Keep the Dates Coming

If you are anything like my husband and I, you need quality time with the person you love.  I suppose the term "quality time" is a bit of stretch because we define it in a variety of ways. Sometimes we get our fill by merely sitting next to each other for a few hours binge watching "How I Met Your Mother", going rock climbing and over using the phrase "Good climb babe", or planning out intricate and slightly over our budget dates every once in a while.  Regardless of whatever type of quality time you like, dating, spending time together, and making the effort really helps deepen a relationship.

I've read countless articles on 50 free date ideas, 20 creative date ideas, 10 date ideas to try tonight, etc. etc., so I figured I am going to add to that list by documenting and sharing some of the date ideas my husband and I have planned since being married.  The first few weeks of marriage we let our busy lives keep us from making intentional dating time (aside from binge watching HIMYM because we always have time for that).  After a few weeks we noticed our communication was off, and we didn't feel like we were seeing each other as much (even though we are living together). We realized we had not gone on a real date since a few weeks before our wedding.  The month of our wedding was such a wonderful, busy whirlwind but like most couples, we let time get away from us and aside from dates on the honeymoon, forgot about that part!

Because our schedules are so varied and, let's face it, I'm exhausted all the time, we opted out of setting a regular date night.  Instead of setting a specific date night each week (i.e. every Tuesday is our date night), we decided that each Sunday we would pick a date night for the following week.  So from now to eternity (or however long the calendars in our phones last) we get a notification saying we need to plan a date for the following week on Sunday at 2:30pm.  

So far, this has worked well for us.  We've had a date pretty much scheduled on every day of the week this way and that leaves wiggle room for my over exhaustion, any sickness, change in schedules, etc. that may come up!

Now to document and hopefully inspire a few date ideas that you can use as well!

1.  Dave and Buster's

While on the pricy side, we had dinner and got to play a bunch of games!  Side note: we helped a crying child find his family this night.  So sad, but so sweet.  Daniel will make such a great dad one day!  A cheaper alternative is Nickelrama in Garland, TX.  All the games cost a NICKEL.  Daniel and I go all the time...we're kids at heart!  

2.  Steel City Pops

It took both Daniel and I a while to jump on the popsicle band wagon, but I'm not sure why because these were so good!  There were way too many flavors to choose from.  Just thinking about this makes me want to go back and try at least three more! Pretty sure he got passion fruit and I got watermelon.

3.  Game Night

We registered for games like Settler's of Catan, Life, Heads up, etc.  So of course we wanted to see how our life together would turn out ;) Daniel won.  

4.  Football Game!

This one was perfect since it was SMU v. UNT, where we both went to school!  SMU won, I might add.  :)

5.  Rock Climbing

One of our favorite activities together, aside from swimming.  Go to http://summitgyms.com/ to find locations and schedules!  They offer yoga classes, too!

6.  Medieval Times

This was a family date with my parents and my niece and nephew, but it counts!  We had so much fun.  Little Hannah adores her Uncle Daniel, and I love that!  Plus, who doesn't love eating with their hands?

7.  Dallas Arboretum, or just a walk in the park

I LOVE going on walks and recently got Daniel to come along with me.  We had SO much fun.  There is a walking trail near our townhouse with old workout stations along the way.  Pull up bars, parallel bars, and other weird contraptions that are supposed to help get you into shape.  At least we laughed a lot attempting to do the workouts.  

8.  Texas State Fair 

Because, it's the Texas State Fair.  

9.  White Rock Lake

Biking, walking, running trails and a place to rent paddle boards, kayaks, and canoes!  Bonus: this is where he proposed so we are making an effort to go back here more often! 

We have unofficially traded off weeks to plan a date, but usually we come up with what we will do for our date together.  A surprise every once in a while is fun, but we both like to be a part of the planning and enjoy coming up with new experiences for us to share together :)  

Fall Crafts: leaf wreath

With the Fall months comes all things cozy.  Cozy clothes, cozy drinks, cozy holidays, and cozy home decorations!  I'll admit that while I was counting down last week to the first day of Fall with my students I was secretly hoping that on September 23rd, 2015 a flip would switch and the temperature would magically drop 20-30 degrees.  It sadly did not.  While my wardrobe hasn't been switched out for pants and sweaters just yet, I am getting a few more weeks of wear out of my dresses and skirts while I can.

