Just for ME: A Creative Date Night Idea

Some of you may know, my birthday was last week (27, whoop whoop!) and as holidays go, birthdays are always my favorite.  Well, except for this year because I was home alone and didn't get any cake (until, like, 4 days later...and only because my parents felt bad for me).  #HusbandFail?  I did appreciate the many messages, texts, and phone calls, though...especially the two-hour call that made me feel not quite so alone for the evening.

To his credit, Alex did plan a date night out for us a few days before my actual birthday (and the gifts - tickets to see my favorite band in Dallas this summer - were not too shabby, either).  We tend to take turns with date nights and don't typically tell the other person what's in store for the night, so I had no idea that I inadvertently ruined part of his well-intended plan.  Come to think about it, that sounds awfully reminiscent of our first "date."

Creative dates are kind of our "thing," so Alex boasted for days before our date that he had come up with something pretty unique.  Day of, he spent the afternoon mowing the yard and freshening things up around the house.  When I got home from work, he said it was too early to leave for dinner and asked if I would play a game of ladder golf in the yard with him before we left.  I was in a khaki skirt and feeling sort of achy, so thinking the yard work had got him in the mood for outdoor games, I deflected by encouraging him to bring the game with him to work the next day, saying his buddies would play with him before the baseball game that evening.  He tried again to convince me to play, but didn't push too hard so I let it go.  (I promise this is relevant to my story, so keep reading please.)

So anyway, we went out to dinner at a local hole-in-the-wall burger joint called Magic Grill.  It was nothing fancy, but dinner together was enjoyable as always.  Afterwards, we had dessert at another local hangout - Eskamoe's Frozen Custard (fun fact - this place appeared in an episode of A&E's Duck Dynasty).  On the way home, Alex said...well, can you guess the theme of tonight's date?  I racked my brain and all my guesses were pretty weak so I gave up and let him explain.

He said, "It was dinner just for you...LME (my initials)."

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L-M-E?  Ladder golf - Magic grill - Eskamoe's.  Ohhhhhh...I got it!

I'm pretty sure I never would have guessed it, but looking back I think he did a great job of exercising those creativity skills.  Unfortunately, I ruined the first part of his plan (hence the title, "Just for ME") and felt terrible about it afterwards.  I really need to learn to be more spontaneous, don't I?  Oops.

I have to give him credit for putting together something totally different than I ever would have imagined.  Making date nights unique really goes a long way in having fun together and keeping things special.  I guess the ball's in my court now for something creative next time around.  Ya think he'll notice if we do progressive dinner via Applebees, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Eskamoe's (A-B-E)?  ;-)

Stay tuned!
-Lauren