The Last Year of Dates of 2014–December!

 

Well we did, another full year of dates! I have to admit, this year was hard. It wasn’t hard actually doing the dates, it was hard to find time in our busy schedules this year! Most of the time, it wasn’t because of Sam! Work and other social commitments make having time together very hard!

Here is the last date of the year!

“Oh the weather outside is so delightful! Hehehehehe love snowmobiling, no no no that’s not our date babe, I know how much you love to snowmobile. We are heading to the grocery store YAY!!!!!! Lol Yeah who knew we loved to go grocery shopping. But wait, there’s more! Yes we are also going to have a lunch date. Mmmm…lunch. We are go to and eat at Santa Fe’s.

Love you always,

Your Hubby”

So, I have to admit. I kind of gave Ryan the side eye after reading this date. Ha ha. Not his most fabulously planned one. He admitted that he struggled for a December Date. We had agreed that the dates would be baby friendly in 2014 and he said it was tough thinking of a date with a baby that would be suitable with a little one in the cold. I shrugged it off anyways as I love Santa Fe’s!

The other problem with this date? December is SO busy! Ryan’s night shift makes things extra difficult as well! We did complete the date JUST in the time frame on December 31!!

We are lucky as Sam has always been an excellent little car passenger! The restaurant is about an hour away so Sam slept the whole way there. We had a couple things to pick up at the local Wal-mart before heading in for our treat!

Because of Sam’s nap, he was in a chipper mood which allowed Ryan and I to enjoy ourselves! We got to visit and talk while Sam munched away on his own food that I brought. The focus of our conversation was actually New Years and what the plan for 2015 was. We kind of talked about “resolutions” but mostly it’s things we want to accomplish in 2015.

It was New Years Eve so we had a couple drinks even though it was still only 11 AM!  

My plate! My favourite thing at Santa Fe’s, the sweet potato fries with the garlic dipping sauce! Yum!

So you may be wondering if we are going to be doing dates again in 2015. To be honest, I never brought the subject up before Christmas. If it was something Ryan enjoyed and wanted to continue, I knew he would mention it. I didn’t want to push the dates if it was something he really didn’t want to do! As we were planning for Christmas, Ryan mentioned our dates and confirmed that he had already had a few planned and ready. I was so relieved. It made me realize that this was something that he actually enjoyed as well. I had already stock piled a few ideas of my own!

I’m so glad that we crossed off another year of dates! This will probably go down as one of the hardest date years but we managed to still set aside time for each other. If we had a little side kick with us, we still tried to focus conversation on “us”. We gave eachother sealed envelopes for our 2015 dates. I don’t know about Ryan, but I am SO excited about the dates that I planned! I really went out of the box with some of my dates! We agreed that a few of them would be “Sam free” where we will be away from the house and our boy, the first being in May for our anniversary (planned by me!).

Here’s to another year of (hopefully) successful dates!

xo

Year of Dates 2014- November

 

Happy Wednesday everyone! This cold snap has got me bundled up inside and not wanting to get out! I was saying to Ryan last night that I think my wish may come true, a green Christmas! There is nothing I hope for more then for there to be no snow on Christmas. I have memories of not being able to dive into Santa’s presents on Christmas morning because Dad was out clearing snow. The same would happen for Ryan. He would have to work if it snowed. So my theory is: no snow, even better!

It’s been increasingly hard to spend some one-on-one time with Ryan. Even though there is no snow, he is still working night shifts. When I am awake, he is sleeping and vice versa. Any time that we are awake at the same time, is hopefully spent with Sam. So our November date was REALLY important. We both seemed disconnected from each other from lack of time spent together.

It was my month to plan the date and I could not remember what I had planned a year ago but once I saw the picture I smiled and was excited. I knew Ryan would like it.

“The last 2014 date that I get to plan! Crazy! I am so glad that we still made an effort to make our relationship as husband and wife important (even as we are now parents).

I love you with all my heart and I am so lucky to have you to go through all of life’s adventures with.

This month I want to focus on us and no other distractions! That means a few hours of no electronics! No TV, computers, no phones and no lights even! Let’s order supper in (since we’ll have no power to cook, ha ha!) and enjoy supper in while we play some board games, read and then head to bed to give each other massages by candle light! A nice cuddly night in as the weather gets colder!”

Ryan was extra excited about this date and declared that the day of the date should be zero electronics (besides my big camera for photo evidence). We both agreed that sometimes we get so distracted by our phones that we miss out of some of life!

Our date had to turn into a day date because of Ryan’s night shift but we still looked forward to that time together! Our date was on a Sunday so in the morning we stowed away all the electronics! We headed to church together, picked up lunch and then headed back home to put Sam down for his long afternoon nap.

