we were going to go shopping, go to a movie, and go to dinner. We didn’t know where and in what order, but that’s what we knew. As we made our drive we originally were going to go to Olive Garden, but her and I are very much against doing the “same old, same old” so we decided to go to:

The Dinner

Smokey Bones Was great! Seating was courteous and immediate! They made a wonderful first impression when you walk in. The inside looks like a very classy log cabin with stone work and thick beams of natural wood everywhere. If you’re worried about kids, don’t worry. They have a little speaker box on the table that allows you to hear the sound from any of the many different televisions they have there. Once seated it did not take long for the waitress to greet us and present us with menus. She promptly asked for our drink order, two Cokes. After reading through the appetizers Laura and I decided on the cornbread with honey pecan butter.

For our entrees Laura and I decided upon their Top Sirloin steak. The waitress brought the entrees and everything looked wonderful, but this has happened to me before. Laura seemed to be enjoying her meal so I cut into my steak and I must say they did great! They cooked it perfectly, the taste was great, and not over or under seasoned. The check was only $41.00 which pales in comparison to many other steak houses I’ve patronized and left unhappy. The meal was very good, the service was great, and our glasses were never empty for too long, and that’s only if they got empty–Which I think happened once. All-in-all this is a restaurant I would visit again and recommend to friends.

The Shopping

We went to the local mall and went to a few stores. Nothing really all that interesting was going on here. Abercrombie was drenched in that horrible cologne as usual and phone salesmen were licking their chops at speaking with Laura and I, but we just kind of huddle up and keep talking and it doesn’t let them get a word in edgewise. Luckily dinner took up a majority of the time so we didn’t have to spend too much time shopping, or getting harassed by phone salesmen. The mall is very nice and has many stores but unless you’re looking for something this can get boring quickly.

The Movie

It breaks my heart to give Semi-Pro this rating, but the movie did not live up to its hype. Laura and I are huge, huge Will Ferrell fans, and this is one out of maybe two of his films that has disappointed us. The idea behind the film is: Jackie Moon is the owner, coach, and forward for a semi-pro basketball team called the Tropics. Soon he learns that the NBA will be absorbing some of the teams and dissolving the league. It is then left up to Jackie Moon to get the team into shape so they can be one of the four teams to be absorbed into the NBA. We went in with high hopes, but the movie fell flat in many areas, and like many other films–the funniest parts were highlighted in the movie’s trailer. We did see a promising preview of an upcoming Will Ferrell movie which we hope to be much better, but this movie had people walking out of the theater. I gave Will Ferrell the benefit of the doubt and finished the movie but it was weak throughout. It was filled with the standard Will Ferrell comedy style, which I warmly welcome, but it lacked any freshness and suffered from a very weak story line. Ultimately the night was okay, made best by the dinner and being with each other, but we were disappointed in the movie. Overall the highlight of my night was spending it with Laura, and I think that will always be my highlight.

Night out with my honey:

Date Idea: Fun in the Sun

Laura’s Take: Having a beach day is practically mandatory when you’re living in Florida. As you may already know, one of our favorite things to do is to pack a picnic basket and go enjoy the great outdoors. Having a picnic at the beach is a leisurely way to do that!

You and your sweety can lay by the water, soak up some rays, show off how effective your new exercise program is, and take a refreshing dip, that is, if the water’s fine. There’s an added bonus to this idea, it’s ridiculously affordable! So have fun and remember to bring sunscreen.

Kris’ Take: Florida, the sunshine state. Yep, that’s where we live, and beaches are always around. It’s hard for me to understand that I’m in a state that people dream of going on vacation to. I try really hard to remind myself of that everytime I complain about living here. The beaches are beautiful and sunny days aren’t scarce! I have to say days at the beach are rather nice.

Hot Tamales rates this idea:

3.5 out of 5 Hearts

Date Idea: Amusement Parks!

Laura’s Take: This is by far my favorite date idea! Kris and I love amusement parks. We’re what you would call “Adrenaline Junkies.” So every so often, Kris and I visit one of the local parks. Living in Florida gives us the advantage over other junkies because it makes visiting theme parks a breeze.

It’s not always a cheap date idea, but it sure is a fun one! It’s especially nice because you get to spend the entire day with your sweety! I can guarantee that both you and your date will have an amazing time, as long as you wear comfortable shoes. Also, make sure you bring zip-lock bags, believe me, you’ll need them.

This is a picture of the roller coaster, Maverick, at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. I don’t know about Kris, but if I could go anywhere in the country, this would be my first pick! 17 roller coasters! 17! The happiness is infectious!

Kris’ Take:  I love theme parks tons!  They are a lot of fun and it’s a good way to spend the day.  It’s fun because you get to be pretty much worry free for the day.  If you go to Busch Gardens in Tampa, you just made a trip to Africa, if you go to Islands of Adventure, you just stepped into the most famous comics ever created.  Theme parks create a great atmosphere for just about any date.  I would definitely suggest this idea.  But beware, calculate for food and souvenirs.  If you think you’re getting out of there without buying those you’re sadly mistaken!  This can be expensive, but so so so much fun.  I agree, 5 hearts!

Hot Tamales rates this idea:

5 out of 5 Hearts

Date Idea: Flying Low

Kris’ Take: So the other day we decided to take a shot at flying a kite, it seemed windy enough. This wasn’t a regular kite, it is made out of this wire and fabric but the wire is foldable and flimsy; you can bend it with all of your strength and it just snaps back to shape. So when you take the kite out of it’s bag it just unfolds itself like one of those really cool camping tents.

