Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Date 54 - Eat, Drink and Be Married!

Date: Friday/Saturday, August 24th & 25th 2012
Type: Wedding, Fun, Friends, Family
Cost: $$
Planned By: Tasha & Bobby

This past weekend our mutual best friend, Tasha got married to her long time boyfriend (well, fiance) Bobby. We were both invited to the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, and wedding festivities. We were both very excited for Tasha because we have known her for at least 10 years and 5 of those she has spent with Bobby. It has been fun seeing them grow together as a couple over the years.

I was a bridesmaid so I did my best to help out with whatever Tasha or Bobby needed for their big day. The rehearsal was at the church and the dinner was in Ashtabula at Casa Capelli. Adam and I both go the prime rib which was delicious. I had been waiting for it all week. It definitely lived up to my expectation. The restaurant also had tortilla chips with salsa, baked potatoes, green beans and ice cream. It was all very good. We had a nice time at dinner with all of their closest friends and family.

The ceremony was beautiful. I heard a lot of sniffles especially when Tasha's Aunt sang I Do (Cherish You) during the Unity Candle lighting. They both looked amazing, and there were no problems throughout. Adam and I didn't get to see each other until the receiving line after the ceremony. We reunited at the reception after dinner. We had a lot of fun dancing and participating in the activities. They had a super fun candy toss for all the kids that were attending. It was their way to let the kids participate in the reception, and I'm pretty sure all the kids loved it. I even found a Starburst on the floor which was very exciting. Instead of a tiered cake they had cake pops! There were a few different flavors but by the time I remembered to have one there was only chocolate and vanilla left. I had the chocolate and it was delicious! My sister Michelle caught the bouquet... well, really Tasha just threw it right to her. We'll see if it helps! ;)

For most of the night Adam and I danced and celebrated with the bride and groom. It was a really fun wedding, and I'm glad we got to be a part of it!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Date 53 - Happy Hunger Games!

Date: Sunday, August 19, 2012
Type: Theme, Fun, At-Home
Cost: $
Planned By: Dani

I have a pretty big obsession with The Hunger Games. I am in love with the books (and Peeta). Adam also likes the books, but doesn't have the same crazy obsession. The first movie was due to come out on DVD August 18th and I just knew I had to plan a Hunger Games themed date for Adam and I.

There were three parts to our date. First, we had a special dinner. We found a recipe for Katniss's favorite Capitol dish: Lamb Stew with Dried Plums. Adam made the entire stew, and he did a very good job! It was pretty good, but the plums were a little weird. They made the stew sweet, which isn't a normal taste for a stew. It took him a few hours to prepare, so our advice would be to use a slow cooker instead. We also had hot chocolate for our drink because Katniss loved hot chocolate when she discovered what it was. For dessert we had cookies to represent Mellark Bakery. We decided to have snickerdoodles because we like them and they were easy to make! Everything was yummy!
Next, we watched The Hunger Games DVD. We rented it from a Red Box because we are too cheap to buy ourselves a movie.. Maybe someone will get it for us for Christmas! I was excited to watch the movie again because I wasn't very happy with it the first time we saw it. But after rereading the books I definitely liked the movie better this time. I can't wait until Catching Fire comes out!
The last part of our date was a Nerf Blow Gun fight. This obviously fits with the theme because in the Hunger Games the tributes are fighting to the death. We used nerf blow guns because we didn't want anyone to die. It was much safer than a bow and arrow or a knife. We had a lot of fun shooting them at each other like little kids. We also competed to see who could get the most to stick to the window in a row. Adam won 1-0 in the first round then we tied 9-9 in the second round. So I guess technically he won, but I did pretty well, too.
I loved this date night idea, and if you and your significant other love the Hunger Games you should try it.. and may the odds be ever in your favor!

Don't worry. I may be obsessed with The Hunger Games but Harry Potter is still #1. Check out our Harry Potter Date for proof.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Date 52 - You Make the Cut.

Date: Wednesday, August 8, 2012 AND Friday, August 10, 2012
Type: Sports, Fun, Cheap, City!
Cost: $
Planned By: Adam

Well, people.. we've made it! This is our 52nd date, one for each week of the year. Therefore, its been a whole year since I've started this blog! Wow.. time sure does fly when your having fun!