While I'm holding off on sweaters and hot coffee for now, I was quick to change some decorations around my home.  In fact, around 8pm on September 22nd, I ran upstairs and dug out this beauty that I made last year {a little preemptively before I was married with a new last name...} and switched out my summer wreath for a fall version.

I've slowly made a wreath for each season and now am adding more to my collection.  Here's what you will need to make a wreath similar to this one:

-Round branch wreath (pick your size, I believe this one was 8" diameter, @ Michael's or Walmart)
-Burlap fabric/burlap ribbon (I used scraps that I had left over)
-Assorted fake leaves
-Monogramed letter
-Paint for the letter (I used a bronze color)
-Hot glue gun/glue

All of these supplies can be found at Michael's, Hobby Lobby, Walmart, or even the Dollar Store (seasonally at least).

Now you're ready to assemble!
1.  Place leaves on the bottom of your wreath, glue down with the glue gun.  You may need to hold them down as they dry.
2.  Place pieces of burlap and/or burlap ribbon in varying patterns on top of leaves.
3.  Glue more leaves partially over burlap.
4.  Paint monogrammed letter.
5.  Glue monogrammed letter in the center of your leaf arrangement.

And it's ready to hang! 

Making the Most of Fair Day

Friday October 9th, 2015 was Dallas ISD's Fair Day.  Yes, we got an entire day off for the Texas State Fair.  And No, we do not get Columbus Day off, a national holiday.  While I do not agree with this in the slightest, I'm glad we get any semblance of a Fall Break, and therefore I'll stick with my "I'll take what I can get" attitude for the moment.

With DISD's fair day comes free teacher tickets to the fair!  As a lover of all things thrifty, that's $30 off the fair that my husband and I did not have to spend!  It allowed us to spend a little more on the rides, food, and even a souvenir or two.

Our Fair day actually began at the Dallas Arboretum, not related to the fair at all, but I have been dying to see the Pumpkin Village {since I was a freshman in college} and since we knew it would be packed on the weekends, we figured we would stop by for an hour or so in the morning on my day off!  Teacher's get in free for the entire year, and from now October 10-16th they get 3 more people in free!  Calling all Texas teachers, go to the Arboretum in the next week with your family!  While the pumpkin village was super fun, it sent Daniel's allergies into overdrive.  We walked around for a bit, I brought some of my art supplies and we found a spot where I could sit and draw for a while, then after about 50 minutes of watching parents take endless pictures of their kids sitting on hay bales and holding pumpkins, we made a mad dash for the exit.

Texas Pride

UNT pride

SMU pride

While it was still PACKED {to my husband's standards, I have only ever been when it was busy} it was fun to see the fall flowers and decorations and walk around for a bit.  And for free!

After spending a few hours relaxing at home...in the middle of the day {I love days off!} we headed out to the fair.  Now, we usually take the DART.  We should have taken the DART.  For some reason, my husband decided we didn't need to {he even admits it was his fault} and we were stuck in Friday afternoon traffic on our way into downtown Dallas.  With about a 40 minute drive to the fair and to find parking we were finally walking into the fair, free tickets in hand!

We have been to the fair three times together.  The first time before we had even started dating.  So, while I don't have as much Texas pride as a true born and raised Texan would, the fair is special to me.  And, with its crowds, cigarette smells, and over stimulation at every turn, it does actually get more fun each year we go.  

This year, we started off buying SO many tickets, but ended up using them all.  After a mini debate on which is cheaper: the fair or Disneyland {guess which one this Californian was rooting for}, and the fair winning, we decided let's blow the rest of our date money in our budget for the month and have some real fun.  

