babymooning, part dos.

After a few days spent soaking up the sun we decided to get up early one morning and drive 2 1/2 hours north to Orlando to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. It was such a fun day and we had a fabulous time walking the streets and visiting all of the shops. We went to HP World knowing that I wouldn't be able to go on any of the rides, but discovered at the Hogwarts castle that most non-riders (and their party!) can do a walk-through of the ride/attraction, following which the riders in the party get to jump straight to the front of the line for the ride. The non-riders get to wait in a little room by the exit and watch Harry Potter movies. At the end of the day we totaled up how long Ben would have had to wait in lines and realized that by doing the walk-through option each time, we saved over 3 hours of waiting in lines and Ben never had to wait more than 15 minutes to get on a ride (mechanical issues at Gringotts). That left us with 3 extra hours that we used to hunt down the best treats and explore other parts of the parks.

Honeydukes was beyond adorable and we enjoyed picking out some new candies to try as well as the classic Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans which we used to entertain ourselves while waiting in lines for certain stores.

At one point we asked a cute, older gentleman if he would take a photo of us with Hogsmeade/the Hogwarts castle in the background. The first attempt resulted in a picture of the sky. He insisted on trying again and ended up taking a selfie. Again, he insisted on trying to get it right. This gem of a picture was the final result:

#closeenough :)

There's so much to see and experience at both parts of HP World (trust me- I clocked in at 18,000 steps after walking around for 9 hours!), but our favorites included:  lunch at The Three Broomsticks, frozen butterbeer (save time by ordering it at The Three Broomsticks instead of waiting outside at the street cart), visiting Ollivanders Wand Shop, hearing Moaning Myrtle in the bathroom at Hogsmeade, butterbeer ice cream, doing the walk-through tour of the Hogwarts castle, visiting Gringotts, the Hogwarts castle ride (for Ben), riding the Hogwarts Express, and walking through Diagon Alley.

We spent the next few days of our trip swimming, lounging by the pool, reading, checking out the outdoor shopping mall, giving in to cravings (A juicy burger and fries. Mmm!), mini golfing, grilling, watching football, building more sandcastles, trying some local restaurants, and going for walks around the island. We had a hard time accepting the fact that we couldn't stay forever. ;)

^^ Don't mind our dumb faces and gross beach/pool hair. We looked homeless for a few days. :) ^^

Vacations are wonderful.

babymooning.

Ben and I have been married 3 1/2 years and, believe it or not, until this week we hadn't been on a "real" vacation since our honeymoon. We like to use our vacation time to travel home for holidays or big events, and if we travel around the midwest, we stay with gracious friends and family members who let us crash on their floor. I'm all for spending my travel budget on food and activities instead of fancy lodging!

With little miss on her way before too long (10 weeks left! Ahh!), we decided to treat ourselves to a week of uninterrupted time together in a place where the sun actually shines. A babymoon of sorts, if you will. We've been eating our fair share of Reese's cereal, cruising around the island with no destination in mind, building sandcastles like we're 5 years old, and attending the daily water aerobics class at the resort with the 50- to 85-year old ladies. (And watching out for the hoardes of invisible crabs! Okay, they're white. . .and I've only seen one over the last 3 days.)

Life is good.

surprise!!

Needless to say, we're super excited for February!

catching up.

You know when you discover a food that you love and you eat it every chance you get for weeks, months, maybe even years? And then in one strange moment you realize it's not appealing. At all. You're confused of course, because hello, your favorite food. (Maybe just me? Definitely went through a Pork & Beans phase, a Top Ramen phase, a mandarin orange phase, an oatmeal phase, etc. while in my youth - some lasting for years.)

Well, my friends, that same thing happened to me with blogging. It was sandwiched on my list of delightful activities between cleaning toilets and lugging groceries up two flights of stairs; essentially it became a chore. Granted, it was a self-imposed, non-essential chore and because it was so non-essential, I happily let it fall to the wayside without a care. But now I'm kind of wishing that I'd kept up the last two months with posting pictures or just the basics because I don't document life anywhere else. Everyone has things they're really great at, and for me writing in a journal is sandwiched between rapping and making bundt cakes (totally awful at both... don't ask me to try either) (lots of "sandwiches" today - must be hungry).

So what have we been up to for the last two months? Moving, surviving crazy Airbnb guests, going on bike rides, celebrating our birthdays, cleaning up after a flood in the basement and garage, avoiding unpacking because it's the worst, watching baseball, indulging in Netflix marathons, partying for a weekend with the girls, working more hours in three weeks than I ever thought possible, driving out west to visit family, and celebrating my best friend.

It's been busy. Especially the Netflix part.

 ^^Ben bought me a bike. We flooded. We flooded some more.^^

^^Mormon Night @ the Cardinals. Girls' weekend in St. George. Road trip out west to see family.^^

^^Jackson Hole, WY. Best burger & fry sauce of my life. Sister-in-law's graduation.^^

^^Sister-in-law went through the temple. Baby shower for my BFF. Park City with the family.^^

how i protect myself from identity theft.

