Fun Dates, Part 3!

 Thanks for reading along with some of our favorite date memories that I've been sharing over the last couple of days. Hope you're up for a few more! Just a reminder that all the ideas on the lists for this little mini-series came from this post I found, but the memories I'm sharing are all ours!

21. Throw a party.

I won't lie...early on in our marriage, I fully envisioned having a vow renewal/big party for our tenth wedding anniversary, which is next year. But now we live in a new area where we don't know a ton of people, and gatherings aren't what they used to be, so I don't know that it will happen. (I would still love doing a vow renewal, but I'd be okay with it just being us!) But I am so, so grateful that even though it wasn't for our anniversary, that Ryan and I got to enjoy the big party he threw for my 40th birthday. I will always, always treasure that day and the joy I felt in seeing so many friends and family members in one room, having fun!

22. Go on a short road trip.

I kind of already talked about this with our weekend getaways back in the first post, but I have to say that between our birthday trips and our anniversary trips, I've LOVED the many short road trips we've taken. One of the blessings of Midwestern life is that we are close to so many fun places to visit! Some of our short road trips have taken us to: Indianapolis, Chicago, Fort Wayne, French Lick, Louisville, Cincinnati, Richmond, The Creation Museum, Holland (Michigan), Gatlinburg, Wisconsin, Saugatuck, Indiana Dunes, Madison (Indiana), St.Joseph, the Hocking Hills, and 1/3 of the counties in Indiana. 

23. Go for a brewery or vineyard tour.

We don't drink (at all) so I'm not sure this would be very practical for us, but you know what we WOULD love to do? A full tour of roasting coffee! We actually did stop in the Furnace Hills of Maryland a few years ago to tour a coffee roaster that I'd interviewed on Mid-Morning, and it was a lot of fun. It was a very small operation, and we were just stopping in as guests, but it whet our appetite to do a full, actual tour where we can learn a lot more of the background to coffee beans and the process. I've checked into a couple on recent trips, but no one is doing tours again yet. Maybe someday!

24. Go to a comedy club.

We also aren't really club-goers. We have gone to a couple of comedy acts on cruises (the family-friendly ones) but at least around here, it feels like most comedy clubs probably really aren't our kind of humor. I did hear Tim Hawkins in person once (HILARIOUS!) but it was before Ryan, so we still haven't seen him together yet. But there is DEFINITELY something to be said for a night of laughter! Good for the soul! 

25. Go to a game.

When we were engaged, Ryan took me to my first Colts game and we went again the next year, on our first anniversary weekend! Haven't been back to a pro football game since. We've taken in a couple of high school games, including the homecoming game at our own high school on his 10th reunion weekend. I'm not a huge sports buff, as you know, and everything is SO overpriced at games. We prefer free entertainment. Ha! But it is fun to say we've been! (And that Colts game on our first anniversary? Sandi Patty sang the national anthem, marking the third time we saw/heard her in three days.)

26. Practice your mixology together.

Again, we don't drink, so this one doesn't apply to us - but are there coffee shops that teach you how to make fancy coffee drinks? Is that a thing? A class? Wouldn't that be so much fun? I should actually look into that. I would say the closest we've come to practicing our mixology together has been here at home with our own fancy pants coffee maker we gifted each other for Christmas so we could make our own drinks at home!

27. Take a hike.

To my knowledge, we've never hiked much on an anniversary trip because...#midwestindecember...but we do LOVE to hike and it's one of our favorite ways to spend a day! We've done tons and tons of state parks - in Indiana and some other states, too! It's impossible to pick a favorite, but we did really love Clifty Falls State Park, which we did on one of our birthday trip getaways. (It's in southern Indiana, right on the Kentucky border. 

28. Camping.

Well, thank goodness I didn't do this post a year ago, right? We'd never camped at all until this year, but hello, Abby! We are so grateful for her and the chance to do this new-to-us thing in life. It has been a delight for us to be able to get away from the building to get some respite and to see areas that are brand new to us! I don't think I could ever be a tent camper. I need bathrooms and air conditioning. But the RV life has NOT disappointed us at all! Next week will hold our final camping trip of the season, and I am so sad that the first season is already done! I will probably spend the winter planning out all the places I hope we can go! 

29. Surprise him or her with love notes.

We did love notes a lot more often when we didn't spend every moment of every day together! We'd always tuck them into each others' lunch boxes and vehicles before commuting! I'd leave notes on Ryan's desk at the rehab hospital, too! Now we just tell each other, because we're right there! But one of my favorite love-note moments? A few years ago in February, when we were knee deep in caring for Ryan's mom in her final days, he took time to write me a love note every single day in February leading up to Valentine's Day. I'd wake up each day to a new heart/note on my mirror, and it meant EVERYTHING to me. They were short little notes that told me something he loved about me, but knowing how overwhelmed he was with work, caretaking, knowing he was about to say goodbye to his mom...these meant the WORLD to me. And also...we write love letters to each other every year on our anniversary. We read the previous year's letter and write a new one for the next year! I love that tradition!

30. Cut off the technology.

We aren't great at this, but camping has helped with it! Some of the campgrounds we've gone to are so far out that they are COMPLETELY off the grid of phone service and internet. Others have it, but it's spotty. But we still enjoy those days. We play games and take naps and do lots of talking! There is something extra nice about those quiet days!