When life gets tough, up your date night game.
2021 was a lovely year of date nights!
Favorite dates: anniversary trip in February, biking from Chesterfield to Soda in May, Torman's cabin in August, Spoon Concert in September, finally getting to see Dune in October, plus all the temple dates, movies, bike rides, hikes, and yummy meals! It was a great year!
Friday, January 31st: New Year's Eve date: game night with the Hubbards and Valdezes! McKenna and Justin had us up for Scrabble, Settlers, and Code Names. We ate yummy finger foods and talked and laughed while we played. Kenna killed me and Cori at Scrabble, and Allen is Lord of Catan. It was so fun that we stayed up until way PAST midnight, something I never do. Yay for fun friends in our own home town!
Wednesday, December 22nd: Piano recital date? I am counting it, because Allen and I went together, to see both Mollie and Calvin play their recital pieces. Calvin played Silent Night in a duet with his teacher, Shirley Harris, and Mollie played an arrangement of The First Noel. Both of them did such a great job! We are so grateful that we started piano with Shirley way back in January.
We also passed the biggest herd of elk we have ever seen on our way there (and unfortunately, someone who had just hit one with their car). Hearing all the music was a perfect way to start the Christmas break.
Wednesday, December 15th: Pocatello temple date! Our first time attending our new temple together! We went out to eat at Appleby's afterward, and it was also our first time going to that restaurant together. The temple was the better experience, by far. Sorry Appleby's, maybe we'll try you again in another twenty years.
Wednesday, December 8th: unexpected brunch date! I set out to go on a 25-mile bike ride, but when I turned around at 12.5 and headed home INTO THE BITTER WIND, I decided that discretion was the better part of valor, and called Allen to pick me up. He left work to get me, and it turns out, BRUNCH DATE is the better part of valor. We had a $25 gift card to Main Street Diner, so I changed clothes really quick and we headed over there for a late breakfast/early lunch. It was so nice to be together during the day, especially during this sometimes hectic month.
Saturday, December 4th: Last bike date of the year! We've been busy moving some things around in our house (our new woodburning stove will go where the computer is, so the computer is going where the closet is, so the closet is (mostly) going in the new area under the stairs) and things are pretty cluttered and crowded in our small house with a mini-remodel and Christmas decorations. It felt so good to call it quits and ride our bikes to Kelly Park. We ordered burgers and tots on our way home, then drove the car back to pick up our hot food. I love being with Allen!
Wednesday, November 24th: Christmas shopping date! Allen didn't expect to have half of Wednesday off when he went in to work, but he came home at noon and we made a spur-of-the-moment decision to head to THE CITY for some shopping and some dating. I'm glad he likes Cup Bop as much as I do (Ali introduced Cup Bop to me and Sharla when we did the Mud Girl back in September). It may not be 100% authentic Korean food . . . but it's sooooo gooooooooood.
Thursday, November 18th: Temple date! This might be our last time going to the Star Valley Wyoming temple, because we are in the brand-new Pocatello temple district! It was a lovely time together--we ate dinner at home before we left, but got some Maverik treats for the drive home.
Wednesday, November 10th: We sang "The Miracle" at Norma Twitchell's funeral in the middle
of the day. She was our next door neighbor and it was a very bittersweet service. It was good to remember Norma together and talk about caring for our neighbors while we ate lunch together afterward.Later that night, we drove our minivan to Pocatello to the Kia dealership to figure out what is wrong with it. Five Guys Burgers and Fries was good while we were eating, but ultimately, a mistake.
But going on DATES is never a mistake!
Saturday, November 6th: Amazon Prime Video and chill. It doesn't roll off the tongue quite like "Netflix and Chill," but we had a nice time just being together. Allen rubbed my legs while we watched TV, because I had been on a 120-mile bike ride with my friend Rachel the day before. I'm pretty spoiled to be married to the thoughtfullest guy in America.
