Dates in a Jar

It's been almost a year.  CRAZY.  Life as a Loeding is good. We're blissfully happy while daily learning humility and self-sacrifice and all the other joys of learning to live with a spouse after "30 years" of being independent (which, as I saw on some tv show the other night, is a nice way of saying selfish!).  

We've been conquering bills and debt while working around Jeremy's nightmarish work schedule (2AM-10AM, including holidays and weekends) which hasn't left many opportunities for romance.  Shocking, I know, but trust me, it not only takes money to go on dates but it also actually requires being able to see one another for more than an hour at a time!  As a very unexpected blessing from his employer,  we were notified a couple weeks ago that Jeremy now has Saturday and Sunday nights off!  Thank you Prairie Meadows! (Never thought I would utter that sentence!)  And ta-da!  We were given a gift... 

DATE NIGHT!

So, we created Dates in a Jar (thank you pinterest!).  It's adorable, I know!

Here's how it works (in case we're not the only married couple that seems to be stuck in a "dating rut"): we bought a jar, some tissue paper, and popsicle sticks.  Put an adorable photo of us on the jar, added a pretty polka dot (of course) ribbon, and viola! Dates in a jar!  We each took 10-15 of the sticks and wrote a date night idea on each stick.  Most are free options, a couple are your normal "date night cost", and one each was an amount that we typically wouldn't spend on just one date.  We also each put on ideas that we would love to do and our partner typically wouldn't choose into.  (As if I would EVER choose "strategy board game night"!) Lastly, we each included some "for our married eyes only" options. Oh come on, you knew those would be in there!!

There's only one rule: whatever we draw, WE HAVE TO DO!  This brings me to our adventure for tonight.... 

Throwback prom night!  Complete with old prom dresses (good thing I've been dieting so I can actually fit in one!) and suits, prom hair and nails (thanks honey!), some of our favorite old school music, and a will be very embarrassing dinner out at a fancy restaurant here in town.  (There better be a tacky corsage too!)  So, I'm off.  I have to get pretty but first, I have to turn our living room into a cheesy prom theme... any suggestions?  I'm stuck on "under the sea" and struggling with creative decoration ideas...  

Will keep you posted on how the evening goes... at least, the earlier part of the evening... ;)  We all know how prom nights end in the movies...