For this date we focused it around Cleveland sports teams. First, on Wednesday we went to the Cleveland Browns Family Fun Night free event at the stadium. The night consisted of watching the team practice, fight for autographs and a fireworks show. There were a lot of people in attendance, but we still got to sit really close to the field. There were quite a few interceptions while the offense was playing against the defense. We aren't sure if that means we have a really bad offensive line or a really good defensive line. I guess we'll have to wait and see! The players stuck around for about 20 minutes after practice to sign autographs for fans. Because there were so many kids there we didn't bother trying to get any. The fireworks show was not good. They shot them behind the stadium and we could only see half of most of the fireworks and some we couldn't see at all. We were even sitting in one of the "good view" sections. I do not recommend going to see a fireworks display at Browns stadium. Other than that it was a fun night and the team looked pretty good! We are ready for a good football season!
On Friday we went to the Indians game with my sisters and their boyfriends. This was a big, big, big day for Adam because he got to represent Progressive and throw out the Ceremonial First Pitch! To add to the excitement they allowed all of us to go down on the field with him to watch him throw it. We were told this wouldn't be the case so we were pleasantly surprised! Adam did a pretty good job.. I was proud of him! If you haven't seen the video on youtube yet, take a look!
 
Afterwards we all ate, got our free bobble heads and found our seats. It rained a little and we lost but it was still a fun game. We were in the lower level home run area in right field. It was a really good view! It was Amanda's birthday so my mom put a message to her on the scoreboard which we were excited to see. After the game there was a fireworks show that was 100 times better than the Browns fireworks show. I think the music theme was rock n' roll from 1967 which was great because I knew most of the songs from my History of Rock n' Roll class at OU. It rained a little during the game and we lost but we all had a fantastic time.
Adam and I are big Cleveland sports fans so this was a great date for us! We will definitely be going to more sporting events in the future, but it was great seeing two of our favorite sports teams in one week!

P.S. We also got hibachi at Wasabi Japanese Steakhouse for Amanda's birthday dinner on Saturday. It was delicious!
P.P.S. Come back next week for a Hunger Games themed date!!!

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Date 51 - Let's Flip a Coin...

Date: Monday, August 6, 2012
Type: Creative
Cost: $
Planned By: Dani & Adam

...heads you're mine, tails I'm yours!

What a cute quote, and the inspiration for last weekend's date night! Everything we did on our date was decided by fate.. or by a quarter being flipped. We made a list of possibilities and then flipped a coin to see what option we were going to do.
We started with dinner. We flipped to see if we were going to go out or stay in. Stay In won. Then we flipped to see what we should have for dinner. The two options were turkey burgers or chicken. Chicken won, and Adam made us some boneless chicken breast with seasoning on it. It was good!

Next, we flipped to see what drink we would have. Water and a fun drink were our two options. Fun drink won, but then we had to flip to see which fun drink we would have. The two options were (non alcoholic) Love Potion Punch or Champagne over Popsicles. We got to try out champagne over popsicles. We got a bottle of cheap champagne and some fun popsicles from the downstairs market. We both aren't big fans of champagne but it tasted pretty good with the fruity popsicles in it. Having a popsicle in your champagne also makes it more summery!
Then we got to flip to see what snack we would have during our activity. The two options were home made ice cream or popcorn. Popcorn won!! Yummm.
Last we had to decide what activity we were going to do. Our two options were play the Wii or go for a walk. The Wii won so we had to flip to see what type of game we would play; Mario or Other. Mario won, and we decided to play Mario Kart. We had a good time playing against random people online and then battling.
This date was a lot of fun, and flipping to see what we would be doing was exciting. Adam and I are indecisive people sometimes so having fate decide for us was very convenient. It also ended up being a very cheap date which is always a plus!

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Date 50 - You Won My Heart!

Date: Friday, July 27, 2012
Type: Home, Easy
Cost: $
Planned By: Dani

During the Olympics many athletes win medals, but neither Adam or I are good enough to go to to the Olympics in any sport. It is fun to play sports and watch them together though so what a perfect week to do this type of date.

First, we started the date by ordering Chinese take out in honor of the previous Olympics in Beijing. I was so excited for dinner because we haven't had Chinese food in many months. We got a bunch of stuff: general tso chicken with broccoli, beef lo mein, beef with vegetables, fortune cookies, and lots of rice! It was delicious!
Next, we played some tennis. I'm really bad at tennis, but Adam actually played it for a couple of years so he's OK. I did accidentally hit the ball and it bounced off the wall in to a trash can -- 2 POINTS! -- which I think takes some skill. If you are wondering who won.. it depends on what you think winning is. The best person at tennis... Adam! The one who had to run the most to retrieve balls.. Adam!! The person who had the most wild hits and lost the ball a few times.. Me!! Either way it was fun! :)
Last, we watched the Olympics Opening Ceremony! It was a pretty spectacular event. I really enjoyed the part about Children's Literature and Healthcare. The villians in the nightmares were cool.. especially Voldy. Adam thought it was funny that it took Harry Potter seven years to get rid of Voldemort and in the ceremony it only took Mary Poppins a minute or two. The parade of nations was a lot of fun.. It's always really neat to see the world come together for one night.
So even though we didn't make it to the Olympics we still won each other's heart which is way better than some stinking gold medal... awwwww!