My all-time favorite dates (so far!)

Whenever I would begin dating someone new, I would put them through some tests.

There are two I can think of right now:

1. He had to be willing to bake something with me.

and

2. When I did something nerdy, (i.e. pull out my stargazing app when walking around at night) he had to find it interesting, too. Or at least appreciate my nerdy-ness.

Obviously, I wouldn't base an entire relationship off of these things.

But when guys did not pass both of those tests, usually problems arose later in the relationship.

Tom has been the only one to pass both of these!

And I forced him into both of them within a few weeks.

We baked blueberry muffins and I added too much salt.

And I did, in fact, pull out the stargazer app one warm spring night on our second date.

What I found is that I wanted someone willing to try new things, and actually enjoy them for curiosity's sake.

(And yes, I wanted someone nerdy, too.)

One of the things I love about Tom is that I can say things like "Let's try this!" or "Let's visit this place!" 

And his response is never one of "Uggghhhhh fine, but you're buying me ice cream on the way home."

(We do like ice cream though!)

It's always, "Oh, that would be fun!"

So I have found that while tried-and-true dinner and a movie is always a solid option, my top favorites involve trying something completely new (and not even scouring the internet for reviews first!)

Trip to Springfield, Aug. 2012

In no particular order, five of my favorites from the past 21 months or so of our relationship!

Dance Class:

If you and your significant other/best friend/yourself have not tried a dance class, go. Go go go! I found a free one just by looking at the events calendar for our town. There were tons of them over the summer. The sucky part was that we had to switch partners throughout the class, BUT we did score some dance moves to show off at a summer wedding. And to break out randomly in the kitchen, parking lots, etc.

Bed & Breakfast:

For our Christmas together, since I had to get home to the Chicago burbs, we went for an overnight stay to Galesburg and stayed at a random B&B I found online. The price was cheap, we had a deliciously indulgent dinner and the innkeepers made us waffles in the morning. Can't beat weekend adventures!

Day trip to Springfield, IL:

Speaking of adventures. We took a day trip to Springfield to visit some sights and stop by the Illinois State Fair! Day trips are an easy, inexpensive way to get out and explore a bit. Plus, I was so inspired by the idea of spending the day somewhere new that I created a lame video about it with my broken camera. (Actually I love that video, even if it proves my level of amateurness.) 

Breaking into the botanical garden:

Me and Thomas, second or third date. Pretty sure it was the third.  We decided to take a walk down by the zoo/botanical garden/park area. As we were walking, we saw an entrance cracked for the botanical garden. Only later did we find out the door was cracked for a wedding, and we were actually supposed to pay like $9 to get in. Oops? Either way, it was really fun to walk around and get to know each other, even if we were total hoodlums. An unexpected, but very fun way to spend an afternoon.

The Mullet Family:

Ah, the second date. The stuff of legends. We went to Steak N' Shake for some dinner and milkshakes, and Tom pointed out a family behind us. A family of mullets.

ALL OF THEM. Mom, dad, and three little children. All mulleted. And the kids were wearing dinosaur pajamas and dousing their crackers in ketchup.

We still talk about that to this day.

This isn't really a date idea, I just wanted an excuse to relive the magic.

Farmer's Market:

I like to get up early and start the day. Most normal people (including my boyfriend) like to sleep in. So one day over the summer I woke up at the crack of dawn, otherwise known as 8 a.m., and mentioned how I wanted to go to the local farmer's market. So we went! We bought some berries and pastries and ate them down by the river and I really, really loved it. If you've got a guy who is willing to accompany you at 8 a.m. on a Saturday to the farmer's market, he's a keeper. And it makes for a pretty nice morning excursion/waffle house alternative.

Also, there was one more.

Then I forgot it.

(I forget things constantly. It makes me fear my elderly age, when I will surely believe I am a cat named Eleanor.)

What are some of your all-time favorite dates?

-H

Love Story, Part I of III

So I was going to do this about two months ago, on our one year anniversary. But then...I didn't.
I'm going to tell it now, though, because I think it's a pretty interesting story. Also I'm biased. But still.

Freshman year of college, first day of classes. Girl is majoring in journalism, boy is majoring in mechanical engineering. There are less than a handful of classes they could ever end up in together, and one of those is speech class. They both take the 9 a.m. course. (Girl takes an 8 a.m. chemistry before that class. Why she made that choice is a question she will ask herself three days a week for the rest of the semester.)

Boy and girl sit next to each other on the first day. In the front row, because they are nerds. (Or because the teacher placed them there.)

They spend every day not speaking to one another. Girl likes the way he blushes when he gives a speech, and his impeccable taste in shoes. She also thinks he finds her weird because, given that she is a morning person, she comes in daily slightly peppy and excited and one time put her pants on backwards. (Thanks to girl's roommate, who also had 8 a.m. chemistry, and let her know. Girl did not fix the pants before speech class.)

Girl also gave speeches on strange topics such as aliens and the history of Halloween, while everyone else talked about abortion. (Fun class.) Boy gave a speech about how his band won a talent show in high school. Girl is intrigued.

Girl is also intrigued when boy, who seems very quiet and shy, gives a speech one day, and she notices a hickey on his neck. She wondered what he did with his weekends. (Turns out, it was just a mosquito bite.)

