Love Story: Kari & Adam

May 2003...

I was in Boise, ID visiting an old friend of mine from high school. She had made plans for us to meet up with 3 of her boyfriend's friends for dinner at The Olive Garden. Little did I know she was trying to set me up on a date with one of those friends.  Let's just saythat I did not end up with the guy she was intending to set me up with. 

When we got to the restaurant the guys were already at a table waiting for us. I automatically locked my attention in on Adam. The other two guys were good looking, but Adam was just HOT. He was really tan with a nice smile and gorgeous eyes. After dinner the 5 of us went back to my friend's house to play games and watch a movie. Adam invited me to go to church with him the next day, which blew my mind. So Adam and his other best friend, also named Adam, came to pick me up for church the next day. We ended up spending the day together. We went to church, he made me lunch at his parents' house (which was also the best sandwich I had ever had in my life), he took me for a ride on his bullet bike and then we hung out at his brother's house for a while before I had to head back to Pocatello.

Fast forward 3 weeks...

While we had talked a few times on the phone during these 3 weeks, we hadn't actually seen each other until Memorial Day weekend. We were going to go camping with a bunch of his friends, but that plan fell through. I still ended up making the trip to Boise in hopes of seeing him again, but I wasn't holding my breath. I kept trying to give him a way to get out of seeing me if he wasn't interested, but as fate would have it, we were just meant to be. We had our first official date that night. He took me to dinner and then we watched a movie at my cousin's house. And we had our first kiss. The next day he took me to 2 of his friend's barbeques (He held my hand practically the entire day), then Sunday he took me up to Jordan Valley, OR to meet his entire family on his dad's side. Terrified is the only way I can describe how I felt. But it was fun. We went 4-wheeling and ate dinner up there and I got to know his family a little bit. Then Monday I decided it was time for him to meet some of my friend's. Enter Tara.  :)  Adam and I met up with Tara and couple of our other girlfriend's at TCBY. I could tell by my friends' reactions and Adam's reaction to my friends -- this guy was going to be a keeper. The next 4 days were the longest days of my life.

Adam traveled up to Pocatello the following weekend to meet my family. We hiked up to the ISU "I" with his friend, Pat, and my friend, Lizzy, in tow. While we were overlooking all of Pocatello - Adam asked me to be his girlfriend. A month later he moved to Pocatello. 2 months later we were engaged. 2 months after that we were married in the Salt Lake City Temple. And here we are 6.5 years and 2 kids later.  

The Dating Divas Are LIVE On Studio 5

We are SO excited to announce that we were invited to be on Studio 5,  a Utah morning show, today at 11:00 A.M. on Channel 5. (If you miss it, they will be putting it on their website around 2:00 P.M.)

Check out Kiirsten, Kari & I as we share six FUN and inexpensive date ideas.  (If you are an AVID reader....then only TWO of them will be new....but you will get to *meet* three of us!)  If you don't live in Utah - we will be putting a link to the segment on both our Facebook Fan Page and our blog after it airs.

Prescription for Fun

Everyone needs a little fun with their spouse. I have a prescription for you on how to have more fun. Here's how to fill the order...

First, grab an unused small pill bottle.

If you have an old empty one from a previous prescription you can use that. Or you can go to your local pharmacy and ask to buy a new one. If you are lucky like me, they'll give you a whole bag full for free!

Next, go to your stash of scrapbook paper and find a cute one to trace the lid. You want to cover up the logo on top. (If you don't care about this, you can skip this step.) Then cut out your circle and mod-podge it on the lid.

Then you'll need to adhere the prescription label to the bottle. I made a mock label in photoshop with fake info.

You can download yours here - without our names!

I used clear packing tape and put it around the whole thing.

Now you need to fill the bottle with the "pills" and instructions.

The pills are those dissolve-able capsules that turn into foam shapes. I picked mine up at the Dollar Store. Eighteen for a dollar! But I just put 3 in the bottle. (Give the rest to your kids, they'll love them!)

To play you will dissolve one capsule in warm water.

(Sometimes waiting for it is the best part! Ooooo....the anticipation of what the shape will be!)