Sunday, October 31st: Sunday drive date with my favorite guy! We did a fun loop around the Blackfoot Reservoir, on a road we've never driven on. It was so beautiful. I grew up going on Sunday drives with my family, but our kids hate it. Which means it's A DATE.
Dune did not disappoint. It was actually pretty incredible. We didn't know it was only part one, so that was a surprise, but I can't wait for the next installment!
Tuesday, October 19th: Temple date! What a great morning in the Star Valley temple. It will be "our" temple for one more month, and then we will belong in the Pocatello temple district. I love the drive over to Afton--we always make it a loop. It was especially special to listen to President Nelson talk about temples on our drive and feel the spirit together. We are feeling extra tender about everything with Truman serving a mission. Life is still life, and there are lots of trials for us and for our loved ones, but we are feeling blessings and mercies along the way.
Wednesday, October 13th: MTC date. The most unique date of our marriage. We drove Truman to the Missionary Training Center in Provo and watched him walk away from us for the next 23 months! It was very bittersweet, but heavy on the sweet. Wow, we couldn't be more proud of Truman--he is called to serve, and what a blessing that he is ready to serve.
I count it as a "date" because then Allen and I got sodas (my first Diet Coke in 18 days), thrift-shopped, went out to dinner, and had a great time talking with each other on the long drive home.
Thursday, October 7th: sick date. Not the good kind of sick. I made Allen take me to the hot pots at Lava because my throat and chest are so dry and it felt good to breathe in that steamy, humid air. Plus, Thai food. The best part is that Lava was the least crowded we have seen it in years. I need to remember to go in October.
Friday, October 1st: Pocatello date night! I did a Wal-mart grocery pick up, so we could enjoy actually dating each other. We also took a GIGANTIC carload of stuff to the D.I., which was deeply satisfying. Ended the night with dinner at Winger's and good ol' cookie zookie. Ahhh, what a great date.
Friday, September 24th: two weeks in a row with no date, because life is getting crazy-cakes. I subbed in seminary and at the high school, Allen was home sick for two days, me and Truman and Calvin went to the Pocatello temple open house, Brigham had a cross-country meet in Butte, Montana, Beau and Caleb and Lukas dropped in on us when they were bow-fishing, Calvin and Mollie and I went backpacking to Nez Perce Lake, we had stake conference, and then Truman got set apart as a full-time missionary on Sunday the 26th.
Whew. I don't mind time going fast nearly as much as I mind it being so crammed with stuff to do--even when it is mostly good stuff. It's hard to simplify at this stage in life.
Saturday, September 18th: no date this week, because it was just as busy as last week, culminating with six of my seven siblings and their spouses and kids coming to our house for Truman's mission farewell. What a great day--there was such an outpouring of love and I am so thankful to my family. We also had a fun time with Eli and Savanah and their four cuties the day before. But at least there was a date night for someone: Savanah and my mom helped me set up for Brigham's fateful Homecoming date.
Thursday, September 9th, 2021: Lunch date. Allen came home for lunch and we had some quiet time together on an otherwise super crazy week (Labor Day, Lava employee party, youth trip to Pocatello temple open house, COVID shots, piano lessons, Tiger/Grizz cross-country meet, and a sisters' mud run!) Whew. Let's not do that again. But let's do meet for lunch again.
Monday, Aug 30-Wed Sept 1st: BACKPACKING TRIP! Our favorite "date" of the year. It was my first time going to the Wind Rivers and it did not disappoint. Plus, we were with our fabulous friends the Deweys and the Helfriches. What a blast--we did about 35 miles and it was a perfect getaway.
Friday, August 27th: Allen and I first went out to eat at Gonzales for Mexican food, then we came home and took Mollie and Calvin to the movie, Snake Eyes, that was playing at the Idan-ha. The movie wasn't that great, but thankfully our expectations were low, and we still had a fun time together.
