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

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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

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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:

Sharing Valentine’s Day

Kris’ Take:  We all know that Valentine’s day is a washed up corporate holiday designed to sell chocolate and cards right?  While that can be the underlying truth, the two of you can make it into so much more.  Make it a day that the two of you are able to set aside work, school, chores, and any other responsibilities and focus on your relationship.  It’s so common to go day by day and every once in a while say “I love you.”  Use this day to show him or her that you love them.  Take them to their favorite restaurant, buy them their favorite flowers and chocolate, or go to a beautiful spot where the Sun is setting and have a romantic picnic.  Just because many people feel the holiday is washed up, it doesn’t mean that it has to be.  You don’t need to spend a million dollars to have a nice time and demonstrate your love.  It’ll  be like a one day vacation that I’m sure the two of you really need.  Enjoy your time together, and demonstrate how much you truly do love one another.

Date Idea: Leaving on a jet plane

Kris’ Take: Okay, so we’re not quite leaving, but today Laura and I will most likely be picnicking while airplanes fly over our heads. This is something we’ve wanted to do for a while. Kind of reminiscent of one of my favorite scenes from Wayne’s World where Wayne and Garth sit atop a gremlin and watch planes fly over. I figured this would be a fun spin on a picnic, at the very worst something different. We’ll see if it flops or not, but I think all in all it should be fun. It’ll also be nice because it’ll give us a chance to just enjoy each other’s company.

Laura’s Take: Well I think the airplane picnic was a fun idea… but it got a bit loud everytime a plane landed by us. Not trying to complain, I got so excited when I saw another plane coming in for a landing! It was definitely really exciting and gave us lots time and things to talk about, like what places we wanted to visit and such. It was a neat experience and I’m glad we did something other than the usual picnic at the park. Overall, I’d say the idea was a success.

Hot Tamales rates this idea:
3 out of 5 Hearts