Wednesday, April 7, 2010

An Afternoon Date

I had the perfect afternoon date yesterday.

Don't get too excited - it wasn't with a potential boyfriend. It was with my nephew! I am still waiting for the background check and fingerprints to go through, so I had the day off & decided to spend the afternoon with my nephew. He will be 5 in June and was really the perfect date. He said please and thank you. He made me laugh. He gave me a hug at the end of the date. Now if only all of my dates were this wonderful!

For our afternoon date, we:
  • enjoyed a leisurely lunch at Chipotle.

  • read 10+ books at Barnes & Noble.

  • treated ourselves to some ice cream. Andrew had vanilla with sprinkles. I had a berry yogurt. Mmm.

It was a delectable day. Nothing lifts my spirits like hanging around my nephews. I got to see 3 of 4 of them last weekend when I was in the Chicago area celebrating Easter. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera so don't have any photos to share! :( Total fail. I am usually the family photographer paparazzi.

I once again forgot my camera today but captured this photo on my blackberry. Isn't he j'adorable?

I think he's going to be quite popular with the ladies when he's old enough to date!

But let's get back on the topic of dates. Good Lord, it has been a long time since I've been on a date. Can't imagine why. I mean, it's not like I have been busy or anything. Ahem. Luckily at my new job, I will work much more reasonable hours. So I am actually in the position to meet someone.

I actually would love to repeat my Andrew date with a grown man. What are the chances of me finding a man who is 30-35, loves Chipotle, books, and ice cream? Oh, and he should also say please/thank you, and make me laugh.

I like non-traditional dates like afternoons at a bookstore. Dinner and a movie is just not my style. I think it's a great date once you are in an established relationship. But when you are just getting to know each other, it's not an ideal date in my opinion. Plus, you are bringing on the whole awkwardness of whether or not to hold hands (boy do I have an awkward non-date date hand holding story to tell you some other time!).

If I had the opportunity to plan a date, my suggestion would be to go to this local restaurant called Chatterbox Pub. They stock all these great games - from Trivial Pursuit to Sorry to Operation. And if you really want to take a trip down memory lane, you can even rent an Atari!! Or a more recent gaming system. How cool is that? I think a couple of cocktails and a friendly game of Connect 4 would be a fun, easy going date.

So now I just need a handsome, respectful, book-loving 30 something to come along!

What is your ideal date? If you are married, what did you do on your first date with your significant other?

22 comments:

Charbelle said...

2 of the most memorable dates I've had one we were at Jillians and another was at Dave & Busters. I like the pub place that you mention. It's so much fun to play arcade games and laugh and talk to each other. I'm horrible at the games but I just laugh it off and we had a lot of fun. With S our first date was to the white water center and that was really cool!! Then he took me for sushi after, it was perfect!!
Your date yesterday sounds fabulous!! He's a cutie!!

Emily Jane said...

Oh he is adorable! I agree with you - I LOVE nontraditional dates. One of my favourites was at a bookstore one time where we sat for hours drinking coffee and just chatting, surrounded by great literature :)

Gracie said...

When my husband and I first met he asked me to come to an art gallery opening with him. Um, YES! You learn so much about people by the kind of art they enjoy or identify with! I remember that at first it scared me that we met up with his siblings for dinner afterward, but then I thought it was kind of cute that his family was so close and comfortable crashing his date!

Mandy said...

That sounds like a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. I would highly enjoy a date like that myself. One of my favorite things to do is grab a bite to eat perhaps on the back deck or patio, just talking, and then maybe going to play a round of miniature golf. The Chatterbox Pub sounds like it would be a grand time as well.

jdotzenrod said...

Andrew had such a great time. We have been reading those two book since you left. We even had to read them again right when we woke up. Thank you so much!

Abby said...

He is sooo adorable! Melts my heart. That is the perfect date!

I agree with you on the whole casual date and kicking out the old "dinner & and movie". On a first date, you're trying to get to know each other - and that clearly can't be done during a movie or while your awkwardly chewing down food....

Bummer about you forgetting the camera. It happens though!

Jess said...

I love the Chatterbox idea. There's nothing like that in my city, sadly..but what a cool concept!!

My idea of an ideal date is going to a festival of some kind...so, I guess my ideal date is in the summer, because I'm picturing walking around amongst all the vendors and eating festival food and going on a ferris wheel. I agree with you that the traditional dinner and a movie isn't the most exciting thing..it's always a good fall back though! I'm interested to hear your awkward hand holding story!

Nora said...

Love that you had such a great time; sounds like a lot of fun to me! I like the random kind of dates where you have one plan and it doesn't work for whatever reason so you wind up doing something totally different! I am also a fan of picnics, used bookstores after getting breakfast food (even if it's for dinner), bowling, mini golf and going to the zoo!

Leigh said...

