Do you still Date your mate?

Make time to date

One of the reasons I fell in love with my husband was because he was always spontaneous.  He would either call me on the phone and say “get dressed we’re going out” or he’d come home from work and tell me to pack a bag because we were getting out of town for the weekend.

Over time I got so used to his shenanigans, as he calls them, that I would never ask questions.   I’d just gather my overnight bag and look forward to our time together.  I mostly didn’t care where we were going as long as we were together. After many years of being married and raising a family sometimes the spontaneity would become less frequent but we made a vow to never forget to date.

Day Date

When it seems like your everyday routine is getting boring it’s time to do something different. Have you ever tried a Day Date? Daytime dates are a great way to put the spark back into your marriage. You can create the perfect day date and turn it into a fun romantic adventure.

Breakfast in bed

How about you and your spouse take a day off from work. Play hookey.  If you work for a company you can take a vacation day from work during the week or even better, call out sick. No-one said you had to be sick with a particular condition, you can just be sick of work and need a mental health day or a “day date day”  If you are a business owner, clear your calendar for the day and create a romantic day for two.

When was the last time you actually slept in late and just cuddled? You could even enjoy a nice breakfast in bed even if it’s just coffee and toast. If you haven’t already decided ahead of time what you’re going to do for the day, plan your day together.  Agree on something you both like to do, or you could do something that interests your spouse. The next day date it could be your turn to do something that you love.

Here are a few fun and easy day date ideas that can put the spark back in your marriage.

Matinee movie

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Catch a matinee movie that you haven’t had the time to go see. Matinees are usually half price so you could splurge on the  jumbo popcorn with extra butter and large drinks.

Museums or Sightseeing tours

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Trips to the museum for the day and sightseeing tours make a great day dates.  Maybe you’ve heard a friend talk about a tour or must see attraction in or near your town that sounds like fun or you’ve seen advertisement of a new Museum that you and your spouse may both enjoy.  The best part is when you go during the week you can most likely enjoy the museum exhibits and beautiful destinations without a huge crowd.

Train Ride

image: abeno.keizai.biz

My husband and I like to take train rides.  We are fortunate that we are centrally located in New Jersey and live five minutes from a train station that will take us to NYC in 40 minutes. We relax on the train, talk and take in the scenery.  Whenever we’re looking for a quick adventure we hop on the train and head over to the city to take in the great restaurants and attractions but our favorite thing to do is sit at the table in the middle of Time Square and people watch.

NYC Times Square

Picnic

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One of the things that we loved to do when we were dating was to have a romantic picnic at the lake or in the park. You can pack up your car with a blanket and picnic basket filled with your favorite tasty treats. We always brought our favorite bottle of wine or champagne and just enjoyed each other’s company. My husband would always surprise me with some sort of small gift like flowers. One time he made a music CD with all of our favorite love songs and even put our photo on the CD. I still have that CD 28 years later.

Sporting events

My husband loves sports, especially Nascar, so when he talked about wanting to get tickets to the Pocono race that is 40 mins from our home I was all in.  We purchased the three day suite passes which stretched from Friday to Sunday.  I took a vacation day off from work so I could be free for all three days. We got in our car wearing matching shirts of his favorite Nascar driver and made an entire fun day date out of it.  We blasted our music, sang at the top of our lungs and laughed the entire road trip.  It was so much fun too.

Even though this wasn’t something I was necessarily interested in doing I still had an amazing time. Mainly because we were together but also because I could see the excitement in his eyes as he explained the rules of the race and gave me the stats of the different drivers.  I was also his personal photographer for the day and was able to capture videos and photos of him with his favorite drivers. During dinner that evening he thanked me for being so supportive.

Amusement Park

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Remember I mentioned how spontaneous my husband is? Well, on our way driving back from visiting our daughter he noticed there was an amusement park at the next exit.  He decided to hop off that exit and we spent the entire day laughing, getting on rides, walking the boardwalk, and eating delicious junk food. This was such a fun day date and it brought memories from when we first started dating.

The majority of relationships get in what I call a relationship rut. Dating your partner and having fun and creative day dates can help pull you out of it and help you and your spouse reconnect. Sometimes we just need a reminder to never take the other person for granted.  Often times all it takes is just thinking back on the happy times when you first fell in love with your partner.  Recreate those moments or create new ones.

Dating your spouse and spending quality time could be doing anything, as long as you make time to do it together.

These are the moments to cherish the most.

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.”

– Mignon McLaughlin

Do you and your spouse go on Day Dates?  I would love to learn new and exciting things to do.  Let’s chat about it in the comments below.  Leave a comment below or get the discussion started on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. You can also email me at Celeste@caribbeantravelqueen.com.