Now on to hiding it.
My brother and his wife taught us this game. (Remember I LOVE games!) Take turns putting the little foam shape somewhere your spouse can find it. Once they've found it, they hide it for you. Kind of funny and childish, but it is fun to suddenly see this foam dinosaur in the book I'm reading, under the toothpaste cap, in a pocket, beneath a deodorant cap. The possibilities are endless! Just reuse until it takes a casualty - like ours did. Poor T-Rex lost an arm. Oh well, time to dissolve a new "pill."
Download the game instructions here. Print it out, fold it up, and stick it in the bottle with the 3 "pills" and give to your spouse.
Where are you going to hide it first?P.S. Don't forget to enter the giveaway! It ends tomorrow....hurry.P.P.S. And if you live in Utah, watch us on Studio 5 tomorrow morning at 11:00am.

THIS POST IS LINKED UP TO:Hope Studios  All Thingz Related   Silly Little Sparrow  Today's Creative Blog   New Nostalgia  

Giveaway: Lunchbox Love Notes

GIVEAWAY!   GIVEAWAY!   GIVEAWAY!
**GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED!!  Thank you SO much to everyone who entered.  We will announce the winner next week!  :)  ...and don't worry....we have PLENTY more giveaways up our sleeves!

Life is crazy busy and we don't always have the time we need to show our spouse how much we love them.  I love quick and easy things and also things that make me smile. Who doesn't love getting a little note? Well....

While I was cruising through Michael's craft store, I saw the greatest idea! Right now they have LUNCHBOX LOVE notes that you leave in the lunch of someone that you LOVE. These notes have cute sayings that will be a hit with your spouse!

Even if your spouse doesn't pack a lunch, you can leave them in their car, on their pillow, etc. This is a fun, quick way to remind your spouse how much you love them!

You can check out more notes on their website: HERE!

I was thinking of our AMAZING READERS and thought... Why not do a GIVEAWAY of LUNCHBOX LOVE notes? That's right...I bought an extra package of notes for one of our lucky diva readers!  These notes are cute, simple and FUN!

We have a HUGE giveaway coming up in the next month or two but we couldn't wait to do something to thank all of our loyal readers!  We are SO glad you are liking all of our *dating* ideas and we can't wait to give one lucky reader a little "something-something" in return!!

Wanna Enter The Giveaway?
You can do so by doing the following....

#1 - JUST by being a follower of our blog!!  (Let us know in your comment that you are a follower.)
#2 - Leaving a comment telling us your favorite part about this blog.

(Only 1 entry per person, please.)

The giveaway will end this coming Friday, July 30th at Midnight MST.

"The Bookstore" Date

I love, love, love to read!!  So much so, that a particular book was my inspiration for one of my previous dates, the "Choose Your Own Adventure" Date.  

My husband, on the other hand, would rather do anything else instead of reading!  Reading is definitely not something he would choose to do for fun.  

Most of the dates I have posted so far have been pretty crazy....meaning, you would have to have an *extrovert* type of personality to do them.  These dates are perfect for us because we are both such extreme extroverts ourselves.  I decided I would like to tone things down a notch, plan a more calm and relaxing date, and take my husband to one of MY favorite places....a bookstore!  Of course, I would have to add in some creative touches to make sure he enjoyed the date as much as I would.  (I received some great inspiration here, here, here, and here.)   

We started off by eating at a super-friendly-to-the-budget eatery.  

Afterwards, I handed him this:      

You can download this invite & both task cards HERE!

Yeah...he wasn't too thrilled at first!  {lol}  BUT - all of that was going to quickly change!  We then headed off to a bookstore - I chose Barnes & Noble mainly because they have wooden chairs, armchairs, & couches scattered around the store.  When choosing a bookstore for your OWN date....I would suggest keeping that in mind!  Those little nooks are perfect meeting spots for this date!

Once we were there, we found a cozy little spot and I presented him with the FIRST of two "Task Cards".  There were three tasks that we both needed to complete before meeting back at our cozy spot. 

#1 - Visit the COOKING section & chose a recipe that you would like to make for your spouse.

#2 - Visit the MAGAZINE section & find a quiz in a magazine that you and your spouse could do together. 

#3 - Visit the CHILDREN'S section & find a book that was a favorite when you were a child or that holds a special memory for you...and read them to each other when you meet back up. 

