Gal pals, welcome!
Ok, so I didn’t spend a whole lotta time coming up with the title for this post. Could you have guessed? Thought about going with something Harlequin-y. So I consulted Wikipedia for a list of Harlequin titles in search of something that might sound right. The title of the first Harlequin romance novel was The Manatee, written in 1949. Not quite the ambiance I was hoping to create. Although very possibly more accurate for our love life and date nights than, say First Come Baby… written in 2013, whose story line could be any number of things. Ha! Won’t elaborate further… Decided to just make up my own title. Safer.
Here’s what I am hoping for this series of posts. Thinking maybe we can all use a little inspiration for our date night adventures. And by adventures I am talking activities with nothing more than a PG-rating, girls! But over here at the palace, we often fall in the rut of movie dates. And we go see movies that often aren’t worth seeing (“Alita,” I am looking at you). With popcorn and drinks, a movie date can run close to $40. Then if the movie turns out to be a flop you wouldn’t rent from Red Box, we’re talking a lot of wasted money.
Why Date Nights?
Dusted off my librarian’s hat and did a little research into why date nights matter to our relationships. The first 2 articles that popped up basically said the same thing. And now I am going to say what they said so it will be out there on the Internet 3 times! To paraphrase, date nights are opportunities to:
- communicate. Unless you both stay on your cell phones the whole time. Or one of you falls asleep through a dreadful movie. Not mentioning any names. But I guess even that is a form of body language, though.
- try something novel and new. Research indicates “that a deficit in fun and novelty is toxic. A balance of activities, interesting to both, which emphasizes novel and different experiences can help increase intimacy.” [source] PC accompanies me on creative dates and I accompany him to sporting events. Win-win because we both are broadening our horizons, increasing our range of experiences.
- reignite that romantic spark. No elaboration needed.
- lessen stress. We all get caught up in our own day-to-day junk. Date nights give us an opportunity to temporarily kick some of that day-to-day stuff to the curb, to befriend/be a friend to our partner. To offer them some emotional support for stressors in their lives.
- strengthen our commitment to one another. Date nights build ‘we-ness’ and strengthen the bonds that built our relationship in the first place. They offer an opportunity to leave the rest of the world behind for a little bit and just focus on each other.
But don’t take my word for it. You can read these same things from the experts I borrowed them from at For Your Marriage and Couples Therapy, Inc. Both websites whose names sound much more authoritative on relationship health than mine. Or do they?
Dear Date Night Diary
So, here’s my first date night diary entry.
Dear Date Night Diary,
Tonight my Prince and I enjoyed a date night away from the castle and the responsibilities of the kingdom. And I, lil ole me, yours truly, planned the whole thing as a belated Valentine’s Day date.
I made reservations at Operation Outbreak for an Escape Room adventure. Then booked a room downtown at the boutique-y Hotel Indigo. Planned that we could do a kind of downtown pub crawl for dinner and drinks near the hotel after our escape activity.
This date had several qualities going for it. Novelty. We had never participated in an escape room. And novelty. We had never stayed at Hotel Indigo. Then there were opportunities to communicate over dinner and drinks. And to strengthen our bond by working as partners in the escape room. Oh, and we even reignited our romantic spark…
Our Room
We checked into our room first. It was trendy and ultra modern – completely different from our home. Had a view overlooking downtown and the pool.
Even the bathroom was pretty.
Baker Street Mystery
Sadly, this was the part of the date PC seemed most excited about. Not the room, the king-sized bed, the view…
Operation Outbreak features several different Escape Rooms. For our first experience I chose Sherlock Holmes: Baker Street Mystery. Participants are not allowed to use cameras in the rooms so I can’t share what the room looked like. But it represented the story line and time period very well.
And, no, we didn’t break out! But yes, we did have fun!! Will do it again.
Dinner and Drinks
We enjoyed a cocktail at the hotel bar before heading to the Escape Room. Not sure if that dose of liquid courage helped us or made things worse when we were trying to think through our escape. But the bar was very pretty. I had a specialty drink, The Rising Star, with rosemary, chili rum and pineapple. PC had his fav, Long Island Iced Tea.
After our attempt at the escape room, we drove back downtown, parked the car and then began walking in search of a place to have dinner. Right around the corner, we passed a restaurant/bar, Mac’s, that was showing the University of Tennessee-University of Kentucky basketball game on their big screen TVs, in addition to serving fresh seafood and homemade cheesecake. Our search was over.
