Three years of memories, love, trials and triumphs. It seems crazy to think we have been married for three years already! “Time flies when you’re having fun!” That’s what they say. Turns out they are right! In all seriousness though, I can’t believe how much faster time goes by once you’re an adult and, even faster once you become a parent! Can you believe in a few short weeks we are going to be welcoming our second daughter into the world!? Thanks for that, by the way. Thanks for making me a mother and giving me two precious girls to raise. Our daughters are beyond blessed to have a daddy like you. Of course, I’m so incredibly blessed to have you too! I love doing life with you.

It all started in a coffeehouse. It was my first day and my first real job. You walked in (off the clock) and asked me if I was new. Then, you quickly made your way around the counter to help me enter your drink order into the register. You didn’t know who I was but, I had already done a little research. I knew exactly who you were and I wasn’t interested. We spent the next 8 months becoming great friends and stubbornly denying the attraction between us. I always looked forward to working shifts with you. You used to tell me that we’d have the cutest kids. I would roll my eyes at you and laugh. I told you I was going to move away to live by the ocean and you’d tell me you would follow me. You’d make me laugh every time I was around you. I fell in love with you pretty darn quick. Now look at us! You were definitely right about us making cute babies. I may have not made it to the ocean (yet) but, I’m so excited for what this next season is going to bring for us! You still make me laugh on the daily. Thanks for being my best friend and making me feel like the most special woman on the planet. I pray our girls will never settle and will someday find men as great as their daddy!

Mason and I just celebrated 3 years of marriage!!! In honor of that, I decided to write up a few tips on how to achieve the perfect date night! I’m not an expert by any means but, these are some things I’ve learned along our journey so far. Finding time for date nights can be a challenge, especially after becoming a parent! Once you add a baby into the equation it can actually seem impossible sometimes. It’s so important though, for the health of your marriage and for the well being of your entire family, to set aside time for each other. Mason and I recently went on such a fun date! it was filled with things we already loved and new things too! I hope these tips will give you some inspiration to fully enjoy each other’s company and maybe try something new!

1. Focus on who you’re with not what you’re doing. Obviously, if you have the choice, you want to spend your time doing something enjoyable. However, remember that even the most boring situations can be fun if you are doing them with the person you love. Maybe you don’t have the funds to spend on something extravagant or maybe your circumstances changed causing you to adjust your “date night” plans.” Whatever your situation is, don’t let that stop you from having a great time! Some of my most cherished memories from when Mason and I were dating cost us nothing and weren’t exciting at all. They stick out in my mind because, we were so focused on each other’s company that it didn’t matter what the heck we were doing! An example of a super simple date we recently went on, that turned out to be lots of fun, was grabbing a latte and grocery shopping together.
2. Try something new. It’s always a great idea to try something new! Its an even greater idea to try something new together! Whether you are taking a class together, trying out a new sport or workout, cooking up a new recipe, or visiting a new place around town, so many positive things can come from stepping outside of your “norm.” Mason and I recently took a class together called “Impressive Pastries.” We really enjoyed stepping out of our comfort zones and learning a new skill together.  Now, we have some new recipes to try at home and we can share and talk about something we got to experience with each other.
3. Pursue one another. Whether this is your 5th date or you’ve been on 5,000 dates or anywhere in between, treat it like its your first date. Ask each other questions. Then, more importantly, listen to each other’s responses. Take the time to get to know one another. I truly believe we will never fully know our mate. As people, we are constantly changing and growing. This means we need to continually pursue and get to know one another. The reason we “date” in the first place is to get to know each other. Truly take advantage of the time you’ve set aside to spend together. Talk. Ask. Listen. Learn. Make it count!
4. Put the phone away. We live in a technology saturated world. It’s great in so many ways. However, there are definitely times to unplug. I think this is one of those times. When Mason and I recently went out, I was using my phone to document things during the beginning of the day. I was taking photos and posting to my instagram stories. I’m glad I was able to document our time but, then my phone died. We both had forgotten to bring a charger. You know what?! It was great! The rest of the night we were able to completely keep our focus on each other. We weren’t as distracted and we were able to stay in the moment, something that seems more difficult to do these days!

Now, go plan a date night and create some new memories together!
As always, thanks for reading along!