Life Skills – Dating 101 (Part IV)
The fourth in a series of Great Date Ideas!!
Click here to read previous “Dating 101″ posts:
Here, to start, is the list of sections that I use to describe the type of date it is:
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1. Dressing Up – This section delves into the fun you can have by wearing certain apparel on your dates!
2. Holiday “In” - If you read my first blog on dating, you saw that I suggested having Halloween on any day of the year except October 31st. This section concentrates on many of the other holidays that you can celebrate year round.
3. Let’s Have a “Ball” – This section isn’t so much about romance as it is about invigoration. It’s the sports section. Note: When you go on these dates, remember that it should be something that you both like to do!!
4. Town & Country “In” – These are dates that take place either around town or in the country…it’s that simple.
5. Not your “Run of the Mill” – People are usually so stuck in their dinner-and-a-movie routines, they forget some of these other ideas. These are dates that thousands of people are doing every day (or night).
6. Be a “Crafty” Couple – A lot of people are really good with their hands and they don’t even know it. This section gives you the chance to use your creativity to make something together that might even last forever.
7. Go For the Ride of Your Life – There are many modes of transportation. This section is dedicated to the use of some of these modes. And what a rush you’ll feel when the wind starts blowing through your hair, past your body, and into your soul!!
8. Romantic Differences – These dates are either romantic and sentimental or very unusual and unique. I put them together because I didn’t know where else to put them.
9. “’Partying’ is such sweet…” well…not sorrow, that’s for sure!! Sure it’s fun to go on dates where you and your partner are all alone…and yeah, it’s great going on a double date every once in a while…but there’s something about taking your date to a party that MAKES you have a good time!!
And look we’re already on number:
22- Sledding (from Section 3 “Let’s Have a ‘Ball’”)
If you live in a part of the world that has snow, get ready, because wintertime is upon us. There are different forms of sledding. There’s the ever-popular inner tube, there’s the toboggan, there’s the bobsled, there’s the snowboard, and then there’s the slippery moon dish. Doing any one of these things is fun, but the romance starts when you get back to where it’s warm, get some hot chocolate (or your favorite “warming” beverage), sit in front of a blazing fire and smooch!!
FUN: 4
ROMANCE: 1-4
MONEY: $10.00-$25.00
23- The Circus (from Section 5 “Not your ’Run of the Mill’”)
The circus isn’t always in town, but when it is, what an adventure you could have. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my. Peanuts and popcorn and cotton candy, oh my. Sideshows and clown shows and rides, oh my. And don’t forget the three main rings.
Have you ever been carried by and elephant? I don’t mean on top of the elephant…I’m talking about with it’s trunk and tusks. It happened to my date and me at Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey…the Greatest Show on Earth. Exhilarating!!
FUN: 4
ROMANCE: 1
MONEY: $25.00-$50.00
24-Board Games (from section 9 “’Partying’ is such sweet…”)
If you and your date are beating the socks off of the other couples while playing ‘Trivial Pursuit,” “Pictionary,” or “Monopoly,” then you’re having a good time. If you are losing, that’s O.K., too, because then you can cry in each other’s arms. Either way you’re really winning. Even “Twister” can be considered a board game…so do it!!
Side note: It’s probably a good idea to be a “good sport,” whether you’re winning or losing. You don’t want your date to see that I’ve-got-to-win-or-the-world-will-end side of you…ever!!
FUN: 4
ROMANCE: 1
MONEY: $10.00-$25.00
25-Different Dinners (from section 8 “Romantic Differences”)
I’ve been going on and on about how boring the usual dinner date can be…so let’s take it up a notch, shall we? Here are some different dinner suggestions that are fun and/or romantic.
· On the roof. Make a homemade dinner for your honey and include the candlelight…only have it on the roof of your home, apartment complex, or other place that seems reasonable and romantic. Make sure it isn’t a slanted roof!!
· Go to a nice restaurant and pay for the dinner in advance without your date knowing about it. After dinner, act like you are sneaking out of the posh eating establishment because you don’t have enough money. See what your partner will do!!
· Dress Japanese, then go eat Japanese; or dress Italian and go and eat Italian; or dress like cannibals (just kidding!!).
