Our Date Night: The Tree of Life

Wow, time has flown by this past week.  I can't believe my last post was on Wednesday (oops, sorry!) I am proud to say however, Ramy and I did get a chance to slow down for a bit on Friday night when we saw The Tree of Life.  And let me tell ya, it was definitely a slow way down kinda movie.  

It was my turn to plan, and with the crazy kinda week I had, I didn't have anything really planned for date night... I know, I know... I should follow my own advice, but when I thought about what I wanted to do, I just wanted to sit down for a couple hours without the kids crying, whining or pulling at me.  I mentioned movie night to Ramy, and he was right onboard and quickly mentioned how he wanted to see The Tree of Life.  Without knowing too much about it (except that it was filmed in and around Austin) I agreed. 

After the fast paced week we were in the middle of, it was a big transition to go from the craze of the day to this exceptionally slow (in a watching grass grow kinda way) movie.  We kept uncomfortably shifting back and forth in our seats, exchanged what in the world are we watching glances, and continually filled up on caffeine.  By the end of it we didn't quite know what to do with ourselves. We stood up quietly along with the rest of the audience and without a word from any of us ushered our way out the building to our cars pondering what we just had witnessed.  BUT since then, Ramy and I haven't been able to stop talking about it.  There are so many layers to unravel and examine; This movie is truly an artistic masterpiece.  And now we can't wait to see it again.  HA!  

What did you do for date night this week?

Way Back When

  This is the very first picture Ramy and I ever took together.  It wasn't on our first date but it was certainly during one of our first date nights.  I just came across it and thought I would share.  

Our Date Night: How to Kill Time & Not Kill the Date

Last night was Ramy's turn to plan our date night.  A friend of his offered us passes to see Tony Bennett at the new Austin City Limits Moody Theatre (which is beautiful I should add).  At first I thought these tickets would be better suited for a date with my grandmother, but as the night unfolded I was glad I didn't stomp my feet and demand something more contemporary (not that I would ever do that.)

When I asked him what time the show was Ramy said he didn't know.  So I quickly checked online and saw that it said 6:30pm.  I figured perhaps it was an earlier show for the geriatric crowd (no offense).  Ramy got home from work around 4, and I quickly gave him a list of things to do so we could both be dressed and ready, have the kids diaper bags packed for the sitter, both kids strapped in their car seats, and all out the door in one hour.

By the time we dropped the kids off, we had less than an hour to battle traffic and get to the show.  And since we were both hungry and not up for waiting til after the show to eat dinner, Ramy recommended stopping for what he likes to call Gourmet Express also known as the P Terry's Drive Thru.  We both ordered a burger and fries and ate in the car while trying to find the best and least expensive parking option downtown hoping we wouldn't be too late for the show.

When we got to the Will Call booth to claim our tickets, it was clear we were in fact not late but over an hour early.  Apparently the 6:30 time I saw online was the time doors opened...oops.  All that rush for nothing.  Thankfully Ramy is pretty laid back and wasn't upset about the unnecessary hustle and bustle.

Having time to kill is something I happen to really enjoy.  I looked around for a short time and leaned over and whispered with my Elle Woods enthusiasm, "Lets play a game!  How bout Snaps is the Name of the Game?"  After one round, he clearly wasn't into it.  That didn't work.  "Okay then," I said, "How bout another game... Name 20 Tom Hanks movies in 2 minutes, GO."

"Are there even 20 Tom Hanks movies?"

"Are you kidding me?" I replied

He decided to humor me... "Money Pit. (pause) Big. (pause) Forrest Gump. (longer pause) Sleepless in Seattle. (Zoning out)"

I promptly took over, "Philadelphia, Toy Story, Splash, Turner and Hooch, Joe Versus the Volcano, Green Mile,  Catch Me If You Can, Apollo 13, That Thing You Do, What's that one where he is on an island all by himself...you know WILLLLSONNN...oh Cast Away...What about the one where he was stuck at the airport?"  We both couldn't figure it out.  (But I remembered later that night when I couldn't sleep that it was The Terminal.)  By this point though it was clear that I was playing this game by myself.

I switched gears, "Do you want to play the quarter game? You know the one where you drop a quarter and take bets on who you think will pick it up?" The 'I've fallen and I can't get up' joke was inevitable.  Just as I slyly dropped my quarter, the nearby usher quickly ran over, picked it up and handed to me, "I think you dropped this miss."