Now, you can do this two different ways!  You can give each other 30 minutes and split up...meeting back at the designated spot when the time limit is over....OR you can just go together to each section, find the different books/magazines, and meet back at the spot.  We chose to do the second option.

Good thing we did...since we could barely hold in our laughter when we discovered that our rival universities had COOKBOOKS!!  I am a BYU alumni and Jamie is a HUGE Ute fan....

Here was the recipe I picked out:

Here is the recipe that Jamie picked out:

Next stop.....the Magazine section!  This was a tricky one!  It was harder than I thought to find quizzes in the magazines.  If you also have a hard time, you can adjust that task to just finding a great article to share with each other. I found plenty of sizzling articles to share with him in Cosmopolitian and he found  awesome photography tips to show me in Popular Photography. 

 (BTW - notice how AMAZING the pictures are in this post!?!  My birthday was this month and Jamie picked up on the million and one hints  and bought me a FABULOUS camera!  ....thus his sudden interest in photography!!  He wanted to make sure his investment was the best option out there.  LOL)

And then onto the Children's section...SO much fun!  Here are our picks!  Mine is "Where the Wild Things Are" and his was "The Berenstain Bears - In The Dark".  

Now...confession time!  We had SOOOO much fun doing this, that we ran out of time to do the other task card!  We spent SO much time at each section having fun talking, sharing articles/finds, and laughing...that we completely lost track of time!  It was such a hit with my husband that he insisted that we return the next day to finish the date.  Remember...this is the husband that does not like to pick up a book and read for fun!  :)

 Day TWO:

 The tasks on the second card were...

#1 - Visit the JOKE section and pick out a HI-LA-RI-OUS joke to share with your spouse.

#2 - Visit the TRAVEL section and find a picture or information on a place you would like to visit someday.

#3 - Visit the POEM section and find a poem that describes the way you feel about your spouse.

The "Joke Task" took us for-ev-er!  We could not stop sharing jokes with each other and laughing!!  One joke each was just not enough for us!

The dream vacation task was really neat!  I learned something NEW about Jamie!  I always knew he had a thing for history and ruins, but I never knew he wanted to travel to Peru!!  If you click on the picture below, you may be able to see the breathtaking picture he is holding up of an ancient civilization in Peru.  

Where do I want to vacation?  HAWAII!!!!

Our last task ended the date on a super romantic note!  Sharing lovey-dovey poems out of some poem books we found.  Great way to top off a wonderful date!

The actual date cost us absolutely NOTHING!  Free entertainment for two nights in a row!  Jamie actually told me afterwards that he would love to go to our local library and just sit in the children's section and take turns reading our favorite books!  (WOW!  Have I "converted" him to believe in the wonders of reading?)  He also mentioned that others who do this date could have a "WILD CARD" task....meaning that the person planning it could ask their spouse to make up a task on the spot that the spouse would really enjoy.  Like something sports, self-help, fishing- related, etc.

One more nice thing about doing a date in a bookstore....well, a BIG bookstore...is that you can grab a cup of cocoa and a pastry at their "in-house" eatery to snack on during your date!

If you decide to go on this date....make sure you plan on it taking at LEAST 3-4 hours!!  I promise you will have plenty to do...even if you are not a reader!  {Wink, Wink}

Enhancing Your TAN For Your MAN!

Okay, it is July! Smack dab in the middle of Summer! So at this point you probably have some kind of tan, real or fake, it doesn't matter, there are subtle ways to enhance that look and be rockin' an awesome glow in no time. Summer time screams for neon nails and they are everywhere right now. Yellow, hot pink, green, orange, electric blue, anything neon is gonna make your tan pop. So try rockin' some seriously bright polish!

 Onto makeup  - my personal fave. BRONZER, BRONZER, BRONZER, say it with me ladies. If you don't have some buy some NOW! I wear it year around, but if that's not your thing, at least wear it in the summer. I love MAC bronzers! They literally have a bronzer out right now called, "To The Beach," and I will be taking taking it with me to the beach, to the pool, the backyard BBQ, and anywhere else I want to be spotted this summer.