One Saturday morning back when I was 9, I was sitting backwards on the couch in our living room looking out the window as I waited for my dad to drive me somewhere. As I was watching cars go by, a red car quickly pull up to our curb and a man opened the little door to the mailbox. He then took the envelopes my parents had set inside that morning for the mailman and sped off.

It turns out that the envelopes contained checks for various things - checks that were wiped clean and filled out by the man in the red car's wife. I remember my mom talking about what a hassle it was to deal with the bank and prove that had been identity theft victims; there were stacks of papers to go through, bank accounts to close, and handwriting tests to show innocence. Seeing what an unfortunate event it was for my parents to go through, I've been leery of letting my information fall into the wrong hands and especially of putting too much personal information out there!

 How I Protect Myself From Identity Theft

 

1 // File away important information in a safe place.
A while ago I bought a fire-proof file box that has a lock on it* and also bought some hanging file folders. I have files for our important information (birth certificates, SS cards, marriage license, Ben's passport, etc.), car loan papers, bank account papers, insurance papers, and tax papers (I do one file for each year). Don't carry around more personal information in your wallet than you have to - I know too many people who always have their SS card on them and it makes me nervous for them.

*Don't leave the key in the lock or you're really not doing much to protect your information!

2 // Shred, shred, shred.
I may be a bit paranoid about this one, but I never ever throw away papers or receipts that have my name, address, or any personal information on them. I haven't gone as far as making sure to shred every single receipt, but I do shred a good portion of them. Also, I cut old credit cards into teeny tiny pieces and throw the pieces away in 3 different trash cans just to be safe. (I warned you about the paranoia. ;)

3 // I'm weary about what I share on social media.
If I tag a location or check in on social media, there's a 75% chance I'm not still there. A) I don't want people to know that I'm not at home, and B) I don't really like having people know exactly where I am. (There are a few exceptions to this, however.) I don't post a lot of information on Facebook or Instagram - e.g., I don't post my hometown, what high school I went to, pictures of the layout of my apartment, etc.

4 // Don't open emails that raise a red flag.
I don't open emails unless I know the sender, the email address seems legit, or I read the first line that shows up and it sounds like a real person. I automatically delete emails that show up with a "no content" warning and I never, ever, ever reply to emails that ask for bank information, tell me I'm being sued and need to pay money, or ask for any other personal information. Even if it's a legit email, I refuse to send my SS# and bank account information over the internet and ask them to call me.

5 // Create good passwords & change them often.
It kills me that people use "Password" or "1234" as their password. How easy it would be to hack into your computer or phone! I make sure all of my passwords are completely random and have a good mixture of lowercase and capitalized letters and numbers. Never write down passwords, and don't use the same password for every single account. If you can lock your phone, do it and never store information on it that you'd regret putting there if someone stole your phone.

6 // Check your credit score often.
When Ben and I were engaged, we had to meet with a church leader each week where he'd give us advice on a variety of things. One thing that stood out to me is that he mentioned checking your credit score every 4-6 months to make sure that someone isn't stealing your identity. The following three companies offer one free credit score check each year: Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union. If you use Mint to track your money, it'll do an automatic credit score check every few months and we've really liked going that route.

7 // Remember that's what in "public" can, heaven forbid, potentially become public information.
After the checks had been taken from our mailbox, my mom started dropping off mail with any personal information/checks at the post office drive through because she didn't want to risk having mail stolen again. Just like mail, any information you leave out on your kitchen counter could be seen by the plumber, a nosy neighbor, your teenager's friends. Nothing is private unless it's stored and locked away!

What do you do to protect yourself from identity theft?

another what we've been up to post.

Ben:
// still serving as the Young Men's president at church
// joined a student consulting group
// has rekindled his love of biking

Lex:
// serving as the secretary in the Relief Society presidency
// was given a promotion in Cardiology
// loves listening to audiobooks

We:
// have two apartments for the month of June & are slowly transitioning to the new one
// discovered Airbnb and love "renting" out the old apartment
// like watching classics on Netflix with a bowl of kettle popcorn

10 things I would tell my 16-year old self.

 1. Your parents are actually pretty cool. Before you know it, you'll be calling up your parents every day just to chat because you're best friends.

2. You'll never see your high school friends again. Unless you make time for it. People get busy, move away, and life goes on. Besides a small handful of people that I text/meet up with when I'm in town/follow on Instagram or Facebook, I really couldn't care less about keeping in touch with people from high school.

3. Exclusive dating in high school is dumb. Why tie yourself down to one person when there are hundreds of other people you could get to know? Some people end up marrying their high school sweetheart, but most people could avoid a bunch of drama and heartbreak.

4. Study for the ACT test like your mom tells you to. Or else you'll end up scoring well enough to get into your college of choice, but you'll miss the mark for scholarships by a few points.

5. Take the time to figure out what you might like to study in college. In order to (help) avoid switching majors and losing time, do your research on different careers and narrow it down to a few realistic options.Also, meet with a counselor the first week of college and plan out your class schedule for the next few years if possible!

