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Friday, October 5, 2012

USS Constitution

We are really enjoying being in Boston and finding free dates! 
So I am starting a series on free dates in Boston. 
I call it, the Free Dates in Boston Series.
SUPER clever right?


The first on our list is the USS Constitution. 
It is so cool! And totally free. 

Tours are every 30 minutes or you can do a self guided tour but only of the top deck.
We opted for the 30 minute one and went below. 
This little lady is the oldest floating war ship in the world!


It has been in 33 battles and survived them all. Talk about Lucky.
We had a great little history lesson and saw the gun deck and sleeping quarters.
This is a great family outing too - we brought our Sweet B with us and she loved it!


All is all, the USS Constitution is well worth a visit. 
Completely free and completely awesome!
Visit the ship's website for times and visitor information.

Happy Dating!


Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Romance Spotlight: Elise


Hello everyone and welcome to another ROMANCE SPOTLIGHT! Elise from The Frugal Farm Wife is here to share a fun date that she and her husband had. I hope you take a minute to read about it and make sure you stop by her blog and say hi!
Take it away Elise!


Last Friday I was over at my parents and dad mentioned that he had to go to a town about 30 miles away for a few small things for his work truck.

 I jumped on the opportunity and offered to go get them if he would watch Garrett. Gabriel and I haven't really been able to date as such since Garrett was born last June. But now that he's 11 months old and eating quite a bit of solid food, we're finding that I can leave him for a few hours at a time without undesirable repercussions, so I jumped at the chance to turn an errand into a date!

Dad accepted my offer to go get his stuff, and I ran to see if Gabriel was up for it. He was of course. One of our favorite things to do together is ride motorcycles which, again, we haven't really done since Garrett was born. So we ran home, suited up and took off!

We took some beautiful back country roads and road through a small Amish community to admire their spring gardens. After we stopped at the small town auto parts store and picked dad's order up, we took a different route home to stop by our favorite little country store where we purchased some dried fruit and peanuts and sat on the store's porch looking out at the creek to eat our snack.

Gabriel and I in front of the ice machine of all things!

On the way home we drove by some hay fields that were being baled - they smelled wonderful!

How's that for an unconventional date?!

 It may have started out as a simple errand, but I think Gabriel and I were both happier with our date knowing that we had been at least semi productive while having fun. And besides, The whole thing cost us little more than five dollars since we traded an errand for baby sitting. Now that's my kind of date! :)
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Elise is a child of God, wife, and mother. She blogs on frugalfarmwife.com about her journey in thriftyness, farming, and food allergies

Thanks so much Elise! Loved it!
Be sure to stop by again for another ROMANCE SPOTLIGHT!

Happy Dating!

Friday, September 28, 2012

Cupcakes

When your husband/son/brother (any male you know) was a kid did he go to bed with his favorite toy? Or maybe piece of sports equipment? Hubby's family has told me that he would go to bed with his basketball. 

It's cute when they're boys. 

Not so cute as married men. 

Hubby works at a tennis club and is working on becoming a professional tennis player. And because of that, he feels the need to constantly practice. 

Even at home. 

Even at night.

Even in bed. 

I kid you not. This guy has come to bed with his tennis racket and played "air tennis". 

He's not allowed to do that anymore.

Anyway, we had a great date tonight!
We went to this adorable little cupcake shop in Newton, MA.

(Image sources: here here and here)

It was seriously darling! I want to decorate Sweet B's room like this place now. 
Striped pink walls. Black and white tile floor, and multicolored light fixtures.
There were lots of cupcakes to choose from and even frozen yogurt. 
Hubby got banana and I ordered a baby chocolate. 


So glad we found this little gem! 
Date night for less than $5 - SCORE!

Happy Dating!



Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Top 10 Dates in Washington D.C.


Continuing on with our top 10 lists!
Next up is Washington D.C.


(Image Sources: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10)

In No Particular Order:

1.Washington Monument - One of the great things about D.C. is that it is crawling with free things to do. If you've ever been to D.C. you know that touring the national mall is a must. But what about going up inside the Washington Monument? While this is free, you must have a ticket and it's first come, first serve. So if you want to ride up to the top, make sure you get an early start.

2. The Burger Joint - "One burger you must have before you die". I've never been here, but a good friend recommended this one to me. Apparently it's to die for. The beef is all cooked over an open flame and the menu looks delicious!

3. Smithsonian - The Smithsonian is actually a compilation of 19 galleries and museums. It would be impossible to see everything in a day- which is why it's so great. No getting bored on this date! Go Smithsonian hopping or try and see everything in one building. These are totally free by the way.

4. The Kennedy Center -  If you can convince your hubby to sit through a ballet, try seeing one at the Kennedy Center. Ballet not your cup of tea? Try an orchestra, opera or symphony concert. Not to mention all sorts of guest performers.

5. International Spy Museum -  This one is not so free. $19.95 a person to be exact. But a very fun date! There are tons of exhibits and games. Plus a cafe inside!

6. White House - Did you know you can tour the white house? And it's FREE! But there is a catch. You must make a request through a member of congress at least 21 day in advance. Still, not bad considering what you get in return.  Although George Washington didn't live here, he chose the site and all the Presidents following him have lived here. Talk about history! If taking a tour isn't an option, just visit the grounds. Try to spot secret service men in the trees. They are there.

7. Eastern Market -  Similar to Seattle's Public Market, D.C.'s eastern market is the cities oldest fresh food market. On the weekends, there are arts and crafts, community events, and a farmers market. Take your hubby here to grab food for dinner and then cook a delicious meal together.

