Exciting dates - trying new things

At  our wedding (which was almost a year ago now – my goodness WHERE does the time go), we asked people to answer questions in our guestbook instead of sign it. They were questions like: What should we do to keep the fire burning? Where should we go for our first anniversary? What date should we go on? Etc.

Admittedly, I haven’t looked at that guestbook since our wedding, but we have definitely taken the “date night” suggestions seriously. We both love trying new things and make a definite effort to keep life interesting. The evidence may be in our recent super-packed super-fun date-nights the past few weeks.

Bowling at Bass Pro – This is one that we’ve been wanting to try since the store opened in Altoona.  I toured the shop when it opened in 2009 and thought the bowling area looked fun. Every time we drove by on our way to Iowa City we would say, “We really need to go bowling there.” Finally, I just planned a date with my step-brother (the outdoor enthusiast) and his wife so we could finally cross it off our list. I didn’t take any pictures from said date (Fail), but here is what it looks like. I just loved that underwater feeling the alley gave. It was a bit pricey (which I was told beforehand), but we were glad we did it and we had fun.

Painting classThis one was a surprise for Ryan. I knew these “Social Art” events existed in Des Moines, and I kept that a secret from him so that I could surprise him with it some night. Social Art is basically regular folks getting together and painting – simple as that. The teacher makes it easy for everyone to do and some mix a little BYOB in.

We both love art, so this was a no-brainer. In Europe, it seemed like all we ever did was explore the beautiful art – like the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam. We love Van Gogh and have a print of Starry Night in our blue bedroom. SO, what a great idea to PAINT it? I for one, loved it. I was really surprised how everyone’s turned out so completely different even though we were essentially painting the same thing. It was pretty cool to watch how everyone’s turned out. One guy used pink and red tones and it looked like a volcano scene. We used El Arte Uncorked for this event (and the Groupon helped), if you’re interested in doing it yourself.

Golf range – THIS is one that’s in the books. It’s been unseasonably cold here in Iowa, so we haven’t had the itch to do this one. Soon, we will go across the street to the golf range by our house so I can start working on one of my goals for this year.

I always tried to do fun and new things when I was single as well, so don’t you just think this is about coupley nights. On my own, I’ve gone grape picking at Summerset Winery in Indianola. When I was a reporter for the Des Moines Register, I explored something new every day – arm wrestling competitions, golf outings, fairs, markets, church concerts, doggie dates– you name it. Do you do anything fun to spice up life?