"Don't you just like to people watch?" Ramy asked. "Lets play the game where we narrate what people are thinking."  I rolled my eyes. I am worse at that game than Ramy is at playing guess 20 Tom Hanks movies.

That's when I had an idea.  I grabbed my iPhone, choose the camera app, and we spent the next 20 minutes laughing and taking silly pictures with each other.  When in doubt, get the camera out!

Before we knew it the lights dimmed, and Tony Bennett changed my mind about this being a senior citizens concert.  It was definitely a show everyone should go see.  He is certainly one of the last living legends of his era.  The highlight you ask?  When he sang Charlie Chaplin's Smile...one of my favorite songs.  Overall it was a date for the memory book, and I have plenty of pictures to show for it.  We had a fantastic time!

Love Mail

When I was little, getting mail was the most exciting gift I could receive.  I don't know what it was exactly.  Probably just the idea that someone out there had me in mind.  Be it an invitation, a birthday card, or letter from my grandmother (with a one dollar bill no doubt!) I was always thrilled. And that exhilaration still lives on today!  (This does not include bills or junk mail of course!)

My guess is that I am not alone in this.  

Something many people don't know about my husband is his obsessive compulsion over the mail.  I call it this because if it were up to me, the mail would be picked up, oh say about once a week (clearly I am not getting enough fun mail!) But Ramy can't wait to get his hands on it every day!  He will literally come home at midnight from a 10 hour flight, walk in the door, put his luggage down, give me a kiss and ask where the mail is.  So this year for our anniversary, in lieu of a card to hand him, I thought I would send him some mail.  I tore off a page of my desk calendar, circled our anniversary date and wrote him a sweet, simple note.  On the bottom, where the day's to-do list goes, I wrote in my plan for our day!  

Date Night Tip - Create some exciting date night anticipation by sending your mate a note in the mail.  Not only will he/she have a cool nostalgic surprise, your mate will also have a handwritten note - not something we get so often anymore with all the technology these days (unless it's "pick up milk on your way home" scribbled across a post it.)

Oh, and Ramy loved the surprise!

To My Husband

Happy 5 Year Anniversary!

I love you

Tiffany

The Date Night Deficit

Like most couples, my husband and I have crazy, hectic schedules.  He works around the clock; I hold down the fort.  We have two young boys, two big dogs, a calendar full of commitments, and little left over for US.  After months of feeling a disconnect in our marriage, often leading to irritation, bitterness, and resentment, our friendship slowly began to fade.

It was me who lashed out first, "You don't love me anymore!"  He responded with the same, "No, you don't love ME anymore!"  We weren't connecting.  We rarely went out like we used to.  We didn't laugh like before.  We were too busy with our responsibilities.  WE were starting to disappear.  

To get to the bottom of this problem, we went before our marriage counselor.  I complained he didn't give me enough attention, he rebutted I was unresponsive.  We went around in circles trying to explain that there was a hole in our marriage and love was leaking out the bottom.  Then we stared back at her hoping for a solution. "It's not that you don't love one another anymore," she answered, "It's that you need to find time to spend alone with each other." And then our marriage counselor prescribed "Date Night."

Simple put, we needed to make US a priority again.  Amid all the hustle and bustle, it was essential to assign a time every week to reconnect.  Just because we were married didn't mean that we should stop dating each other.  So we pulled out our calendar, reprioritized our current commitments, and carved out one night a week for us to go out.  We had to do the same with our budget.  We looked at our finances, reprioritized our spending, and set aside a date night fund.  It took sacrifice on both our parts, however, what was in store for us would be more than worth it.

But after all that, we would get to date night and not have a clue as to what to do with each other.  Dinner and a movie...again?  Or, really, can we talk about something besides work and the kids?  I once even brought up the happenings of a tv show cause I didn't know what else to talk about.  We stared back at each other desperately wanting that spark and some adventure.  But how?

We just needed the tools to get there...and that is why this blog was created: to share advice, date night ideas, & our adventures and conclusions.  After figuring out what to do with each other, our relationship has been stronger than ever.  I don't question our love any longer!

Through this blog, I hope I can inspire you and your hubby to have a remarkable date life too!