The Date Jar

I came across the idea for "date night in a jar" more than a year ago and have been meaning to create it for us since. In a relationship, it's easy to get into a routine and get stuck doing what's comfortable. When it comes to spending time together, Kev and I try to mix it up as much as possible. But, it's easy to choose dinner at home and catching up on our latest shows over brainstorming something new and different to do.

In come the date jar! You can find the person who came up with this great idea here, and her's is much prettier than mine anyway. I never said I was crafty. All it takes is a jar, some big colored popsicle sticks (or big popsicle sticks and spray paint), a black pen/sharpie, and some creativity for date ideas. I was unable to find large popsicle sticks here in Hamburg, so I used mini-sticks. I was just happy to find popsicle sticks that were already colored.

Anyway, all you have to do then is write your date ideas on the different sticks. I consulted with the internet for some date ideas (here and here), brainstormed with Hamburg in mind, and Kev threw in a few ideas as well. I used four colors to differentiate our categories and stuck the purple sticks in to fill the jar more and separate the colors.

Green sticks are for dates that are more expensive than what we normally do or for dates that take some planning.
-Expensive Dinner out
-Local Sport Event
-Progressive Dinner (apps at one restaurant, main course at another, and dessert at another)
-Couple's Massage
-Day Trip - for us it could be to Lübeck or Bremen, for example

Red sticks are for daytime dates out of the house. Kev has short days (for the most part) so we are able to do things together in the afternoon at times.
-Lunch & Matinee movie (yes, we have one English movie theater in town!!)
-Hamburg Tourist Attraction we haven't done yet
-Coffee Date in Altona (our dream neighborhood to live in)
-Check out a Hamburg Museum
-Ice Cream & Coffee in Blankenese
-Thrift/Consignment store shopping

Yellow sticks represent evening dates out of the house.
-Dinner and a Movie
-Dessert and a Movie
-Tapas Dinner
-Bowling
-Beers at a pool/arcade hall
-Dessert-only Date (have you noticed how much we love dessert?)
-Groupon Date (find a restaurant deal on Groupon)

Orange sticks are for "dates" at home.
-Homemade pizzas & board/card games
-Fondue & a documentary
-Dessert & a movie - Kev's Pick
-Ice cream sundaes & a movie - my pick
-Takeout & board/card games
-Burgers and a "Bourne" movie (recreating our first date)
-Restaurant at Home
     *This blog has recipes that are copy-cats of many favorite restaurants from home, searchable by restaurant name. They have a couple of cookbooks as well. The founder has been seen on Fox News, NBC, ABC, and many other networks.*

Add a little tag with a color "key" on it, and you're all set! These are the activities we'll be up to in the next few weeks. :) Happy Friday!