Onto the eyes, we all know that eyes have it so make them pop with some sparkle and shine. Once again, I have to give it up to MAC pigments. They have the perfect amount of shimmer. I love MAC pigment in Tan but if you want to be daring ( and I do) I would try the teal or the golden olive. Bright colors always play up a tan. If you go for the bright eye color then stick with a toned down gloss or lipstick. Anything with the title "nude" is a good pick. Bronzer and a bright lip go well together too though. Hot pink is a great pick for Summer.

Next would be what our husbands will be noticing ( our bodies). Make sure you exfoliate first especially if you are going to apply a faux tan. If you don't have a good scrub already, mix up your own. A little baby oil or olive oil and some brown sugar will do the trick. Next would be to either apply your choice of bronzer. If you need a tan try Neutrogena Micromist Sunless Tanning Spray. If you already have a tan of your own then mix a little bit of shimmer lotion into regular lotion or better yet, body oil, and make sure to hit places like your collar bone and your legs. Make sure your hair has some shine, any silicone gloss or shine spray will do, and you will be a Glowing Goddess in no time. Your husband will wish for Hot July Heat every night.

Hot Topics At Dinner

I cherish the time I spend eating dinner with my family each night. It is a great opportunity to sit, eat, and talk with my kids and husband. One night a week, I have started to pull out a box of "Hot Topics." We pass the box around and each person takes out several questions. As we eat dinner, we ask each other these unusual, fun, or interesting questions. We have done this for the last month and our dinners have been SO MUCH FUN. I have learned new things about my daughter and my husband! This is now a fun family tradition that we do every Tuesday night! Each month, I will continue to add 20 questions or more to our box. I have included a list to get your family started! These 15 questions will be the perfect start to the "Hot Topics" discussion at your dinner table.

Your "Hot Topic" box can be made out of anything you have in your house. I always have extra diaper wipe containers, so that made the perfect box for my family.

To make your "Hot Topic" box...

1. Find a box (I used an old diaper wipe container).

2. Decorate the box with scrapbook paper.

3. Download the "Hot Topic" list and cut out each question and place in the

box.

4. Bring your box to dinner and start passing out the questions.

Download your "Hot Topic" list...

...click HERE!

What family traditions does your family enjoy during dinner?

Guest Blogger: Fun On A Dime

Hello! I am so excited to be a guest blogger here on the Dating Divas. My name is Michelle, aka the Fun On a Dime Lady, from Fun On A Dime. If you are looking for some inexpensive fun for the whole family, you should come over and check out the fun we are having. There are a lot of yummy recipes, crafts, games, and many more fun ideas to keep you and your children busy. Come join the fun!

Being the wife of a full-time student and being on a tight budget we do not have a lot of money for dates, but we know that we need them! Here are the 3 main things I have learned that you need to successfully have some "Romance On A Dime" (it is only 2 if you do not have any children! =D ).

1. Time. There are two aspects to "Time". One aspect to having true romance on a dime (and probably the most important) is that you need time together. I asked a few people what they thought "Romance on a Dime" was and the one common attribute in all their responses was spending time with your spouse. You may not always get time by yourself, but you need to make the effort to do something together.

The other aspect of "Time" is a saying I grew up with: "Those who do not have time, spend money and those who do not have money, spend time." It applies to almost every situation. What are you willing to pay for and what are you willing to sacrifice time for? If you want some romance on a dime, chances are you are going to have to spend some time planning it or doing/making some things you may normally buy to save you time.

2. A Free or Inexpensive Activity. I am big on getting to know your resources. There are so many free or very inexpensive activities going around your city (or neighboring cities). Check out your city's Internet site and see what is going on locally. Another really good resource is to go to your city's Visitor Center. There you should find a bucket load of information on local things to do and it is a common place for others to hang event fliers on local events. I went and looked at my Visitor's Center and discovered they had a list of "23 Free Things To Do Within the City" as well as maps and other lists of local hiking trails, ponds, and museum information. I left with my arms full of fun stuff to do!

3. A Free Babysitter. If you live near family who will watch your children, you have scored! But for those of us who do not live near family, you still need to get out alone every now and then. A great way to do this without having to pay someone is to make friends with your neighbors or people who live nearby that have children and swap babysitting. Most likely you have friends who would love a free babysitter too and would enjoy swapping kids for one or 2 evenings out alone.