Friday, August 20-Saturday Aug 21st: overnighter at Josh & Meg's Bear lake cabin! We had a the best time with friends old and new! Meg is such a relaxed hostess, and they have made their cabin so comfortable and inviting. Plus, we loved meeting Meg's brother Chris and his wife Priscilla, and their friends, Steve and Brooke Bartholomew. We were talking and laughing the whole time: playing games, boating and jet-skiing, pickleballing, and going out to eat in Garden City. It was a much-needed overnight trip!
Friday, August 13th: Friday the 13th date on the town. We went to Ace hardware to pick up a bike chain for my bike (which we later found out was a bad idea, because my bike uses a special chain), then we got some food and watched a movie together: always a fun time!
Wednesday, August 4th: One of the most unique double dates we've ever been on: carp shooting with Brandi and Jeremy! They were so nice to take us out on their boat and show us the hoys of cleaning up the "trash fish" (they compete with native species) from the lake. We took a big green salad and they provided the steaks--such generous hosts!
Tuesday, July 27th: TEMPLE DATE! It's been 18 months since we went to the temple together and this was our first temple date to the Star Valley temple. It's so wonderful and humbling to worship there again. And the beautiful drive doesn't hurt, either.
Friday, July 9 - Wednesday, July 21: Family trip to Arkansas! We still got in some "dates," notably walking 4.5 miles around a lake by one of our hotels (photo below). It was a fabulous vacation.
Saturday, July 3rd: cookies and a movie and a foot rub: my favorite! The Fourth of July fireworks were exploding ALL. NIGHT. LONG. I guess people were making up for last year. But we enjoyed our movie, notwithstanding.
Wednesday, June 23rd: Bike ride into the sunset with my favorite guy! We went about 8 miles and found some new trails in our town. The sunset was crazy beautiful and it was a lovely evening together.
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| Our bikes are so in love |
Friday, June 18th: El Toro for the win! Then we came home and watched Luca on Disney Plus with Calvin, since Truman was at work, and Mollie and Brigham were at youth conference. A great meal and a Pixar movie? Maybe THIS is my favorite date.
Friday, June 11th: Drive over the mountains to Afton for dinner! We took the most "civilized" route, on roads that my minivan could have handled, but we are planning on exploring all the roads, jeep trails, and pack routes over to Afton from Soda, so I can decide which route to take on my mountain bike later in the summer. We ate at Colter's Lodge, and the new owner, named Tyson, met with us and talked excitedly about his plans for the place--he gave us a 15% coupon for our next visit there. the food was great, so we'll probably be back. It was a lovely drive with my sweetie.
Monday, May 31st: Memorial Day bike ride. I've been wanting Allen to ride Cow Camp Road with me, so we dropped his truck off at a gravel road intersection Sunday night. It worked out perfectly for Brigham and I to run in the Chesterfield 5K, then Brig took the van home while Allen and I biked 13 miles over the mountains and plains to his truck. The weather was just gorgeous--the best Memorial Day weather we've ever had. It was a fun morning together on our beautiful backroads.
Friday, May 29th: Double date with the Tormans! And baby Bruun! We went to Montpelier for Mollie's piano recital (in which she played fabulously, by the way), and then Truman brought Mollie and Calvin home (Brigham was on day two of three of work at Arctic Circle). Allen and I continued South to the East Beach of Bear lake to meet with Josh and Meg. Their cabin is looking amazing--Josh built it last year, and this year he is working on a garage and a deck. We drove over to Garden City and went out to Cooper's, where we have eaten with them once before. The prime rib was to die for, same as last time. Poor baby Bruun did not want to be in the car, but he was sweet as could be as long as we weren't driving.
Saturday, May 23rd: You have to count the "tiny" dates--because sometimes that's all you get! We had a 72-hour trip to Boise to support Brigham at the state track meet, and Truman, Mollie, and Calvin went with us. It was even more fun than I thought it would be! Allen and I left the kiddos at our AirBnB when we went to get our Walmart grocery pickup on Saturday night, along with our first time ever getting Panda Express (we're fans). It was only a half hour, but you know what? It was so great to spend that time together, just the two of us!