8. Mt. Vernon - This is technically not in D.C. but super close. I have a great love and respect for the founding fathers and think visiting George Washington's home would be fantastic. It is the most visited historic estate in the country and for good reason. $15 a person gives you about a 3 hour tour of Mt. Vernon and an insight to President Washington's life.

9. National Archives- Home to the Declaration of Independence. Not only is this place crawling with history, but you can also make Nicolas Cage proud and reenact scenes from National Treasure. Stop by the gift shop and get your own copy of the declaration on your way out. Did I mention that it's 100% FREE?

10. National Zoo - The zoo is FREE! I am kicking myself for not taking advantage of this while we were in Virginia. I have never heard of a zoo being free before and this one looks awesome! Tons of animals and other activities as well. Definitely worth visiting for date night.

Special thanks to Caitlin for suggestions!

Next City: Boston!
Leave me a comment with your favorite date in Boston- it might make the top 10 list. 

Happy Dating!

Monday, September 24, 2012

Romance Spotlight: Dorothy

Hello everyone and welcome to another ROMANCE SPOTLIGHT! Dorothy from Crazy for Crust is here to share the sweet story of how she met her hubby. I hope you take a minute to read their story and make sure you stop by her totally awesome blog!
Take it away Dorothy!

Hi y'all! I'm Dorothy from Crazy for Crust, where I'm crazy for...well...crust. And cookies. And cupcakes. And brownies. I bake it all...and then I share it, with a slice of my life thrown in.

{Who am I kidding? I throw way more than a slice. It's more like I eat the slice and throw the whole pie at you.}

I'm so excited to be here at Friday Night Date Night, because I'm also crazy for...my husband. I guess that's a good thing? I hate to say this but...our story is somewhat, I don't know, magical? Almost like destiny?

All I do know is that I never really believed in soulmates until we got together. Because, seriously, he is my true other half.


We met in college. I was a traditional student. He was what they call a "returning student." In other words, he was an um, ahem, a much older guy. Like...16 years older.

It was his first class at our college, College of Notre Dame (no, not that one) in Belmont, California. CS030A aka Computer Science 1, aka my class from hell. I really should have paid more attention in that class, methinks.

He was married. I had a boyfriend. And before you start calling me mean names, no I was NOT a home-wrecker. We were just friends. He gave me his answers to his homework, we chatted in the lab. I think, looking back that, deep down, I may have had a spark or two, but hey. He was married and I was in a two-year relationship with a guy who I figured was going to be my future +1.

The following year we had no classes together, but would see each other occasionally in the halls and say hello. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Then came Fall of 1999, two years after we first met. I was single, and had been for awhile. I ran into Mel in the parking lot during the first week of school. Asked him how his summer went. And he dropped the bomb, probably the best bomb that ever happened to me.

He had left his wife. He was getting divorced.

On the outside, I was all "aw, crap, I'm so sorry. That sucks, are you okay?"

On the inside it was like a dance party and the feeling those people who win the lottery must have. That's the moment I realized the spark was reeeallllly strong. But, dude, the guy was just single. Like, not even fully divorced yet. He wasn't in a good place.

I bided my time by finding out where he lived and stalking him instead.

I kid.

{Not kidding. I really did that.}

About 6 months later we were running into each other more, talking in between classes. I kept bugging him to meet me for lunch (as friends, of course). Finally, he agreed.

We had lunch on a Monday. That following Saturday we went hiking and had lunch together. By the end I was convinced he was my soulmate. We had just about everything in common. We could finish each other's sentences. I thought he felt the same way, but wasn't sure.

By the end of the next week we'd seen each other every day and had our first official "date". By then, I kinda new he felt the way I did. By the end of the second week I knew we would get married. And not in the "little kid wishing to get married and writing our names in a heart" knew. I knew.

By the time school ended we were inseperable. We graduated together. Another reason I knew he was a keeper? He brought me roses at the ceremony. And he brought his mom, sister, my mom, and all of my girlfriends roses too.

By August, 5 months after that lunch date, I was anticipating a ring. I had every weekend planned out so I knew, knew when it would be coming.

 {I'm reeallllly not good at surprises.}

But he managed to foil my plans.

   

We went to Las Vegas for the weekend. I knew he was not going to propose in Vegas because he had told me I needed to meet his family first, which I was going to do on Labor Day weekend.

When we got to the hotel he went down the hall and got ice for our pre-dinner drinks. He poured me a drink and asked if I wanted ice.

I said, "No. I don't like ice." {Really, I don't.}

He said, "you sure? You don't want some ice?"

I said, "No, I'm good. No ice for me!"

He said, "I think you want some ice. GET SOME ICE."

So I did. And I got a girl's favorite kind of ice.

And a husband too.


We were married a year later in Ralston Hall, the historical mansion on the grounds of our college.

And now we have a kid and have been married over 11 years.

 

But he still makes me feel like that person who won the lottery.

Thanks so much Dorothy! Loved it!
Be sure to stop by again for another ROMANCE SPOTLIGHT!

Happy Dating!

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

"We're Sick" Date

My little family is sick. 

While being sick is no fun, it does have its perks. For instance, it means that Hubby is home!
Not so good to miss school and work but I'm trying to look on the bright side.

Since he is rarely home these days we wanted to take advantage of it and have a date.
But we both felt totally blah.
Going anywhere or doing anything besides sitting was not an option.


Reading a book or watching a movie was about the only thing we had energy to do. So we made a date of it. And since neither of us were fit to be seen, this is the only photo that will be published. We grabbed a blanket and cuddled up with a P.G. Wodehouse book for each of us. For dinner, we had some chicken noodle soup and orange juice-with a side of Kleenex. 

Even if you're sick, try to enjoy your time together. 
And hey, it's free.

Happy Dating!


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