Another option for a free babysitting is to start a babysitting co-ops. I have heard of co-ops where 4 couples will work together so each couple gets 3 date nights a month kid free! How it works: 3 couples will drop off their children at the 4th couple's house for an evening out. Then the next week they switch which couple is watching the kids. This is always a great option if you have a good group of reliable friends.

Sometimes you cannot always get a babysitter and may have to do something with the kids and that is okay. For us, we sometimes get lucky and if I have my kids skip their nap, we can put them to bed early allowing us to have some time to ourselves when it is not late!

Whatever you do to have "Romance on a Dime"- have fun and remember the most important thing is spending time together. If all you have time for is to take a walk, then that is great! Just make the effort!

Now On To the Fun... A favorite activity of ours is going on a long walk, a planned hike, or just doing something outdoors. We discovered a lake that was not too far from our home. We were able to go there and enjoy our surroundings while relaxing and cooking some tinfoil dinners we made at home. We loved the tinfoil dinners so much that we have made them at home on the grill or in the oven on a "date night" in. Here are some of our favorite tinfoil dinner recipes.

Another new favorite of ours is to cook some tinfoil desserts. They are so easy and taste amazing!

Baked Apple

What You Need:

• Apple
• Knife
• Spoon or fork
• Brown sugar
• Other spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, etc.) *optional
• Tinfoil
  
  
  Directions:
  
  
  Step 1: Cut the top off the apple (you want to save it as a lid) and core the apple. Try to leave the bottom of the hole intact, so you have a little bucket. I discovered the easiest way to do this, is to cut around the core with a sharp knife and then use a spoon or fork to twist it into the core kind of like a drill. This is a lot easier than trying to dig it out with the knife.
  
  
  
  
  
  Step 2: Pack it full of brown sugar. You can add other spices if you would like. We have tested out a few different combinations of spices and sugar and we liked the plain brown sugar the best.
  
  
  
  
  
  Step 3:
  
  Step 4: Bake in warm coals for 5 - 10 minutes. Closer to 10 for us! If you are at home and happen to have some vanilla ice cream, this tastes heavenly with ice cream and a little granola sprinkled on top.

Yum!!!

Banana Boats

I'm not a big banana person, but I love this! It reminded me a lot of the taste of banana bread! Oh, so good!!

What You Need:

• Banana with the peel attached
• chocolate chips (one kind or a variety...whatever is on hand works well!)
• marshmallows
• Anything else that melts or tastes good that you love to eat (crushed candy bars, nuts, etc)
• Tinfoil

Directions

Step 1: Cut 2 slits into the banana peel lengthwise. Pull back a strip of the banana peel to expose the fruit on the inside curve, but leave the peel attached so it can be replaced later. (See picture below)

Step 2: Cut a slit into the banana. If you want, you can cut a long chunk from the center and then replace it after you fill the banana. A slit worked fine for us.

Step 3: Fill the center with your favorite melt-able treats. We used milk chocolate chips and marshmallows and that tasted great!

Step 4: Replace the banana peel and wrap with tinfoil. Bake in warm coals for 5 minutes. We cook ours for 10 and it is extra mushy, which tastes great, too.

Enjoy!

Make sure you stop by and visit me over at Fun On A Dime for more affordable fun for the whole family.

Thank you Dating Divas for letting me join in on your fun!!!

Simply Spa....At Home!

Who wants to go to the spa?

Well, it is about time to sit back and relax with your man!  Here are a few essential items that will make any night the right night!  Simply Spa will help you to create a serene, peaceful spa in the comfort of your OWN HOME!

Simply Spa At Home Items:

Chocolate

Bubble bath

Tea lights

Back massager

Bath sponge

Relaxing lotion

To get your man in the mood, simply wrap up the spa items and leave them on his pillow. I found all of my items at Target. I only spent about $6, and now we have our own spa kit ready for home use at any time! Enjoy!