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| Mollie got this picture of us on the way home, when we stopped at Bruneau Dunes State Park, which was AWESOME |
Saturday, May 15th: Two date nights in one week? Allen and I checked out mountain biking in Sulfur Canyon, which was HARD. Uphill all the way in meant that we zoomed back to the truck when we finally turned around. It was such a pretty evening!
Friday, May 14th: Date night at El Toro. We chatted with Joni Hansen and her four kids the whole time and it was delightful. And we hooked them up with some chocolate chip cookies afterward, because that's what makes date night complete.
Friday, May 7th: Another home date, with a SUPER LAME movie, Greenland. But even a bad movie date is better than no date.
Friday, April 30th: Home date, our favorite! Chocolate chip cookies and a some episodes of The Durrells made for a great date night.
Saturday, April 24th: Stake conference date! Allen and I sang "Let The Holy Spirit Guide" with the guitar, then we had such a great meeting, which I wrote about in another post.
Friday, April 16th: The best date of the year. FIRST, we went on a three-mile walk around the silica loop (and spotted FIVE silly lil muskrats along the canal and creek). Then we went out to eat at El Toro for some well-earned Mexican food. THEN we came home to kill an hour while waiting for our movie to start, so I went ahead and made my favorite cake. Then we went to Chaos Walking at 8:15 and it was so great! Lots to think about (and a few unanswered questions--but we were still transfixed), and afterward, we came home to CAKE.
Monday, April 12th: Lunch date! I called Allen at 11 and said, "We never got a date last week . . . how about you pick up some tacos and bring 'em home for lunch?" And he DID. I made chocolate chip cookies, too. The bessssssssssssssst date.
Friday, April 2nd: Bike ride date. Allen loves going off-road and off-trails more than I do, but this turned out to be fun, and we found a new place to mountain bike. Plus, the weather! Bring on the sun, Idaho.
Saturday, March 27th: Walk around the silica loop together! This is the second time in a week we've made the 4.5 mile trek from our house and back, and it's a good way to decompress and reconnect.
Saturday, March 20th: Sharla and Rich surprised us by coming to stay overnight--we went to Riverwalk Thai and then soaked in the hot pools at Lava . . . not as crowded as two weeks ago, so that was a bonus. Yay for dates!
Thursday, March 11th: Dinner date at El Toro! My first time ordering a virgin margarita (thanks to some pressure from sweet Margaret Barker) was NOT THE LAST. It was so good. But not as good as my leftovers the next day. I love the flavor of not cooking. And I love Allen!
Saturday, March 6th: Date Night at Lava Hot Springs with Bonnie and Savanah! We have NEVER seen it more crowded than it was this night, but we still had a great time with our favorites! Plus, we had already been on a morning walk to the reservoir that morning, so it was two dates in one day!
Friday, February 26th: Home date. Whew, this weekend was a toughie (full schedule of events for each kid and we had an extra kiddo for two nights) and home date was a MUST. We grilled steaks, made cookies, and watched a movie after the kids were in bed. It might have been the only time we spent together over the weekend, so I'm glad we made it happen.
Thursday, February 18-Saturday, February 20th: 21st anniversary! We spent a lovely weekend in Salt Lake City at the good ol' Crystal Inn. We did ALL of the date things: eating out, movies, hockey game, thrift shopping (mostly for books), sightseeing, and mostly just enjoyed being together. I love the day I married that guy! Thanks to my fabulous parents for staying with our kids while we were gone!
Thursday, February 11th: Lunch date! The first one of the year. Allen surprised me by coming home for lunch, and then we both decided that eating out was the best course of action. Tacos and flautas at El Toro? Serendipity-doo-dah!
