12 Dates or Less

Yes...I realize it's April, but take a trip with me back to December. One of my gifts to The Boyfriend was a year's worth of pre-planned dates. Inspiration can be found via Pinterest. I did mine a little differently than some other versions. While I think the idea of pre-paid dates is great too, I didn't go that route. Also, I didn't assign each date a specific month. You never know what you'll be in the mood to do 6 months from now. I found lots of my date ideas and cute, free printables here. Here is a list of our 12 dates:

1. The Mean Pig
2. Big Dam Bridge
3. The Old Mill
4. Eureka Springs
5. Garvin Woodland Gardens
6. Barnes & Noble
7. Tailgate party @ home
8. Ice cream sundaes
9. Homemade pizza
10. Slumber party
11. Fancy carpet picnic
12. A Starry Night

I numbered each envelope and included at least two sheets of paper. The first sheet of paper says Date Night at the top. Then I left blanks to fill in the day, month, and date. I also added brief descriptions to describe the date such as "BBQ and conversation." Next, I included things like menus, brochures, coupons, etc. I hope to blog about each date and post pictures of us.

Needless to say it's April and we have not been on a date yet. However, I have our first date picked out for this week! We will be going on date #11, the fancy carpet picnic. For that date I have dinner and a sweet dessert planned for The Boyfriend.

Lauren

He Washed Me White As Snow

Looking back on the last month I don't feel I have done a lot, yet I have been so busy. This time of the year is hectic. At work we are wrapping up the school year and simultaneously preparing for our summer program to start.

The most prominent event for me from the last few weeks is Easter. I attended New Life Church with The Boyfriend, my mom, and stepdad. We then went to their house for Easter lunch where we were joined by my brother and future SIL.

For Easter The Boyfriend and I dyed eggs together. He said he hadn't dyed eggs in over ten years, but his mother said that was a fib :)  Since I was a kid, I have always used the egg dye kits from the grocery store, but we used food coloring this time which I think turned out much better. We also used white and brown eggs which reacted differently to the food coloring.

Last minute I decided to make cookies to take to my parents' house for our lunch. She had given me a bunny-shaped cookie cutter and an assortment of spring colored sprinkles from one of her shopping excursions to TJ Maxx. Not to toot my own horn, but I think my cookies turned out pretty darn cute especially the ones with whiskers!

I hope everyone else had a relaxed and blessed Easter like I did. Below is a picture of The Boyfriend and I on my parents' deck. The view and flowers were beautiful that day!

Lauren

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

A few weeks ago I mentioned that my mom and I went to an introductory meeting about rowing at the Arkansas Boathouse Club. We enjoyed the meeting, the people, and learning about the sport of rowing. We decided to take the next step in the learning process which was a 10 hour course where we would practice our skills on the water.

The first order of business was to pass a swim test. For the swim test we had to swim 50 yards continuously (any stroke) and tread water for 10 minutes wearing shorts and a t-shirt. We then had to put on a life jacket at the end of those 10 minutes. Although I consider myself a "good" swimmer, I was nervous about the test. I knew splashing and floating around for fun would be different than being supervised and timed. Needless to say I passed the test with flying colors. Surprisingly, I was more tired after the swim aspect than treading water. My mom and I talked to each other during that portion, so it seemed to go by relatively fast.

Last weekend the actual course, Discover Rowing, took place. On Friday night we watched a safety video and helped move 2 row boats from the yard to a trailer. The boats had to be moved from the Arkansas River to Lake Maumelle due to the water levels. 

Then, on Saturday we learned how to put the boat in the water, lock in the oars, and get into/out of the boat. We practiced getting in and taking a few strokes before leaving the dock. Once we pushed away from the dock we were instructed to practice our stoke, a few people at a time. We also learned how to balance the boat and stop immediately (if needed). 

I must admit I was very nervous and tense while on the water. Row boats are very narrow which caused me to feel like I could fall out at any given moment. Also, I was terrible at the stroke. I had a hard time understanding when my oar should be in/out of the water. After several failed attempts I became very frustrated and could feel tears welling up in my eyes. To make a long story shorter, I left the water feeling like I would not give rowing another chance. I felt defeated and so disappointed that rowing would not be my newfound hobby. 

We were supposed to row again on Sunday, but that was postponed due to inclement weather. At this point those 4 hours of the course have not been rescheduled. I am still on the fence about giving it another try...

Lauren

One Little Candle

Every few days I have thought about posting but have been too tired or too lazy to do it. It is hard to believe it's been 3 weeks since I have blogged. It seems like life has been moving at a faster pace than normal. To get back into the swing of posting, I will start you off with a little recap.

Two weekends ago The Boyfriend and I traveled to Dallas again. This time we went to celebrate Caroline's (The Life of a Coach's Wife) daughter's 1st birthday. I cannot describe how special it was to be part of a first birthday! I wish I had taken pictures of the lovely decorations, but you will have to live with my descriptions instead. 

The main words that come to mind are pink and sheep. The first things I saw when pulling up to Caroline and her husband's house were balloons tied to a column. There was also a circular tag which stated their daughter's name and actual birth date. The tag was decorated with a single sheep, similar to these guys. Inside, the round double layer cake was frosted light pink with white scroll-like writing. Beside the cake was pink rock candy and other color coordinated sweets. Both the kitchen counter and dining room table were decorated with fresh flowers; dark pink roses in the kitchen and nondescript white flowers in the dining room. Hanging off of the mantle was a paper triangle pennant banner with the birthday girl's name on it. The birthday girl paired a simple onesie with leg warmers and a hot pink tutu.

Lauren

Wordless Wednesday

Forest Park Turtle Playground

St. Louis, MO

Lauren