Tennessee, my alma mater, lost but KY has become my home away from home lately so there were no winners or losers really. I was happy either way. PC ate steak and shrimp, I had tuna. Food was pretty good but pricey. Might have been better off missing the game and eating at Craft & Social where we know the food is yummy.
Nightie Night Cap
Hotel Indigo has a lovely open-air bar/patio/pool area that is heated in the winter. We enjoyed a night cap poolside, under the stars and overhead heaters.
And then it was time to retire to our room. Where I slept like a champ. Our bed was very comfy and the pillows were perfect. When it comes to hotel rooms, I am a lot like a kid. Have to check out every nook and cranny, every drawer, every cubby. I get a kick out of sleeping in a different bed, a different room, a different space. Kind of fun, don’t you think, Dear Date Night Diary?
Love, Leslie
Your Turn
Our date nights are not usually this long or involved! But this was a special occasion – Valentine’s Day. And I felt like we needed a little time away from our day-to-day. The following day our date continued with the backwards date I had listed on my 2019 Winter Bucket List. Will be sharing more about it soon.
Tell me about a recent date night you’ve enjoyed. Or a girls’ night out? A special family fathering? Either in a blog post or comment below. Then make this a terrific week!
Thank you for spending a few moments of your day with me. I am always so glad to see that you’ve stopped by.
Family hugs,
Deb
Sounds like a fun weekend! I love the idea of an escape room, but not sure whether or not I’d find it claustrophobic being locked in a small room with no easy way out – did it feel that way at all? Looks like you found a lovely hotel, cocktails under the stars by a pool sounds amazing!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Hope you will give an escape room date a try. I was a little concerned that I would feel trapped but the room was large enough that I didn’t feel that way at all and it actually opened into another room. It was a lot of fun even though we didn’t ‘escape’. So keep it in mind for a weekend when you are looking for something new to try…then write a “Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone” post about it!!
The hotel really was pretty. Sometimes, even though it can be an expensive splurge, it’s nice to sleep in a different space, and be surrounded by ‘pretty’!!
Kellyann Rohr
What a fun date night! I like your title much better than Manatee – ha! I think spending time away from home is a great idea, especially when it doesn’t involve tons of travel but you get all the feels of trip away! A boutique hotel is so fun too – I love the decor. We did an Escape Room with our boys and their friends, it was fun and of course we did not get out – hahahaha! Your nightcap under the stars sounds like a great way to cap off a night! Keep up the good work Leslie, your relationship will thank you!
xo,
Kellyann
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Oh, it would be such fun to do an escape room with family. Might be a little squishy and I am not sure how we would all work together on solving the clues. But I would love to try.
em
How fun! I think it’s really special that you’re trying new things and having new adventures! Kudos to both of you for getting out of the comfort zone and experiencing new things together!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, dear one. Everyone has mentioned ax-throwing. Have you ever tried that?
Dee | Grammy's Grid
Sounds like you all had a nice date and interesting too! I’d like to do the escape room with the grandbabies, think it would be fun! Date nights are important for a couple no matter how long you’ve been together. I have a friend that goes out every Saturday night with her hubby. It’s usually just to supper but they still get out together. Shared ♥
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, sweet friend, for sharing!! Date nights are so important. And they can be any kind of activity. Doesn’t have to be a big night out on the town. But it is that alone time…preferably with devices well hidden away.
Dara
I love Escape Rooms! I think they are easier to escape when you have more people participating and helping. The hotel room looks really nice. Glad you had a fun time!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
We will definitely go back again for another escape room date. I think it would be fun to do with people we know, family. But I think it could be a difficult experience with a group of strangers. Could wind up with too many cooks in the kitchen so to speak. The hotel was really pretty. I loved being surrounded by pretty.
Pat
Our most common date night is dinner at a small indie restaurant followed by a live theater show. I get a yearly subscription to a local theater… 6 date nights a year for sure. We do it on a Thursday night because you can pick any restaurant you want without worry on waiting for a table…. the theater is an entertainment district, so there are many, many options.
A couple of newer date nights – we went to play shuffleboard with another couple at the local shuffleboard club last Friday night – open court night. Then we stopped for dinner on the way home – the two of us. I love exploring new places to eat, so we tried a BBQ place we had read about. Even with it being Friday night, it was late enough that we had no wait. And we have an “Axe Throwing” night planned next month, also with a couple of friends. Found it on Groupon. Talk about a new experience!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
I can’t believe it! You are the third person to mention ax-throwing. I am thinking we live under a rock in El Paso because I am certain that is not an entertainment option here. Probably more a gang-activity!! Aren’t the axes terribly heavy? Or maybe they have lighter ones? Such a crazy coincidence that so many of my blogging buds are trying it!