We ate and then set up our first game! I had bought monopoly for Ryan at Christmas last year and we hadn’t even taken it out of the box yet! We read the instructions and I proceeded to kick Ry’s butt! It was so much fun and the game lasted so long!

We talked a lot that day (from necessity from no distractions) and I realized that I miss Ryan a lot when he goes to work. Sam will be in bed and I’ll have a few hours before it’s time for me to turn in. We use to play a game of cards when Sam would go to sleep but now I’m by myself.

We also realized how much we depend on our phones and how quiet the house is without the background noise of the TV being left on. We decided that every Sunday that we are together, we should do the no electronics part of the date. We want to work on being unplugged from our devices and living in the “now”.

Looking forward to the last date of 2014!! And I have already started planning for the dates I need to plan next year! What would be some dates that you would do?

Happy Wednesday!

xo

2014 Year of Dates–October

 

Happy Wednesday everyone! I woke up today thinking it was Thursday, talk about depressing! Ha ha!

The fact that it is already November still hasn’t set in! I love this time of year but I want to enjoy it and not have it fly by! Before the time gets away with me I want to remember the wonderful date we had in October!

It was Ryan’s date to plan this month and he was very excited for me to open the envelope because he knew that it was a date that I would love!

It reads, “Hey babe, its your birthday month, what better way to spend our awesome dates underground! Yes that’s right, underground! We are heading three stories underground to the diefenbunker, its history and also your grandfather had helped with the project. Love you always, Your hubby”

I was REALLY excited! So far, my favourite date this year! The funny thing is that I almost planned the same date for this year! Great minds think alike! I have always wanted to go to the Diefenbunker! I am a person that loves anything to do with history! This landmark is a very short drive from our home (once you cross the ferry). We packed up for an afternoon of fun and I was a little nervous with anticipation and fear of feeling claustrophobic.

 

It was surprisingly busy at this iconic site! I expected it to feel like this underground cave but it was surprisingly comfortable down there. Unfortunately, you aren’t allowed to take pictures at certain things but I snapped this one real quick! 

It’s amazing that in the small down of Carp, there is this underground living facilities and all the stuff needed in case of a crisis. They had altered a bunch of sleeping quarters into exhibits. It was all very interesting and I only wished we had the time to look at it all more closely! I felt this uneasy feeling throughout the whole thing. I can only imagine the fear that was felt that made them build the Diefendunker.

Here is the tunnel you go through to get to to the living quarters:

We had a great visit and I love being a tourist in our town! I can’t believe it has taken me this long to visit this amazing landmark! By far my favourite date so far this year!

Happy Wednesday!

xo

2014 Year of Dates–September

 

Happy FRIDAY! We have a fun weekend ahead and I am so looking forward to it getting here and spending it together as a family!

Right now I can’t believe how fast October is flying by! I thought it was best to recap on how our date went in September. It was our FIRST date post-Sam that we had alone!

It says, “Wow! September already! It’s hard to believe the year is gearing down already! This month let’s talk about a picnic food options….Lindsay will pack a picnic (that will include some beer!). If Lindsay can, e take our bikes out along the PPJ trail and find a nice place to stop and enjoy our picnic! If Lindsay cannot bike, let’s try to find a nice place to walk to, stop (with a nice view) and enjoy our lunch!”

I was excited for this date! I’m not the greatest of bikers but we have this amazing trial right in our area! People come from far away to use it and I have never seen it without snow on it! ha ha! The only problem, the day we decided to do our date, IT WAS FREEZING!! It was one of the coldest days in September! But we dropped Sam off at his Nana and Grandpa’s, up packed our bikes and hit the trails! 

Despite how cold it was, it was beautiful! These trials are amazing and so easy to bike on! The fall colors are great around our area and there was no better way to enjoy them!

We were leaving the next day for a week in Nova Scotia. I didn’t want to buy a bunch of groceries that would sit in the fridge. We actually decided to grab Subway to get to enjoy! It was the BEST idea! It turned out perfect! We even found a picnic table to use!

Although this date wasn’t a long one, it was a good way to start learning to leave Sam so that we can have more uninterrupted “husband and wife” time!

Happy Friday!

xo

Year of Dates 2014–August

 

Happy Friday! Finally, the end of the week is here! Even being on Maternity leave, Fridays are still my favourite. This Friday is particularly exciting because Ryan is starting his week long holiday. Most people take there summer holidays in July or August. For years, we have preferred the ending of summer and this year is the same. We find that things are less busy in places and the weather isn’t as hot!  

We were able to get our date done in August. It wasn’t easy however because the rainy forecasts made this difficult.

It reads, “Hey lover, well it’s August what a lovely time of the year to sit back relax by the pool, have a ice cold beverage and a BBQ after we put the rug rat to bed! No not Tucker, our child. We will have a nice dinner behind closed doors and sit by the roaring fireplace.