· Create a dinner environment in a non-dinner environment. Have a friend or sibling be your waiter/waitress while you sit down at a candlelit table…in the middle of a cornfield, or on the median of a busy street (pick a nice part of town), or ______________________ (you fill in the blank…be creative, use your imagination).
FUN: 4
ROMANCE: 1-4
MONEY: $25.00-$50.00
26-18 Wheelers (from section 7 Go For the Ride of Your Life)
So whaddya think, Mac? This one takes some set-up. Find an 18-wheeler “over-the-road” driver. Work out a deal. Once you have it set up, have the driver take you to your different destinations. There’s a mighty powerful feeling sitting up high on the road looking down (only in a geographical sense) on the other drivers around you. Make sure you’ve got a destination that’s far enough so that you have to get on a freeway and pick up some speed. Make up handles for yourselves (Bonnie and Clyde, Romeo and Juliet, Harold and Maude, Bogey and Bacall) and talk to the other drivers on the road by way of CB…”it looks like we’ve got ourselves a convoy!!”
FUN: 4
ROMANCE: 1-4
MONEY: $50.00 or more
27-The 60’s (from section 1 “Dressing Up”)
Whoa, the 60’s, man…groovy… Austin Powers brought this look back and made it popular again. Still, the whole purpose of the date, when you’re dressed up like hippies, is to see if anybody will give you the time of day, or let you into a restaurant, of pull you over and check you out for a possible DUI or drug possession. There are stencils (car stickers) or paints (get the kind that’s easy to wash off) you can use to decorate your car. Put giant flowers, peace symbols, and words like “PEACE,” “MAKE LOVE, NOT WAR,” or “FAROUT” all over your car, baby…
FUN: 4
ROMANCE: 1
MONEY: $10.00-$25.00
28- Haunted House (from section 4 “Town and Country ‘In’”)
It’s usually on the outskirts of town or in the suburbs that you’ll find a haunted house (I mean a REAL haunted house, not the kind that pops up everywhere at Halloween), or a haunted field, or a haunted graveyard, etc. Ask around, I’m sure there are legends and myths in your area about ghost sightings, unusual disturbances, and other beyond-this-world scary stuff. Learn the stories and tell them to your date in eerie tones as you tour the place… If you want to multiply the fun, get some of your friends to be there (not seen, just heard) to enhance the “haunting” effect!! Is this fun? Is it romantic? You decide…Muaaaaaahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahah (evil laugh)!!
FUN: 4
ROMANCE: 1-4
MONEY: $0.00-$10.00
29- New Year’s Eve (from section 2 “Holiday ‘In’”)
As with some of the other holidays that we have mentioned before, you should create your own New Year’s traditions. Make your favorite dinner (as a couple), have your “bubbly” (for me that is a favorite soda). Decorate the room with streamers and confetti. Get the hats and horns and those little “poppers” that shoot confetti. A little romantic interlude, at this point, seems apropos. Then, when midnight pulls around (it doesn’t even have to be at the real midnight…you can start counting down when ever you want), the first kiss of the year, the shouting of “Happy New Year,” the bells and whistles, etc. All this in the middle of July…(or any month).
FUN: 4
ROMANCE: 4
MONEY: $10.00-$25.00
30- Scuba Diving (from Section 3 “Let’s Have a ‘Ball’”)
The underwater world is an extraordinary place to behold. Scuba diving will put you right in the middle of it. Take lessons together (there are many places that offer classes), and then find a body of water. I know some couples that travel to different places in the world just for the scuba diving experiences…and oh, the stories!! Fun, wonderful, romantic, and exhilarating!
FUN: 4
ROMANCE: 4
MONEY: $50.00 or more
31- The Arcade (from section 5 “Not your ’Run of the Mill’”)
There are all kinds of arcades out there nowadays…and not just video arcades. I have found that the best thing to do at an arcade, while you’re on a date, is to discover a game that neither of you have played before and have a friendly competition (or find another couple to compete against). There are so many variations of games and contests that you will never get bored. Again, make sure that you are a “good sport” and that this is something that you both want to do!!
Variation: Get an X-box (Nintendo, Playstation, etc.) and get a game that you can play at home. Or find a computer game that you both love.
FUN: 4
ROMANCE: 1
MONEY: $10.00-$25.00
That’s enough for now, but I look forward to hearing from you about your dating experiences using these suggestions!!