Donna
Hi, Leslie – That looks like a very fun weekend and a very special Valentine’s Day. This year on February 14 we were in Mazatlan, Mexico. Although Richard and I didn’t do anything extra for that day (the entire week was special), our housekeeper left us a handwritten card, cookies and chocolate. How sweet was that?….and It got us both off of the hook! 🙂
Leslie Roberts Clingan
What a sweet housekeeper to leave you guys a treat! That speaks to the kind of relationship you have built with her, the kind of ’employers’ you are. I lost a good friend once because we shared a cleaning lady whom PC and I decided to give a raise. My friend was livid! She felt obligated to give her a raise, too, which she had not done in the many years of the woman’s employment with them.
Kristie
We are going to FINALLY go to the Murder Mystery Theater at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach in 2 weeks. However, our 10 and 14 year-old girls will be with us. At least it’s a new experience. I think double dates can be good too. Since we have kids we don’t hang out alone with other couples like we used to. I think spending time with other fun couples can make relationships better too.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
OH YAY, the Murder Mystery Theater. I bet that will be such fun. Hope you will report back on that. We want to try the Escape Room again and discovered there is another escape room venue in town, too. Maybe with all that practice, we will finally escape one of them!
I wish we had someone to double date with. It seems that if I like the wife, PC doesn’t like the husband. Or we can’t find anyone with similar interests. We aren’t big drinkers and sadly, it is tough to find another couple who isn’t.
Thank you for coming by. So nice to meet you. Running by your blog now.
Penny Struebig
I’ve done an escape room on a girls’ weekend, but Eric and I have never done one together. I wonder how we would do?!? Sounds like your weekend was a hit! Love the hotel room.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Oh, Penny, try an escape room date with Eric. I knew going in that PC would be a take-charge guy. And I think, for our first experience, it was good that we were alone without anyone else (especially strangers) working with us. I did solve a few of the puzzles but Paul is just much quicker on the uptake than I am!!
Danielle
That sounds like a pretty fantastic date to me. I have only done an escape room once…with a huge group of ladies. It was actually two rooms, and we did not make it out either. It was a lot of fun. I think Brett would be very good in an escape room. He is great at problem solving.
My most recent date night was dinner, and a show at the Globe Theatre. It was a nice change from our symphony date nights.
A fun night out I had last fall, was with co-workers. We went Ax throwing. Soooo much fun! Especially after a long hard week at work.
I may have to try this out for March. I love the idea. Thanks for the inspiration.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Ha! Carrie mentioned ax throwing too. I am not sure that has come to El Paso. Well, maybe on the streets but not as a form of entertainment. I am thinking darts are more up my alley!!
Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom
I have never done an Escape room, but Brian did one with some clients when they were in town. I love the idea of going down for a drink before going out (to the Escape room). Brian and I love to stay at hotels in St. Louis or nearby for a night or two away. It kind of ‘forces’ you to focus on each other, when at home sometimes you don’t as much! I agree that we’ll see movies that aren’t even good sometimes, because it is an ‘easy’ date night. There are some new ax throwing places here and I was thinking MAYBE that’d be a fun date night… with dinner. Altho, throwing an ax makes me kinda nervous! I’m a girly girl! But, it could be fun… Brian could help me! Ha!!!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Whoa, ax throwing? What???? That sounds crazy! Aren’t they really heavy? Maybe you could start with darts and work up? I am pretty girly girl-ish, too, but do know how to shoot. In fact, we need to go to the range in the near future. Wish we had some pretty B&Bs around here. I love the pics you shared of a place you and Brian went, and he took photos of you in a kind of field. Seems like maybe you guys had a picnic, too? Maybe we should go on a picnic! If we can both stay in town long enough…PC is gone to Washington State this week and next.
Dee | Grammy's Grid
I thought I had already commented on this, maybe you haven’t approved yet…anyway…Thank you Leslie for linking up with us at the #BloggingGrandmothersLinkParty 35! Shared x 3.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you for sharing, Dee. I am so behind on reading and commenting on comments. Ugh. Playing catch-up now!