Date nights are something Thomas and I look forward to doing whenever we get the chance. We both believe in carving out time to focus on each other outside of work to continue to nurture and grow our relationship. Since fall marks the beginning of our busy season, we find it especially hard to schedule dedicated date nights in advance. So instead, we came up with 5 last minute date night ideas we can do with little to no advanced planning. We welcome any new ideas as well!

1. Bike Ride/Walk + Picnic + Sunset – We often work indoors, so going on an evening bike ride or walk to a local park, pier or beach to watch the sunset is a favorite date night idea. We’ll bring along a bottle of wine and snacks like veggie spring rolls, hummus and gluten-free chips and green olives (one of my faves) in a picnic basket, along with a small blanket and, of course, bug spray.
2. Music + Dancing + Games – Ever since I surprised Thomas last Christmas with a turntable, we’ve enjoyed spending evenings at home listening to records by candle light, even dancing (if we can find an open space in our itty bitty rental), or playing a game like dominos late into the night.
3. Cooking + Candle Light – Thomas does most of the cooking in our house, so it’s fun once in awhile to spend time making dinner together, from shopping to chopping to cooking to creating a romantic candle lit table for two. We turn off our cell phones and just spend time enjoying a meal together, talking and laughing into the night.
4. Breakfast + PJs + Slumber Party – Sometimes our date night consists of slipping into our pjs and having Thomas make one of his super delicious breakfasts for dinner, like his amazing pancakes. We’ll sit on the sofa or floor with lots of pillows, enjoying ‘breakfast’ together, and have our own slumber party.
5. Evening Out + Cocktails + Friends – When we’re in the mood to go out, we’ll get a little dressed-up (or at least I may) and head for one of our favorite bars and enjoy a cocktail together, sometimes meeting up with friends, which is always a treat. We may have dinner out as well, or just opt for sharing small bite sized snacks together.