With tickets in hand, the first ride we went on was the gigantic slide!  The walk up was daunting, but it brought back memories of those bounce house slides that were at all the best birthday parties growing up.  About halfway up the climb, there was a little girl in front of my husband who was going up alone.  She turned around and said "I don't have anyone to ride with!" My husband being, hands down, the BEST with kids didn't even miss a beat and said "It's ok! You can go down with us!"  At one point the little girl even wanted to ride down in his lap, but for some reason the ride attendants frowned upon this.  The little girl settled for going down the slide right next to him, which left me three slides over from them.  It was totally worth it seeing that little girl have fun on her slide trip and my husband being, yet again, amazing with kids!

Because let's face it, he is just a big kid trapped in an adult's body anyway! :)

After our slide adventure we made our way through the dreaded midway to the shopping tents, car tents, and were even able to see the pig races!  We unfortunately missed the parade this year but got to chow down on a turkey leg, cotton candy, caramel apples, and more cotton candy.  Our last stop of the perfect fair trip ended with a ride on the ferris wheel at night!  Daniel and I have only been on the ferris wheel together, and neither of us had been on the ferris wheel at night!  All in all, this was the best fair trip yet and the first time we actually used the DISD fair day for the fair!

Daniel's new car (We wish!)

Of course we got a picture in front of Big Tex!

Ferris Wheel!  

Dallas Skyline!  Definitely looked better in person, but we had to get a picture. 

Top 5 Registry Items!

Registering for our wedding gifts was definitely fun but actually more stressful than you would think.  At first, I thought I had all of the kitchen things I would need.  I had been living in an apartment by myself for 2, going on 3 years before being married and had accumulated plenty of things.  But...you can always have more.  As for decorations and other things to fill our home, it was difficult to find things that matched both mine and my husband's personality {at first} until we got the hang of it.  We were blessed to get so many wonderful things and we have used nearly everything we have received so far!  I definitely have my top favorites that I feel get used every day.  Of course, you may find your own favorites, but if you feel stuck and can't decide what you think you would need, this may be helpful.

1.  NutriBullet: slightly unconventional, but for quick breakfasts for my husband going off to school in the morning and my early work days, I use this every day, without fail.  Even on weekends.  It doesn't get boring either because we can change up the type of smoothie daily.

2.  Electric Tea Pot: this makes cooking faster {for pasta, etc.} and for drinking tea.  Favorite tea lately is Spiced Chai {decaffeinated} and Vanilla Honey Chamomile.

3.  Pyrex Bake and Take: the lids snap on and you can store whatever you made right in the fridge.  Saves time and dishes.  I've made casseroles, enchiladas, zucchini and squash, potatoes, and more in these.

Our Electric Tea Pot turns blue when it is "on" and automatically turns off!

4.  Bocci Ball Set: so I may have lied.  We definitely do not use these every day.  But, we wanted to register for something fun.  And whenever we hang out with friends {or at least this summer when we went to a nearby park on our Sunday Funday's} we would bring this set!  So much fun and we will definitely be using this for years to come!  It came in a carrying case so it's easy to travel with and we can take it camping, over to a backyard party, park, etc.  We also registered for croquet and corn hole and are equally as excited to play!

5.  Electric Skillet: also used multiple times a week, this makes cooking bacon and pancakes SO easy.  I never used one growing up, but my husband swears by it.  He also claims we can easily take this on camping trips when we go {hopefully at the end of October}!  

Happy Shopping!

Iced Chai Tea Recipe

One of my favorite Starbucks drinks is a tall iced chai tea latte!  I admit at more than one point in my life {3-4 months at a time, multiple times in the past couple years} I would go every day and then realize just HOW addicted I was to the caffeine.  But it tasted so good.  And something about the routine of going to a Starbucks and having the baristas memorize your order was so fun.  And the Starbucks cups are so cute.  You just can't break a routine like that...Until you see your bank account.  Then you realize you can get away with once a week and guzzling Dr. Pepper the rest of the time.

I still pretty much equally love my Dr. Pepper, but have {somewhat} recently discovered the Starbucks Chai Tea mix at the grocery store!  Walmart even carries it and it's about 50 cents cheaper there.  Add the mix with some vanilla soy milk {or regular milk} and you have yourself a VERY cheap but equally delicious and caffeine filled tall iced chai tea latte!

