Group Date Idea: Photo Scavenger Hunt

This is one of my favorite group activities.  You get to hang out with friends, run around town, and then end up with a whole bunch of silly photos and great memories.  Schedule a night to hang out with a big group of friends.  Make sure there are enough cameras for each team!  See below for scavenger hunt rules and photo list. What are some more scavenger hunt photo list ideas you have?

Scavenger Hunt Rules (To Print this click HERE)

The object of the game is to take as many pictures on the list as you can within an hour and a half.  Players will be 

put into teams of appx 4 people. The first team with the most points wins! Teams may not split up to take pictures 

faster) Players must obey all laws at all times, especially speed limits and traffic laws while driving.  Please be 

mindful of safety.  If a  team is discovered to be playing unfairly/ not by the rules, they will be disqualified.  A 

picture of “all team members” imust be taken by someone who is not a team member. Only one picture per item 

will be counted. All team members must stay together at all times. A late team will be docked 5 points per minute 

past the deadline. +2 points for every picture you are in height order (only with “all team” shots). All photos 

become the sole property of the organizer and may be posted on the internet  

_____ 1. A team member in a boat  (15 pts), all team members in a boat (20 pts), all team  

              members in a boat with life jackets on (25 pts),  

_____ 2. All team members with a police officer (10pts),  A team members in the backseat of a patrol car (20 pts)  

_____ 3. A team member with a horse (5 pts), a team member riding a horse (20 pts)  

  

_____ 4. A team member at least 10 feet off the ground in a tree (5 pts)  

  

_____ 5. A car or truck older than 1950 (10 pts), a convertible car older than 1950 (15 pts)  

_____ 6. All team members on a firetruck (30 pts)  

_____ 7. A guy playing a guitar on a street corner (5 pts) A team member singing a song        

              with a guy playing a guitar on a street corner (10 pts)  

_____ 8. All team members on a stage (10 pts)  

_____ 9. All team members wearing funny hats (10 pts)  

_____ 10. A team member riding a bike (10 pts)  

  

_____ 11. Your team sharing a soda at the same time (everyone with their own straw) (10 pts) 

_____ 12. A team member with a nonteam member that look alike (20 pts)  

  

_____ 13. A team member in a freezer case (ie at grocery store, liquor store, etc) (10 pts) 

_____ 14. A team member and a person wearing a uniform (5 pts) All team members with a     

                person wearing a uniform.  

_____ 15. One team member pumping a non team-member’s gas while another team member cleans the  

                same cars windows. (10 pts) 

_____ 16. A team member walking someone’s dog (10 pts) 

_____ 17. A team member eating at a hot dog stand/taco truck/food cart. (10 pts) 

_____ 18. 2 Team members mummified in toilet paper (no body part showing) & holding hands. (10 pts) 

_____ 19. A team member in the front store display window (10 pts) All team members in 

                the front store display window. (15 pts) 

_____ 20. A team member on playground equipment. (5 pts) 

_____ 21.  A team member with a statue that is taller than them (15 pts) 

_____ 22. All team members bare feet in a circle (5 pts) 

_____ 23. All team members in a doghouse. (20 pts)  

_____ 24. All team members walking thru an automated car wash (20 pts) 

_____ 25. Entire Team jumping in the air (must be off ground) (5 pts) 

artofDATENIGHT.com is official

It's official!  Now there are two ways to get here: 

artofdatenight.com & d8-nite.blogspot.com.  Both work!

Face Time

No, I am not talking about Apple's Video Chat software. 

Rather, I am referring to my term for daily quality time.  

Give yourselves a chance to get on the same page with each other daily; Make sure you and your mate get in front of each other (sans the television, the kids, the phone, the anything else) and talk about what you are up to...I have found that just 15 minutes of this once a day makes all the difference.  

photo: courtesy of Rachel & Phillip Rogers (thanks guys!)

Sometimes Date Night Sucks

No matter how hard you try (or don't try for that matter) date night can fall flat.  Plans fail, attitudes arise, communication break downs occur, expectations deflate and it just sucks!

A couple weeks ago (yep that would be after I started writing on how to have a great date night) Ramy and I had one of the worse date nights in quite awhile.  Ramy's plans for our night didn't pan out, there was a miscommunication with our sitter, so she didn't arrive until well after 8pm, and we were both tired and cranky from our busy day.  We were okay to rise above all of this as we walked out the door.  We were just going to jump in the car and enjoy some time outside of the house.  But we weren't even a mile away from the house when I said something with the intentions of being funny and it was misunderstood.  When he questioned why I was being like that, I got defensive then he got defensive, then we both shut down.  The rest of the night was a wash.

I hate when this happens!  I sat there going through ways I could reverse what just happened but irritation kept bubbling up and my attitude shifted from wanting to find a solution to focusing on the problem again.  It was hard not to conclude that Date Night was useless or a waste of time.  But I know better.