"The FIVE Senses" Gift

Jamie and I recently celebrated our 3rd Anniversary....I guess you could say we are still in the "honeymoon phase" which I hope we never grow out of!  Seriously, I mean it....and if you don't believe me...take a stroll down memory lane with me and read THIS!  {WINK}

BTW - I LOVE what one of our readers wrote in the comments of that post...she said:
"This life IS the honeymoon!  We've got all of eternity to be married!  :)

I totally agree!!

Anyway, we are on a student budget now that Jamie is back in school which means I had to be SUPER creative!  I found this cute idea on of our reader's blogs which worked perfectly into my "try not to go over $10 for a present" strategy!  (Yep...you heard me, a BUDGET, people!)  Anyway,  Linds from That's So Cuegly was my inspiration!  If you haven't heard of her...check out her blog!  It's adorable!    

(The "main" tag I put on his present)

I took the FIVE senses....used some digi-scrapbooking paper and put together some tags in Photoshop.  Above each "sense" I wrote a short *cheesy* sentence.  (Seriously, I must've been a little loopy....or it was late....'cuz I don't know WHAT I was thinking when I wrote the "taste" one.  lol)

You can download my tags HERE.

Next Stop - DOLLAR STORE!  

I found this nifty little neon green shovel that matched my cards perfectly! 

 How much, you ask!?!  Oh, ya know, just a dollar!  :)

I found FIVE things that related to the FIVE senses that I could attach my cards to.  I also wanted to make sure that they contributed to "setting the mood" for our romantic night!

SMELL: a yummy smelling candle

SOUND: a "love mix" CD of songs that are SUPER romantic AND meaningful to both of us

TOUCH:  cocoa lotion and a coupon for a back massage

SIGHT:  some sexy lingerie 

TASTE:  a coupon for a dessert of his choice  (I wanted to get some Sparkling Cider to attach the card to - BUT - I ran outta time.  YOU should do that, though!)

My dollar store gifts (in all their glory) with the tags attached.

K....I was JUST as shocked as you are that I found adorable lingerie at the DOLLAR store! Get outta town!  Lookin' good has never been so cheap!  Victoria Secret's got NOTHIN' on Dollar Stores!  {WINK}

You can download the TWO coupons HERE!

Wa-lah!  Here is the final gift!  I placed all of the stuff on the cute shovel, used clear cellophane to wrap it in, tied a black satin ribbon around it, and attached the "Senses" card to the front.  

Cost?!?  $4+tax 

I am your new BFF, huh!!  :)

A FUN little gift that was easy to "whip" up and can be used for any occasion. 

Twilight Date

"SOME say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I've tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if I had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To know that for destruction Ice

Is also great

And would suffice."

(source)

When it comes to Twilight for my man and I, it’s not about “Edward, Bella, Vampire or Werewolf". It’s about the EXCITEMENT, Passion, True LOVE, thrill, and DEVOTION, being in the HEAT of it all. Stephenie Meyer did an amazing job as the author making YOU FEEL the emotions the characters are feeling, which is why my husband and I both fell in LOVE with the books. We read all the books together after our daughter went down to bed at night. Our focus for this date was to make YOU FEEL what the characters were feeling. To give YOUR MARRIAGE a little boost of excitement, passion, and thrill!

To start your date go HERE to print off your own Twilght quotes (like the one above) for free! I would of made some myself but I think they did such an awesome job I couln't compete! Lay them around your house in the morning to give your spouse a little taste of what's coming!

We started the date up in the mountains camping. I wanted it to be as similar to the book's surroundings as possible. Don't have mountains? Go to the beach! No beach? Just go camping anywhere! NOT a camper? Then do ALL these things in the comfort of your own home!
A picture of my man howling at the moon with a apple on his lips..... don't ask me why. Just know it was ALL for YOU!

For the first part of the Twilight Date all you need is an apple - one per couple. ...and an ice block - one per person.

Here is how the game works!!! (my husband's idea by the way)
Step 1- Put your and your spouse's ice blocks arms distance from each other.
Step 2- Stand bare foot on the ice blocks
Step 3- Bite into your "couples" apple at the same time.

Rules:
Don't fall off and you can only hold onto each others arms

Objective:
Stay on the longest!
If you have a big group when you get to 2 or 3 couples, move to ONE foot!