Iced Chai Tea:
-1/2 cup chai tea mix
-1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
-Ice cubes
{This makes a tall.  For a larger size drink just remember the 1:1 ratio.  1 cup chai tea mix to 1 cup vanilla soy also works!}

Enjoy!

Rocking It

I often consider myself to still be an athlete, but when I stop to think about it, I haven't been on any athletic team or consistently working out {read: pushing myself} since...2009!  That is shocking.  I worked out {a few times a week for 30-45 minutes} throughout college fairly consistently since there was a gym on campus but ever since teaching {3 years!}, I'll be lucky if I work out once a week.  The one thing that has been my saving grace in the health department is my diet.  I don't have trouble eating healthy and indulging every once in a while.  Whoever said depriving yourself of cravings was a good idea is crazy!

Of course, just like anything else in life, moderation is key.  That's why when starting a work out or diet plan, most fail because they seem to consume your life--zapping the fun out of it and giving you zero leeway to make mistakes.      

  
Redefining your definition of failure and success is also important.  If you start with an intense diet plan and workout regime where you are eating 5 specific meals, one of which is a protein smoothie concoction and not allowing yourself any sweets, with two a day workouts, you are bound to slip up sooner or later.  Instead of feeling like you failed when this diet eventually gives way to reality, take a few healthy tips away from it.  Maybe you loved the one protein meal replacement shake that helps you build muscle.  Maybe this helped you kick your sugar cravings and allows you to only indulge once a week or on special occasions instead of being a slave to your cravings.  Maybe the two a day workouts for a while helped you realize that you like getting up early to work out or that you're best time to work out is in the evenings.  Those are the successes to look for, not the failure of ending a diet plan {when let's face it, some diets are NOT good for you}.

After a rock climbing date this weekend, my husband and I realized just how out of shape we were.  Even just about 6 months ago we were able to rock climb for an hour.  We were beat after the first few times up the wall!  We stuck it out and stayed for roughly an hour, but, we took more water breaks than we used to and more time resting on the mats.

More so than get discouraged, this was the motivation I needed.  The next day, after work, I went to a yoga class.  While yoga classes are relaxing, holding poses and strengthening your core is challenging.  Classes have always challenged me, but I've been able to finish them without a problem.  This was the first class where I was fatigued after the first 15 minutes or so!  That, to me, means I'm seriously out of shape!  Again, I was discouraged for a few minutes and decided to take this to further fuel my motivation.  Throughout these few workouts this week, I realized that staying active is key.  Taking a walk during lunch time for 5 minutes, grabbing a snack after work and working out for 30 minutes instead of watching Netflix, skipping dessert one more night a week than you're used to will all help in making healthier life choices instead of quick diet fixes.

Bottom line: start small and keep going! :)

Spaghetti Sauce Time!

One of my favorite and easiest dishes to make is spaghetti meat sauce.  It lasts us 3-4 days and is so nice to not think about cooking for a while.  :)  I'll make it short and sweet so here are the details:

-2 lb of ground beef
-1 oz can of tomato paste
-2 cans of tomato sauce
-1 green pepper cut
-1-2 tomatoes cut
-1 onion cut
-Salt to taste
-Italian seasoning and Oregano
-Olive oil for the skillet

You will need a large skillet.  I got mine at Kohl's considering it was the one thing I forgot to register for!  We LOVE it.  I know most pans are non-stick now, but I got a 15" Farberware non-stick skillet and it is seriously non-stick.  It's the easiest thing for us {read: my husband} to clean after such a messy dish like spaghetti sauce.  It was actually one of the cheaper ones, too.

Once you have all of the ingredients, cook your ground beef in the skillet in some olive oil until the beef is cooked thoroughly.  Today, mine was frozen so it took a while longer.  Once cooked, drain the olive oil/juices.  Then, pour in cans of tomato sauce and tomato paste.  Stir together.  Cut green pepper, tomato, and onion then add to skillet.  Mix together.  Add in salt, Italian seasoning, and oregano (I add quite a bit of seasoning but not that much salt...this is going to have to be all about your taste.  Start with 1 tsp. each if you don't know where to begin).  Let simmer on medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes.

This recipe freezes well, but we just keep it in a tubberware and enjoy for the next few days!