Date Ideas from Trent
Trent here! With Valentine’s Day around the corner, Melanie asked me to talk to you all about date ideas. It’s a subject that women wish we would all talk about while at the gym or out for beers with buddies, but we don’t. To that, I’m sure even the most romantic guy will appreciate hearing someone else’s thoughts on romantic, we’ve been married or otherwise committed for a long time, date ideas.
I’ll start with my principles on what are good ideas for dates. The first principle is know your audience. Or, better yet, know their love language. It almost goes without saying that to connect with someone you need to know what perks their interest, what makes your loved one happy and also what gets them going. The second principle is don’t forget you. Having fun takes two. The third principle is to make the time. Don’t try and fit this in; make the time. Apply these to each of my ideas below and I’m sure you’ll have a winner, be connected and feel the love.
This list is in no particular order:
1.) Ask her for an afternoon. Tell her you just want to spend time with her on some afternoon. Shake up the dinner and a movie and do lunch with an early matinee. If the time of year is right, go see a baseball game (women love going to games, just watching). The options here are endless and could be my whole list: go pick apples, go to a museum or have a picnic. Evening ideas are of course dinner, but what about a concert or going to see a play?
2.) Take a class. I’m very much convinced that women love the idea of taking an hour to learn to cook something or craft something. I also believe guys don’t know they’ll like it until they’re doing it. At the end of the day, everyone has a really great date AND you’ve likely learned something valuable together.
3.) Go explore! Everyone loves the excitement of something new and this world is a very big place. So, go explore something new. A lot of us think this has to be a big grand event like going to Timbuktu. That kind of trip would kick ass, but it doesn’t have to be that to be a really good date. This one can be broken down differently depending on your locations. For the city mouse, go see the country or at least a new neighborhood. For the country mouse, go to the city. I’m impartial to city living. But, we’ve found true gems in the country like small wineries (southwest Michigan rocks).
4.) Do a new and lasting activity together. Melanie and I (as you all likely know) sit on the board of Covenant House Illinois. Giving back truly makes you feel good, and doing it with someone you love magnifies that 10 fold. So, go volunteer together! If you’re not so into that, find something else that is positive and mutually satisfying to your romance sector, as well as, your whole person. Other ideas would be joining a gym or joining a book club. Here is a good place to know your love languages. It’ll help drive you.
There are a ton of ideas all wrapped into just these 4 main bullets. I know two things. First, there are a lot of people more romantic than me who can think of a million more ideas for you (Melanie has some here). These are all out there on the web. So, go look. But second, don’t stop being romantic. I know it’s easy to do without knowing. I’ve got a big red arrow pointing down over my head right now. Don’t stop making your partner your number one. Even if you know that, they need to know that over and over again. They aren’t in your head. So, use those love languages and do something special with your special someone. Happy Valentine’s Day!
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