One day, boy asks girl how her weekend was. Girl is stunned that boy is speaking to her. But they still don't talk much, even when they're part of the same final project group.

After that, they go their separate ways. It will be a year and a half before they speak again, aside from a few chance encounters...

Wedding and a water fight

This was definitely a whirlwind of a weekend! Tom and I drove to my hometown to attend a friend's wedding and a family party. It was exhausting, and so much fun. And I kind of wish I could do it all over again.

First I showed him around Woodfield Mall.

Then we went to the most lavish, elegant wedding I will probably ever attend. (P.S.-This is the Milwaukee Art Museum. It was in Transformers 3.)

I didn't even know orchids existed in that color?!

The next day we went to my favorite little shopping town, Long Grove. 

Then we attacked each other with water toys. My favorite moment was when my 5-foot-nothing grandma walked out with the super soaker.

Christmas Card photo 2012? I think yes.

Domesticity at its very finest.

Have a good week!!!

Midsummer Snapshots

So this week in lovely Peoria, temperatures will skyrocket to a cozy 100 degrees.

I am definitely more cut out for somewhere like Halloweentown, where it's sweater and cider weather all day, every day.

Anyway. My roommate Jess came back to visit this weekend, and we had such a good time! But the weekend went by way too fast. My mom's been out for the past couple days, too, so it's been a fun week!

Tom and I went to the Farmer's Market on Saturday...

...And ate berries and muffins on the riverfront!

Then Jess and I visited our baby chickens, who are no longer babies (they're the reddish ones in the back.)

My turkey friend.

Caitlyn, Jess and I went downtown for a girls' night

Club soda and lime, yum.

Summer bucket list item #25: Eat at Lou's Diner. Check!

I have been looking forward to this upcoming weekend for a long time and I am so, SO glad it's almost here. Tom and I head north to my hometown tomorrow after work for a wedding, a family party and some sightseeing. And we get to escape the heat (kind of) for a few days. 

Happy Wednesday! Or I guess I could just say "Decent Wednesday!" Wednesday is the most depressing day of the week, studies show. I kind of think Tuesdays are worse, but whatever. Science says Wednesdays are the low point. But I digress.

Bullies, swing dance and other musings.

Today I read more about the bus monitor who was viscously bullied by seventh graders, (see video here, though you've probably seen it already.) A website started up for her raised more than $500,000 dollars to send her on a vacation; the intended goal was $5,000.

That's absolutely remarkable.

Consider how much effort goes into raising money for natural disasters or diseases. It takes time. It takes dedication. Sometimes, it takes a celebrity at the other end of the phone call. But in this case? That money was raised in 36 hours.
For me, this whole story has been an interesting look into the psyche of people. It's fascinating to see what makes us tick.

First of all, it's crazy how much hatred a 12-year-old heart can house. Maybe that's just it, though. They can't possibly understand the plight of another human being because they've hardly started living yet. And they take advantage of it. They conveniently forget that human beings have emotions and lives of their own. And there is no way they can possibly understand what kind of a wrench they've just thrown in their life.

Then it also says something about what really gets our blood boiling. I think it's because, unlike hurricanes and genocide, we all have someone in our life that reminds us of the bus monitor. We think of grandmas or moms or aunts. That makes it relatable, personal even.

But it's strange how easy it is for children to be heartless. And it's unfortunate, too, because by the time they realize the scope of what they've done, it'll be years later. And that's likely when they'll have the maturity to process the severity of it. But the fact that so many people came together to show that woman that someone cares really re-instilled my faith in humanity.

On a lighter note-

Tom and I went swing dancing last night!

So it was lots of fun because it was outside, it was free, and we did a pretty good job! I did not like, however, that we had to change partners often. I ended up dancing with a lot of old men and a few high school theater kids. But still, we had a good time. And I must say, we looked pretty classy.

But I was thinking how much I enjoy these college years. I enjoy finding free things to do. Everything is fairly simple (compared to real grown-up living), and it's easy to live a decadent life on hardly anything. Because a dip in the pool on a hot afternoon or staying out late for a scoop of ice cream feels indulgent. And I hope that I never forget that, because that's what life is about. 

Later on, when I've got a mortgage to pay and kids to raise and a retirement fund, I want to remember that these are the kinds of things that really make a life worth living. And for me and Tom, it's fun to find creative dates to do while we're living as broke college students. That feels like real wealth to me.

And tonight, my roommate is back in town and we're all going to see "Brave"! I can't wait. I read that it took three years to make her hair.

Happy weekend! 

Settling in

It's been about a month since classes ended and work began, and I've finally settled into a sort of routine with it all. 

But what I love about summertime is that after work, there's no homework to take care of or late night emails that need to be handled right then and there. That leaves room for some spontaneity. 

Last week, for example, some friends and I went go-karting on a Tuesday night. Then we ate a ton of pizza and watched a movie.

That's Thomas and I before we rode the dune buggies for a second time. 

Then on Saturday, we went to my friend Lauren's wedding.

Attractive.

Me and some former newspaper people at Lauren's wedding.

And then after the wedding, I told Tom that I wanted to sit outside somewhere. But when we drove to the field he was going to take me to, it looked like this:

I took Tom on the ferris wheel for the first time in his life. He was not a fan. But that's another item off my bucket list!

And this weekend? Off to visit home, family and good friends.

Happy Wednesday!