Friday, February 5th: Steaks! Instead of going out, I bought some pricy cuts of meat and grilled them up at home--they were tender and delicious. We also had jasmine rice (the yummiest rice money can buy), mixed vegetables, and homemade bread. Then Allen and I watch the DUMBEST John Wayne movie called The Searchers. But we agreed that it's good to realize we don't like a movie just because it's old, or just because it was directed by John Ford. Date night is still the best, even when the movie is the worst.
Friday, January 29th: Double date with the Tormans! Meg was craving Thai food and invited us to go to Riverwalk Thai in Lava, and then to the movie The Marksman (with Liam Neeson) in Soda. Of course Riverwalk was closed (the quirks of small-town life, people), so we went to 78 Main Street Eatery instead. It was good, but Thai food would have been better. And the movie was good, but I think I liked The Honest Thief better.
But the DATE itself was fabulous! We had a great time talking and hanging out together with our fun friends, and the joy of going to the movies has obviously not worn off yet!
Saturday, January 23rd: Holy cow, we are way overbudget on our date night this month. Luckily we won't hit our gas budget, so I shuffled some funds around. Because Brigham was out of town at a wrestling tournament, and Mollie and Calvin both went to friends' birthday parties . . . we picked up burgers and tots at the Quik Stop for the cheapest, and, dare I say, tastiest fast food in town. We drove to Kelly Park and ate our food and talked, then picked up kids from birthday parties, THEN watched His Girl Friday together after the kids went to bed. Dinner and a movie? Yes! The king of date nights!
Thursday, January 21st: Popcorn and a movie and a double-date with double-trouble-Troy-and-Brenda. I love when our theater gets something I want to see, and I love going to the movies with our favorite friends! News of the World was such a great movie--I am so thankful that there are people willing to tell original stories, and tell them well. Better fare than all the superhero movies, for sure.
Friday, January 14th: I am counting this as a date, even though Mollie and Calvin were with us (and especially since last week was replete with date nights). Brigham was at an overnight wrestling tournament in Wendell, and we thought it would be fun to go to the movies for the first time 2021. The movie (Monster Hunter) was a total dud (Calvin enjoyed it immensely) but we all still enjoyed going to the movies and eating popcorn and such. It's fun to treat these two little kids . . . who are not so little 😔.
Saturday, January 9th: Another double date with Georgia and Wes! They picked us up in Wes's sweet new truck and we drove to the Cobblestone Inn for Matt and McKenna Nielsen's reception! I just love those cuties--it was fun to celebrate with them and visit for a while before heading back to our house for cookie zookies, more Doctor Mario, and a hilarious game of Code Names (it's impossible for Code Names to not be hilarious). Maybe some day you'll beat me, Georgia!
Friday, January 8th: Dr. Mario tournament with the Browns and the Hansens! I wish I had taken a picture! Georgia and I have talked about playing Dr. Mario for YEARS. She finally made it happen, and we had so much fun getting to know Dustin and Hope a little better. We met at the Brown residence and played multiple brackets of Dr. Mario on Georgia's Wii. She had chips and salsa and apple dip, too. We stayed up way too late talking and had such a great time together . . . it also didn't hurt that yours truly destroyed everyone at Doc M.
Thursday, January 7th: Sushi Time with Bonnie and Beau (and Truman). Truman left an entire bag of art supplies (which he needs for his classes) at our house over Christmas Break. And, he got a new laptop, and offered his old one for Brigham to do his online classes with. So we met up in Idaho Falls and made the swap! Truman got the best end of that deal--we treated him to all-you-can-eat sushi. We maxed out our January date budget on this one date, so we'll be datin' on the cheap till February . . . but, oh my, it was WORTH IT.
Hanging out with Bonnie and Beau is always the best time--the perfect way to kick off the new year.
We broke in 2021 with a record THREE DOUBLE DATES in one week. Off to a flying start!
1 comment:
Being with Becca is my best blessing. I'm glad she documents these good moments with good friends.
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