Love you always

Your hubby”

Awesome! We had been wanting to do this for a while. Sam goes to bed so early (around 6:30) that we have been meaning to have time together afterward. But, life gets in the way and then we usually put our tired bodies to bed early as well.

I came out to the pool place where my chef had my wine ready for me!

We had Caesar salad, BBQ steak, baked potato and veggies! It was all delicious! Thankfully Sam cooperated as well and slept the whole time! I love our video monitor where we can see what he is doing! Our monitor has a great range as well! We can be sitting out at the pool and still watch him snoozing away!

It was a hot night so before the fire, we jumped in the pool! It was very refreshing and slightly cold because as the sun went down, so did the temperature!

Thankfully, we have our awesome fireplace outside! We (and by we, I mean Ryan) built a big fire and we snuggled up on our outdoor couch.

We also had dessert, one of my favourites…S’Mores!!!! Yum!

When we had the baby, we were doubtful that we would be using our beautiful outdoor space very much this year! It was difficult but we made the effort to try and get outside as much as possible!

Sometimes doing our dates is hard! And to be honest, before one starts sometimes I try to talk myself out of doing it. It’s not that I don’t want to do our date, it’s that I don’t put it high on my priority list! I have SO much stuff that I feel has to get done that it’s hard to just put it down to have a date. The thing is, after the date is done, I am glad that I took that time. I feel closer to Ryan and I feel rejuvenated with some time dedicated to NOT being a parent and being a wife instead.

Well I am out to join my husband for the weeks vacation. That’s right, no blogging for one whole week! I am logging off from the technology world a little bit and focusing on family time! I hope that everyone has a great weekend and week!

xo 

Year of Dates 2014- July

 

Happy Friday everyone! Been a crazy week around here but the end is here! I am flabbergasted that it is the end of August. Where has this month gone? All summer I have felt like the season has gone at a reasonable pace! But August is the exception as I feel like it has flown by!

I realized this morning that I had yet to share what we did for our July date! It was my month to plan! 

“Happy July Babe! I hope our summer as a family of 3 is going wonderful! I am hoping to still be able to enjoy some alone time with you and maybe we can take an hour this month and get away alone? If not, this date can be partially done with baby if need be!

Yard Sale Adventure: Let us each take $20 and hit up a couple of yard sale spots! Without the other person seeing, find a gift for the other person for less than the $20! Wrap the gift and after baby goes to sleep, enjoy a quick supper alone together and open each other’s present!”

Ryan and I were excited for this date this month and felt like it was attainable! With 20$ each on hand we hit the road in search of yard sales!

We were able to find a couple garage sales but didn’t see anything. We were able to stop at a larger one when the skies opened up and it started pouring rain! Eek! It didn’t look like it was going to let up anytime soon either!

As we were driving around looking for a garage sale that may be open still, we stopped at a local thrift store. We kind of looked at each other with a knowing glace and parked there! The selection was great and we knew that we would find something! Luckily, the store was big enough that we were able to successfully avoid each other.

When we got back out to the truck we presented our new treasures. I received a new button up shirt, a purse (which he said, “you won’t be carrying around a diaper bag forever babe”) and a Christmas themed candy dish. He was defending the candy dish saying that he thought I might like it because I love Christmas so much. It was actually my favourite gift of the 3.

I got Ryan two new golf shirts, his favourite magazine and a bag of golf balls!

One of the shirts Ryan particularly liked and wore it to our company golf tournament!

 

The original plan for our date was to do it alone but then Sam began having his “episodes” and we agreed we didn’t feel comfortable leaving him. Thankfully our little man is pretty easy going! He walked around with his Daddy during the shopping and sat and played during supper!

We decided on East Side Mario’s for a delicious supper!

July was altered a little but I would still consider it a success! Not only did we take the time to spend together but we also took the time to think about the other person and get them a little token! It was fun shopping for Ryan and picking out something I thought he might like!

Happy Friday!

xo

Year Of Dates 2014–June

 

Happy Friday everyone! It’s been a busy week around here and therefore it has flown by! I am so looking forward to a weekend mostly at home because there are a few projects that I want to do.

Even though our May date was a big fail, Ryan had planned June so that it was impossible not to do!

It says, “Mmmmmm Can you smmeeeelllllllllllll what the Rock is COOKIN??? Hahahahahahaha yeah baby, it is the summer of no sleep, late night poopy diapers and a crying baby!!! Who has time to cook supper, lunch or breakfasts??? So, why not head down to Spark street, Ottawa have some ribs from Ribfest? A nice quick trip for someone else’s cooking?

Love Always

Your Hubby”

I was SUPER excited and super impressed by this date! The last time we went to Ribfest with Jilly  and the road washed out leaving us deserted on the wrong side and we couldn’t go home! Definitely a funny story now but had left a bitter taste in my mouth for Ribfest because I always associated it with this scary night!

