No matter how busy life gets, I whole-heartedly believe that every relationship needs "date night". And "date night" should be a routine. "Date night" doesn't have to be a fancy night out over a plate of surf-and-turf. It doesn't have to be a night out at the movies. "Date night" is about breaking the routine, and spending time together as a couple.
I think a routine "date night" is especially important once you start to have children. Not saying it's easy by any means...but every relationship needs 1:1 time away from the day-to-day stressors!
Here are my favorite "date nights":
1. Happy Hour, Gelato, and a walk. One of my favorites is going to North, an Italian restaurant in the foothills of Tucson with a gorgeous patio. They have half-priced wine for HH. We share a few appetizers (marghertia pizza...caprese salad...) And then we go for a walk, and finish off the evening with a small gelato. Lots of variety, decadent eats, and fresh air.
2. Evening coffee dates. Another one of our favorites is on 4th avenue of Tucson, which is an artsy/college part of town. There is a coffee house/bar called Café Passe, which often has life music in the evenings. We will walk around the little vintage shops, and go there for espresso, live music, and some insanely good people watching.
3. Cooking dates. Okay, so this is a "home date" - but it still breaks the usual. So it counts. We will go to the farmers market or the local butcher, and pick out what catches our eye. Then we will research a new recipe. Open a bottle of wine or perhaps a new type of beer, and spend the evening cooking a recipe together. Last time we had one of these nights, we made a new curry. These top my favorite date nights!
Our most recent date night:
We went to a sports bar, called "The Fox and the Hound". Shared a plate of nachos, and had a few beers. Very simple. Quite cheap. Lots of fun.
Our next date:
Thursday night is our night together this week! So the plan is to do a "cooking date" - where we grill a new recipe (stay tuned). And then after dinner, we have plans to walk to the gastropub up the street and meet some friends for live music and an after dinner drink!
What are your favorite date nights? Are you big on going out? Or do you prefer the fun nights in? My favorite are the nights in :).
I think a routine "date night" is especially important once you start to have children. Not saying it's easy by any means...but every relationship needs 1:1 time away from the day-to-day stressors!
Here are my favorite "date nights":
1. Happy Hour, Gelato, and a walk. One of my favorites is going to North, an Italian restaurant in the foothills of Tucson with a gorgeous patio. They have half-priced wine for HH. We share a few appetizers (marghertia pizza...caprese salad...) And then we go for a walk, and finish off the evening with a small gelato. Lots of variety, decadent eats, and fresh air.
2. Evening coffee dates. Another one of our favorites is on 4th avenue of Tucson, which is an artsy/college part of town. There is a coffee house/bar called Café Passe, which often has life music in the evenings. We will walk around the little vintage shops, and go there for espresso, live music, and some insanely good people watching.
3. Cooking dates. Okay, so this is a "home date" - but it still breaks the usual. So it counts. We will go to the farmers market or the local butcher, and pick out what catches our eye. Then we will research a new recipe. Open a bottle of wine or perhaps a new type of beer, and spend the evening cooking a recipe together. Last time we had one of these nights, we made a new curry. These top my favorite date nights!
Our most recent date night:
We went to a sports bar, called "The Fox and the Hound". Shared a plate of nachos, and had a few beers. Very simple. Quite cheap. Lots of fun.
Our next date:
Thursday night is our night together this week! So the plan is to do a "cooking date" - where we grill a new recipe (stay tuned). And then after dinner, we have plans to walk to the gastropub up the street and meet some friends for live music and an after dinner drink!
What are your favorite date nights? Are you big on going out? Or do you prefer the fun nights in? My favorite are the nights in :).
Comments
I love going on hikes or doing something active for "date nights". Now that it's summer again we will start spending lots of weekend afternoons on the lake kayaking and fishing. We aren't that great about doing regular scheduled date nights but I feel like we spend A LOT of time together since we have similar schedules and do things like grocery shop together, watch TV together etc. I do love a good night out at a pub for beers or cooking meals together though!