That is so cute! Your nephew seems like he'd be a good date :)

Haha I never went on a first date with my fiance. It might be the fact that we met in Mexico and lived in two different provinces, so that didn't help. When I did move to my fiance's hometown, we went out for a really nice dinner.

aimee said...

oh lord..he is cute! sounds like you had a great day with him!! i totally agree about non-traditional dates. one of the first dates that nate and i went on was to the zoo. it was my idea, because i love the zoo! but it was so fun..we were outside, got to walk around a lot and just got to chat the whole day!

Erin said...

I love dates with my nephew, too! He just turned 3 and he is the light of my world! Except for my husband, of course. One our first date we went running...on our next date we went to a restaurant that continues to be "our" spot to this day :-)

Amber said...

Awww your nephew is so cute! Sounds like a wonderful afternoon!!

I love doing active things; some of my favourite dates with Eric have been hiking, rollerblading or playing tennis. I also LOVEEE camping!!

Dinner and a movie is so blah now-a-days, yet something we find ourselves doing quite often! Haha

Lisa-Marie said...

Your day sounds lovely - also, maybes you should move here, because I know quite a few menfolk who are partial to book shops and ice-cream!

On our first 'date' which was actually us meeting is friends but turned into a date, Dave and I went to a record shop, went to a pub for a few drinks, and his(then, it's now ours) flat. We'd been friends for a while though, that might not work if it wasn't someone you didn't know well!

Lauren @ Sassy Molassy said...

I agree, that sounds like a perfect date with a man. So does the restaurant/pub with games! I just think there's something about bookstores that is romantic and there are conversation starters everywhere...just pick up a book, read the title and inside cover. I hope you find a man soon that would be up for that date!

J said...

It is not too much to ask for a great date like that and I am sure you will find someone like that! I was just thinking of going to a bookstore this Saturday because it will be raining and just browsing around for a few hours!

My ideal date would be something outdoorsy, something that we can do together and that we both enjoy. I love adventure and I love doing new things! My first date with my bf now was just spending time together one night, he made dinner and then we hung out all night, literally we stayed up all night talking. it was really amazing. I have never done that with anyone else!

and yeah the camping stuff is expensive but we are trying to look for the best stuff at the lowest prices! lol

The Many Thoughts of a Reader said...

Our first date was to the movies and then Bennigans for dessert. It cracks me up that he came to pick me up and we went to a movie because it is totally out of his character to go to movies ebcause he is cheap and because he had to drive an extra 25 minutes north of the theater to pick me up and take me back haha.. sooo not his style.. though we had spent the first whole day we met talking.. it was cool..

my favorite kind of date would be a bookstore date.. or dinner and a baseball game.. or any sporting event actually..

Kyla Roma said...

I'm definitely with you- dinner and a movie kinda forces intimacy doesn't it? My favourites when Mister and I started dating were when we would go to a movie and then drive around listening to mix tapes we made each other and talking, or going for big walks when we had no where to go. Playgrounds are my favourite for getting to know you conversations too.

And I think most guys our age could learn a lot from your little man there =)

Cherry Blossoms said...

So sticken cute!

Kelly said...

Aw your nephew is a cutie- wish he could be in my class next year!

That sounds like an awesome date to me, but although Eric has gotten more into reading since I started dating him I don't think he is quite as obsessed with Barnes and Noble as I am. On our real first date we went to see the movie Coach Carter. The funny thing is...we saw a few movies when we first started dating in the theater now I literally haven't been to the movies with him in YEARS haha. Rather watch it on the couch at home :)

I don't want to sound like the annoying about to get married friend trying to set you up (thats really not me at all, I leave my single friends alone seriously) BUT have you tried match.com or any of those dating sites? I know you'd probably met some real weirdos BUT I like how you can just say straight up, this is my ideal date- that sound good to anyone else? and then go from there. I would do it if Eric was not in the picture...with one of my friends nearby for safety and back up haha just saying :)

Unknown said...

That sounds like a great day!

You are totally spot on with the dinner and a movie as a first date. It is weird. When I started dating my bf we would go to dinner and talk for hours, but we didn't hug or even kiss till our 3rd date. Then he would ask to hug or kiss me it was adorable yet awkward. After date 5 or 6 we were smooth sailing.

Shoshanah said...

Are they actually people out there who don't like Chipotle, books, and ice cream? I can't imagine what someone like that would be like.

As for Chatterbox Pub, that sounds like an awesome date. I love playing board games, but can never seem to find other people who enjoy them as well. A restaurant that has board games sounds pretty perfect to me!

Anais said...

I hope there is a date for you in the very near future! You're just such a great girl that I don't understand why there aren't like 50 men waiting at your door! Let's just say that your future husband will be very lucky :)

One of the best dates I went on was going skating on the Rideau Canal this winter actually! The guy and I had great conversation, exercised for like an hour and 1/2, then sat down with coffee and chatted some more :)