Okay, this might look and sound a little silly BUT even my mother-in-law (who is in her 50's) after seeing how much FUN we were having together (as a couple) wanted to try. She was so sad her hubby had already gone to bed. So what did she do? She stood on an ice block by herself and then took the apple to her husband!
This is a GREAT date idea for singles too!!! My husband came up with this idea FOR his college single's ward and you were partnered up with someone you had never met before! Anyway, it's a great way to break the ice with a new friend.
It's a lot of FUN and I am always looking for reasons to wrap my arms around my man!

We then spent the remainder of the night just talking by the camp fire.

We had planned to watch Twilight AND New Moon on the lap top, outside, up in the mountains, by a cozy fire but ran out of time. Hope you have enough time for that part when you plan your date.
This is how we spent our over-night'er! Totally reminds me of Edward, Bella and Jacob all in one tent for one night. There is not much I LOVE more than camping with my family!

We spent the morning on the 4-wheeler.... not quite a motorcycle BUT close enough!
Here are some pictures I took on our ride through the mountains.
Simply Beautiful.




Yep, we totally met a deer! It was awesome running into one like that and I just so happened to be video recording! Not sure WHY I stopped video recording after I saw it. But the dear was kind enough to hang around and pose so I could take some still photo's.
After our ride we sped home for the next part of our date!

My favorite parts of Eclipse AND Breaking Dawn are the TRAINING scenes! I LOVED reading about it! It would get my blood pumping. I would catch myself nodding my head, like YEAH! THIS is SO COOL! Then after, walk around my house thinking,”What if I could do that! What if I could totally KICK someone’s booty if I had to!” Moving so fast, with flips, kicks, and wicked punches! (Sorry, but it’s possible that secretly this quiet little house wife would LOVE to be able to beat up someone………. if the situation EVER came up!) Quoting my sister Jessica, “Maybe I crave destruction. Maybe I like breaking stuff.”

This led me to…. Martial Arts! I am about to sound REALLY CHEESY but who else would LOVE to learn to do cool things like Edward and Jacob!?! (I know, I know! I heard it! Things like that should NEVER be said out loud!) But it’s true…… so I looked up where we could take a class! And we did... And we liked it!

How to find a Martial Arts class near you:
1- Google Martial Arts or Taekwondo
(You will need to type in the city & state you live in.)
2- Click on the one closest to you! And start doing your research!
3- Things to LOOK for:
Do they let you take the first class for free?
If NOT, how much is it?
Do they have a family plan?
What is the schedule and would it work with you?
I called 3 before I decide on one for me and my family! (A lot of them have family classes that you can bring your KIDS to if they are 4 years old. This means FUN for the whole FAMILY!)
The thing I love most about this is it’s for ALL ages! It does not matter if your 4, 24, or 50, or 75! There are classes for everyone. Where you are health-wise right now does not matter! Doing things like this will help you to get in shape and increase your flexibility and strength. One of our trainer’s first black belt was at 50 years old! They teach you not to focus on being the best, nor the strongest. They teach you to try. They teach you to relax and breathe. Then when you do these things you become even better than you could have wished for.

I am surprise at how much I LOVED doing this part of the date! My husband or myself have NEVER done anything like this before! And I don't think I ever would have if, it wasn't for an idea that one of the other diva's had! I had a lot of fun but more importantly, so did my man. Lets just say my man is a natural and truly enjoyed himself . He can't wait to go back!!! I think we found a NEW HOBBY we wouldn't have found if we didn't step out of our box!

The place we went to gave us clothes to wear (meaning you get them new and are privileged enough to take them home!) BUT you have to earn the belt! At the end of the class they belted us. It's white and I don't even think that's a level but they give you one JUST for trying something NEW! Because that in itself IS an accomplishment!

After we went home, showered and got ready, we ended our date with a trip to the theater to watch Eclipse and enjoy dinner out!

Click here to learn how to make YOUR MAN his own "Twilight Survival Kit"! Are you SOOOO not into Twilight??? Click on A "Surprise Break" to give your husband a break from all of the busy & stressful things in life or you could plan a fun at-home date if you liked the TV show Lost with, " I'd Get LOST with You Any Day".

It was the perfect cherry on top of a much needed date! We had the time of our lives doing this date and I hope YOU can’t wait to do it this weekend! Happy Planning!