Why I still date my wife

Amy and I celebrated 20 years of marriage this year! As newlyweds we agreed that we would continue to go out on dates on a regular basis. I truly believe that making this a priority has tremendously helped us keep our relationship close and fresh. We take turns planning the dates and put a lot of thought into each date. We have two rules: we can't talk about kids or work. It really helps us focus on us.

Here's a few of our favorite dates...

Huntsville, Alabama area
1. We love concerts. We recently saw Kathleen Carnali and have plans to see Toby Mac in December. Can't wait!
2. Picnics in unusual places. My favorite place is a spot on Rainbow Mountain overlooking Madison. Great view and very romantic place on a huge rock.
3. We are coffee fiends and love the simplicity of talking over a Vente Caramel Macchiato at Starbucks. It never gets old.
4. When we run out of money before we run out of month, we have "in dates". We pretty much banish the girls to their side of the house and we enjoy snuggling up and watching movies. I have grown to appreciate chick flix and Amy has grown to appreciate movies about Alaska!
5. Sitting alone anywhere and making each other laugh. My favorite sound in all the world is Amy's laugh.


When we lived in the Washington D.C. area, we had tons of places explore. Our most memorable ones were...
1. Jumping on the Metro and stopping at ethnic restaraunts. There were so many to chose from. The food was amazing and the environment was always memorable.
2. Exploring all 14 Smithonian museums. It never got old.
3. Touring the first president's home (Mt. Vernon) and the sitting president's home (White House) in the same week was an amazing experience.
4. Wolftrap in VA. A great outdoor venue for concerts.
5. Taking walks in the snow and sledding down the parsonage hill.
6. We took ballroom dancing lessons. It was hysterical. We're not quite ready for "Dancing with the Stars" but we really enjoyed the moves and laughing until we cried!

Our big celebrations (anniversaries, birthdays, etc) are usually something over the top. Here's our favorites:
1. Taking a dinner yacht cruise on the Potomac at night. Great food and views of the monuments all lit up at night.
2. Kidnap dates. This typically involves packing a bag and saying "just trust me" and driving to the airport and flying to another city for a night on the town and a stay in a nice hotel.
3. King/Queen for the day: This is an all day date that where you get to do whatever you want all day long. Its a great chance to serve your spouse for an extended period of time and makes it fun to return the favor.

Our dream date
1. For Amy it would be anywhere there is a beach.
2. For me, it would be anywhere there is a mountain.

I'm thinking we need to move to Hawaii so we can enjoy both!