Date night is dependent on people, and people are not perfect in anything we do.  The hope is that you can get it right the majority of the time.  And sometimes it just takes practice to get there.  It's important to start the night off by choosing to have a good attitude.  Remember that things will arise to make the night imperfect, but your outlook will help you get through it. (I learned this best through Karin and Brandon's date they shared last week.)  I also have learned to choose my battles.  Sometimes it just isn't worth it nit picking everything that bothers me.  Especially on date night, I try my best to let the little things just roll off me. We also have made a rule to not discuss "hot topics" on our date.  For instance, don't have a budget meeting during date night dinner...it never ends well!  And if in the end the night still sucks, make sure that you dust yourself off and try, try again next week!


What's your solution for getting through a crappy date night?

Tried & True: Jamie & Corey The All About Him Date

By Jamie S.

I can't wait to share about Corey and my date, but before I do I have to give you a tiny bit of background.  About a month or so ago, my husband went out of town, which doesn't happen very often... and well, I missed him.  This started me down the trail of what I like to call relationship inventory.  You know, what areas do we have plenty in stock and what areas are we low on.  Date night was the first thing that came to my mind when I thought about the low department.  We had gotten into a rut.  There was nothing new or different happening, and it was all getting kind of boring.  So I prayed and asked God to help give me some inspiration.  Seriously, later that same day I got an e-mail from Tiff asking me to check out her date night blog.  How cool is that!  

So inspired by what I'd been reading here, I came up with the idea to do an all about him date.  I decided I could plan a surprise date that was a night of doing things that I know my hubby enjoys.  My first step once I decided what kind of date we would have was to listen.  By simply listening to Corey, I found out all I needed to about what he would want to do.  It was awesome!  Without even knowing it, he was helping me plan our date around him.  

So last Saturday, the day was finally here.  I had everything planned out, and he had no idea.  When Corey got home from our son's soccer game, I asked him if he would please go get the mail for me.  he looked at me funny and questioned me about why because I am never worried about the mail, but I told him, "Just do it!" and he did.  I had slipped an invitation to our special date in the mailbox.  When he opened it, he was totally surprised.  Again, the best part was he had no idea.  

Once we got the kids off to their overnight destinations (which was Corey's favorite part), we got cleaned up and were off to an evening all about him.  We went to see the movie that Corey had been telling me he wanted to see (Hanna) which he enjoyed.  I personally found it to be slightly disturbing, but it wasn't about me.  Then we picked up dinner at a new Italian market that had just opened near us.  Corey had been telling me how much he wanted to try it.  We got it to go, brought it home, and moved into the next phase of our date which was what I knew Corey wanted the most: an uninterrupted night alone with me.  Much of this part of our date is private ;) But what I can say is we laughed, talked, ate our wonderful Italian food, and enjoyed ourselves very much.  It was all about him that night, but I have to say it was one of the most fulfilling dates we have had in a long time.  I loved it!  I guess that just goes to show it truly is better to give than receive.

Date Night Idea: Go on a Picnic

(We choose our favorite picnic spot at Calabasas Lake for our engagement photo location)

The key to a great picnic is keeping it simple while being prepared.

The Picnic essentials list:

Blanket

Picnic Basket

Napkins

Utensils (don't forget a knife!)

Cups or wine glasses

Corkscrew/Bottle Opener

Cooler/Ice

Music - make sure you have a great playlist on your ipod (I like the Ameli soundtrack for Picnics)

Game - Bring a kite or frisbee or even travel scrabble for entertainment

Garbage Bag

The Menu:

Cheese: Get a few different Blue Cheeses to sample and compare

Fresh Bread: I like fresh bread with cheese, plus a baguette makes my picnic basket look complete

Fruit: Bring raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, or grapes

Sandwiches: I like BLTs - In order to ensure the bread isn't soggy, pack the ingredients separately and then assemble them on the picnic

Water: Sparkling water steps it up a notch 

Wine: I like a crisp pinot grigio for a picnic

Dessert: Stop at a bakery and get a couple different pastries to try.

Where is your favorite picnic destination?

Mother's Day Gift Idea: Take your Mom on a Date

I think quality time makes some of the best gifts.  Maybe it's just because my mom lives so far away, I am being more nostalgic right now.   Or perhaps because my little guys are growing leaps and bounds in front of my eyes, I want to cherish all the time that I have with them.  Either way, I think the concept of date night can be applied beyond our significant other (spouses, fiances, boyfriends and girlfriends) and can be adapted to our extended family.  I know that if my mom and I lived in the same city, I would love to steal some time away with her to show her how much I love her.  And when my boys get older, I think it would be so sweet for them to take me on a date as well.  If you are trying to come up with an idea for a mother's day gift, I urge you to consider the gift of time.