So as we attempted to fly this kite we realized how hard this really was. I determined there was no problem with Laura and I, the problem lay with the kite and the wind. In Florida we have really gusty wind, not a constant wind. So the kite would start to get high up, then a gust of wind would come and bend the kite (because of the bendy frame) and it would fall down. It was tough, Laura and I tried everything, throwing it up in the air, running with it, asking it, yelling at it, and nothing worked.

It might seem like I didn’t enjoy the kite flying, but in all honestly, we still managed to have a good time. This is probably because we love spending time together, it doesn’t really matter what we’re doing. It would’ve been neat getting the kite to fly, but the weather is a bit out of our control. If you’re planning on trying to fly a kite, try to remember to check your local weather first.

Laura’s Take: I actually thought this one was kind of fun, well more like funny. It’s ok to look stupid when you’re trying to fly a kite, and boy did we succeed at that! lol. But honestly though, I would do it again. I felt like a little kid again!

Hot Tamales rates this idea:

2.5 out of 5 Hearts

The Woman’s Guide to Complimenting

Laura’s Take: Believe me, there’s a right way and a wrong way! Let me start off with a few of the right ways. We like to be complimented on our beauty, our natural beauty. A simple, “Your smile is so beautiful,” will really let a woman’s guard down. Since she knows you like her smile, she’ll tend to smile a bit more for you, making for a much more comfortable atmosphere. Another thing women love to be complimented on is their personality/characteristics. For instance, “You have a great sense of humor,” or “Your laugh is adorable!” It shows a woman that you’re more interested in exploring her mind rather than her body. These kinds of compliments are the most important on a first date. You’re still able to compliment her without overwhelming her.

Which brings me to some of the wrong ways. Overwhelming a woman with compliments is a frequent problem I see. Sometimes when a man gets nervous on a date, he figures if he loads on the compliments, it’ll be a sure success. Not quite. Women love flattery, but there’s a point where it’s taking too far. Complimenting too much is actually more of a turn off than too little. When a women is constantly told how beautiful she looks, she begins to think that the man is only dating her for her looks. This goes right along with compliments about her body. For women, a compliment about our body isn’t really a compliment at all, just more of a sleazy come on.

When complimenting a woman, or for that matter, a man, just keep in mind that the best compliment comes right from the heart. If you don’t believe it, don’t say it! Because odds are, she won’t believe you either, which will make for a very tense environment for the both of you.

Kris’ Take:  Guys remember, compliments are like water.  Pour too little on, the flower won’t flourish, throw it into the ocean, it won’t flourish either.

Date Tip: Be Yourself

Laura’s Take: After much review, Kris and I have decided that the most important thing for someone to remember on a date is to be yourself! People tend to over prepare themselves for a date and then forget that they need to be themselves! It is smart to prepare, that’s something we always want people to do before a date. But if you’re focusing too much on little details and forget about being yourself, you can forget about ever getting a second date. We hear so often how people change after you get married and move in together. Not to scare you off, but being upfront with someone from the beginning will give them a little insight into what they could expect if all goes well.

Guys, We want to get to know the real you, not who you think we want you to be! Tell us what’s important to you, what you care about, what do you like to do, and things you like and don’t like. On a first date, yes, the little details are still important to keep in the back of your mind, but it’s more important to give a clear representation of who you really are. This’ll give your date the information she needs to know to decide if you’d be right for her.

Date Idea: Bicycle, Bicycle

Laura’s Take: So today Kris and I bought a bike rack for the back of his car. I know we may say this a lot, but we really love being outdoors, so we figured it would be a nice idea to go bike riding. I’m excited about it, especially since Kris and I have been wanting to do this for some time. It’s not only a nice afternoon outside, but it’s also a fun way to exercise with your sweety.

Tomorrow we’ll be going down to one of our favorite local parks and going on a three mile bike hike around the park. Then after our bike ride, we’re planning on sitting down in one of the open areas and having a cute picnic on the grass (with a blanket, of course). It should be a really fun and interesting day. We’ll make sure to let you know how it goes!

Kris’ Take: So yesterday we decided to do our bicycle date idea which consisted of going to our favorite local park, riding our bikes together, and ending the day in a picnic. Here’s our day:

We loaded the bikes up at about noon onto the sweet, new bike rack. I’ll admit that I was a little hesitant because I don’t like trusting nylon straps to hold that much weight. But we arrived safely to our favorite local park. As we arrived Laura wanted to know where the bike trail was and as we approached I pointed it out. It was longer then the originally thought 3 miles. It was six and a half miles. We parked the car and I got the bikes off the back of the car, this was a little easier then putting them on! The day was absolutely gorgeous, the sun was out and there was a very nice breeze blowing. You could hear the sound of the tress and leaves being moved by it. There were many birds in the air. This was a very freeing experience.

We began our ride down the bike path, and there were lots of really friendly people out. It was nice to see so many families, but despite how many families were out, the trail was surprisingly private for most of the ride which allowed for Laura and I to have really lovely conversation. Every mile or so on the side of the bike path there were these small pavilions where you could stop to rest. Laura and I would occasionally stop to drink water. At one point we stopped and sat under the shade of a large pine tree and I took many pictures of some of the birds. We’ll have to post some of these. We were at the 4 1/2 mile mark on the trail and decided we were really hungry so we turned around and headed back.

Once we got back to the car I handed Laura the keys so she could start it up and get the air conditioning going because it was warm out. I loaded the bikes onto the car and we drove over to a picnic area so that we could enjoy the lunches I had packed. I packed roast beef sandwiches, chips, apple sauce, and brownies. All in all, Laura and I had a great day together and I really liked it.

Hot Tamales rates this idea:

3.5 out of 5 Hearts