February 2021 Date Jar: “Enjoy an Evening at Home”

What’s the ‘Date Jar’?

Have you ever heard someone say that the fun ends when you get married? What about ‘ball and chain jokes’ or advice to ‘sow your wild oats’ before you get married and have to ‘settle down’? Our culture has a tendency to portray marriage in such a negative light.  We know marriage comes with it’s many challenges, but we believe you can keep the butterflies alive long after you say “I do”!

When we got engaged, our friends gave us a jar filled with date ideas so that we could continue ‘dating’ even after we got married. Now, after being married over 4 years, we think about that jar and understand how truly important it is to set aside intentional time to have fun and try new things together. We believe that continuing to date after your wedding day is essential to building a strong, lasting marriage. Because of that, we gift all of our couples with a date jar filled with 52 different date ideas, some that we have personally already enjoyed, and some new ideas that we have always wanted to try together!

As we encourage couples just beginning their forever together, we thought it would be fun to share our dates to inspire all our friends, families, and couples to continue pursuing each other in marriage.

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This year for Valentine’s Day, Beau told me had a surprised evening planned for us. He didn’t give any hints as the day approached, so I assumed he made reservations at a local restaurant. We don’t usually make a big deal about Valentine’s Day. We might exchange some cards and candy and go out to dinner or a movie, but that’s typically as exciting as our Valentine’s dates get. And with California still on lockdown with COVID restrictions, a movie out isn’t even an option right now. But I know how much Beau enjoys planning our dates, so I let him have his fun 🙂

I woke up the morning of the 14th still without a clue as to what we were going to do that night. After lunch, Beau announced that he had some errands to run and that when he got home, I would need to stay in our bedroom while he prepared a few things. I was not allowed to come out or even peek out the door! I caught on that we would be enjoying a date night in, one of my very favorite things to do (which is why we made sure to include it in our date jar)! But I still had absolutely no clue what he had up his sleeve for the evening.

So, that afternoon, I hunkered down in our bedroom, turned on Friends, and wondered what Beau was up to in our kitchen.  A little while later, he popped into the bedroom with a cheeseboard and a glass of rosé to enjoy as an appetizer. He knows cheese boards are one of my absolute favorite things! What makes this gesture even sweeter is that Beau is actually allergic to dairy…he’s literally never been able to know the delicious joy of fine cheese! He had put the cheeseboard together just for me 🙂

After relaxing with my book and enjoying my cheese, wine, and crackers, Beau invited me into the kitchen where a full dinner awaited us. It was already all plated on our fine china that we received for our wedding. He had made ribeye and salmon, as well as roasted corn, brussel sprouts with bacon, and specialty garlic bread. Everything was delicious and prepared so thoughtfully.

Once we finished eating, and when I didn’t think the evening could get any sweeter, Beau pulled a slice of Cheesecake Factory cheesecake out of the fridge (a cheeseboard and cheesecake in one night?! He really knows the way to my heart!) Then we snuggled up on the couch, turned on a rom-com, and enjoyed our dessert. The perfect ending to a perfect date night in 🙂

Thank you to my sweet husband for the perfect Valentine’s date night in. After 8 Valentine’s Days together, our dates just keep getting better and better! I love you! <3

Check out this Instagram Reel from our date night in! And for another date idea, see our post from December 2020.