February 25, 2012

Read any book on marriage, or even Conference talks on marriage, and you will always hear the advice "You need to keep dating even after you are married." The funny thing is, that no one ever defines what a "date" is, or at least I don't recall anyone ever defining it.

I guess growing up, I always assumed that a date was dinner and a movie, or some planned out activity that you did on the weekends. I always sort of wondered why my own Mom and Dad hardly ever went on "dates." I guess when you have 7 little kids, dinner and a movie is hard to do every weekend, but of course I didn't think about THAT part of it. :)

Now that I'm the one who is married with little kids, I have often remembered that little piece of advice, and have come to realize that it really is wonderful advice!

I have also learned that date nights don't have to be a planned activity, or even something that requires hiring a babysitter, or spending a lot of money if any money.

I have learned to really love Chris and my date nights. They usually don't last any longer than an hour, don't cost much if anything, and I have even been known to wear my hair in a pony tail and go in baggy sweatshirts and/or jammie pants.

Sometimes we go to Home Depot to look at tile, or paint chips. Other times we go to Wal-mart to get things for Sunday dinner or get something we have run out of like Milk, and other times we go to Maverick to fill the car up with gas, get a movie, or just get a drink and a treat.

They are far from "elaborate" and definitely not planned out, but what they ARE is a few minutes alone, without kids, to get our batteries re-charged, or at least it gets mine re-charged.

Last night we went to Maverick, but we went to the Stansbury Maverick because they were the only ones who had the movie "Puss and Boots" that the kids wanted to see. I have to admit, I wasn't too sad about the extra 10 mins that we had to drive to get there. We picked up the movie, got a little treat, and came home.

Nothing fancy, nothing expensive, but it didn't matter, I still always look forward to our "weekly dates."

As we were driving home I started thinking about weekly dates and all of these things I've just written, and it suddenly occurred to me how similar Chris and I are to my Mom and Dad. I was remembering my Mom and Dad leaving some of us older kids in charge for an hour or so and going out to check on some of my Dad's jobs, or driving over to check on an apartment or take a deposit down to the bank. Something small, but something that they could do just the two of them despite at least a FEW of us wanting to go. :)

Funny how things come full circle. I didn't understand then, but I sure understand now! Those weekly dates, whatever they are...really are important, and some of the best times and moments of my week.

Thanks honey for the fun "date" tonight, especially for the big chocolate chip cookie! YUM!!