It was time to create a new memory so we loaded up one Friday evening and got ready for some yummy food! 

We are so lucky to be only about an hours drive from the hustle and bustle of downtown Ottawa where lots of amazing events take place! Sparks Street is plugged every June with stations having a cookout to compete for the best ribs, chicken, pulled pork and of course, sauce!

It was great having the stroller because the packs of people would just move out of the way for us!  

We decided on Billy Bones and took our place in line smelling the yummy food as we waited about 10 minutes!

We ordered and received our food in about 1 minute and found a free bench to sit and enjoy our supper!

My plate that I chose was ribs, pulled pork, beans and coleslaw! Yum!

The food was SO YUMMY and I am glad we found a bench to sit and enjoy our meals! It was a beautiful night to have an outdoor supper! It was nice to sit back and “people watch” while enjoying each others company and BBQ feast.

It was a pretty busy night for Ribfest and could only park far away so we grabbed a couple drinks to wash down our meals and take a nice long stroll to the car. It was a good way to help walk off our very full bellies!

I don’t know why but I find this picture extremely sexy! I just love to see my husband being a father. He insisted on pushing the stroller the whole time. I think it’s more because he doesn’t trust my driving! ha ha!

It was a super fun evening out with my love for a summer BBQ cookout that didn’t have to be cooked by me! We don’t get to travel to downtown often but it’s nice to get out to the “big city” every once in awhile. Ribfest is only for one week in June and I loved that this date had a specific calendar day picked out so we could plan our schedules to suit! It was a no fail plan!

Happy Friday!

xo

2014 Year of Dates - May

 

I have sad news…while I loved what was planned for our May date, I have to say that in 1 year and 5 months, this was our first date where we

FAILED!!!!

Yes, you read that correctly…I am sad to say that this was the first time since we began our dates that we were not able to complete a date within the month that it was planned. We were close! We had great plans to have this done for the last weekend of May and certain circumstances arose that prevented us from doing it. We actually even had it mostly done in May but it wasn’t completed until June 2…SO CLOSE! But, I figured I would share what we did with you all anyways! 

Wow, that’s a horrible picture! Ha ha! It says, “It’s hard to believe that it’s May…As I am writing this in December of last year I can feel our baby kicking me. It’s crazy to think that by the time we open this we will have our baby and hopefully starting to become adjusted to parenthood.

It’s hard to guess what our new life is like so to be safe I think it’s best if we stay at home together.

Let’s go through some cooking websites, books or magazines and together pick out a recipe that we have never tried!

Let’s go get the ingredients and make the meal together! We can sit down and enjoy our efforts and see if we like this new recipe! How about some homemade hot fudge sundaes for dessert?

As Lindsay is doing the dishes, Ryan needs to check out PPV movie selections! After he selects one, we will snuggle into bed together and try not to fall asleep during the movie!

P.S

This is also our anniversary month! Happy 2nd Anniversary Love! I can’t imagine life without you! You are my best friend, my everything! xo”

I have to give Ry credit, he dove in head first through some of my cookbooks to find a recipe! We marked the ones we thought looked interesting and finally decided on one from The Pioneer Woman’s Cookbook!

Of course Ryan and I are always budget conscious and this is a great recipe because it doesn’t have too many ingredients! It’s called Ranch Style Chicken!

Here are a few of the ingredients…(Yes I used regular mustard instead of Dijon! We both aren’t fans of Dijon!) 

It was also SUPER easy and fast to make! 

The sauce all ready to go! Looking kind of funky!

We marinated our meat for 30 hours! Which I highly recommend because the meat was so juicy and SO flavourful!

We fired up our BBQ and got to work! It was such a beautiful evening and we both enjoyed a couple drinks while we were waiting for it to cook!

We had planned on eating outside and even had the patio table all set up and then it started to rain! So last minute we moved everything inside! Talk about adding another hit to our ego…first we couldn’t complete the date in May and now we were getting rained out! haha!

I gotta tell ya, this was SO good! We just ate it with potatoes and some bread but it would be so good as a form of chicken burger as well! We enjoyed this recipe so much in fact that it is now found a permanent spot on our summer meal plan!

We did settle into bed afterwards with a movie but were unsuccessful about staying up! Ha ha!

I can’t lie, I am SO disappointment that we failed at completing this date in the month of May. The only thing that made me feel slightly better is that we did actually celebrate our anniversary by going out to a special dinner (Sam too) together so it feels like we did take special time out of the month to be with one another. But, we still didn’t do this date in the correct month. I remember the sense of disappointment as the date of June 1st rolled around and am now even more determined to not let it happen to the rest of our dates for the rest of the year!

Happy Friday!

xo