6. Stop spending money on snack wraps at McDonalds. A) McDonalds will make you fat, and B) what a waste of money that you'll wish you had in college when your textbooks come out to $500 a semester.

7. Wear sunscreen and don't go tanning. You only get one shot at keeping your skin healthy and cancer-free! And orange is an awful color on anyone.

8. Enjoy high school. Stop wishing away the days thinking that college will be so much better (which, let's be honest, it totally is). Enjoy the few responsibilities that you have and go have fun!

9. Do things you know you shouldn't more often. . .but nothing too bad! The worst thing I ever did in high school was climb on an elementary school roof to look at the stars with friends. Needless to say, I'm not a very exciting person because I don't like taking risks, haha. I wish I had more exciting stories to tell my future kids.

10. Sleep, read, cook, and serve more. Work on developing new skills and use all of that free time to do worthwhile things. Chatting with friends for hours each day is great, but it's not going to help you much 5, 10, or 20 years down the road. (Granted, moderation in all things - friends are great and totally necessary.)

 What would you tell your 16-year old self?

heard this quote recently and I just love it.

"No matter how successful you are, or think you are, it's a good idea to sit down once in a while and evaluate how well you're managing the various activities and responsibilities in your life. ... If you feel overwhelmed, if nothing seems fun or fulfilling anymore, or if your activities are only a frustration, then maybe you need to change your juggling technique." - Chris Crowe

Read more here.

miscellaneous.

// I just started listening to The Book Thief and I'm loving it thus far. We also watched The Imitation Game this past weekend and rather enjoyed it. Anything WWII is my favorite.

// Because I was promoted to a clinical position at work, I had to get a drug screening done. Instead of having you pee in a cup, they shave a 1" x 1" square in the back of your head. I've never felt so attached to my hair.

// I read an article this week that ranked the top 10 worst cities to live in if you have allergies. Of course, St. Louis made that list. Ha. My eyes and nose can testify of the validity of that statement.

// I'm 24 days into the Whole 30 program and last night I had my first dream about food. Snowcones, to be exact. Am I dying for sugar, or am I dying for summer? Probably both...

// For 3.02938 seconds, Ben and I considered spontaneously going to Ireland until we realized that would be an incredibly stupid financial decision for us right now. It was a fun 3.02938 seconds though and I can't stop looking at Groupon vacation packages.

// I recently created a Goodreads account and love that it allows you to keep a list of books you want to read! Do you have an account? Let's be friends! (Random fact: I like to read multiple books all at the same time.)

"these are a few of my favorite things"

receiving flowers
sleeping in
finding notes in the mail
going to the temple
date night
trying new restaurants
boarding a plane
Cafe Rio pork & tomatillo dressing
buying something I want or need for a good deal
clever memes
reading
going to bed after a long, productive day
soft and warm pj's
being home while it's raining
stripes and polka dots
organizing and cleaning
clean comedy shows
fresh, warm bread
trying new things
planning a vacation
decorating for a holiday
knowing I did my best on a task
Primary
candles
figuring something out that confused me before
surprising someone
being surprised
entertaining YouTube and Vine videos
multitasking
Amazon Prime
girls' nights and chick flicks
an empty laundry basket
new makeup
funny things kids say
pico de gallo and tortilla chips
finishing a project
mozzarella
wrapping up in a blanket
Christmas & church music

another what we've been up to post.

Ben:
// still serving as the Young Men's president at church
// keeping busy with his thesis and projects
// just flew to Florida for his 2nd conference this month

Lex:
// teaching four 5-year old boys in Primary
// still working in Cardiology
// took a crocheting class through a local community college and feels like a grandma

We:
// went to our first hockey game last night
// were asked to be a "pa" and "ma" on trek this summer
// avoid doing the dishes like the plague and let them build up more days than not
// are planning a quick getaway to Florida in a few months

Adios, 2014!

Noteworthy things in 2014:
- Lex started classes at Washington University.
- We moved to apartment that has heat (hip hip hooray!) and a giant seafoam green jacuzzi tub from the 70s. Both are really great.
- Ben visited both the East Coast and West Coast as he attended several conferences.
- Lex (accidentally) went blonde for a week.
- Ben passed his qualifying exam and is well on his way to becoming Dr. A!
- We celebrated two years of marriage!
- Lex went on an Alaskan cruise with her mom and grandparents, and tried to convince Ben to move there when she got back.
- Ben went under the knife laser and can now see in the morning without glasses. He's thrilled.
- We had lots of family and friends come stay with us throughout the year and we loved showing them around the city.
- We survived a year of crazy schedules, too many Netflix binges, and a few road trips. :)

Places visited:
Ben:  Marco Island, FL; Palo Alto, CA; Salt Lake City, UT; New York City, NY
Lex:  Memphis, TN; Chicago, IL; Juneau, AK; Victoria, BC
Both: Salt Lake City, UT; Branson, MO; Nashville, TN; Denver, CO

Popular things in our home:
Cinnamon rolls
Netflix
Reading books together at night
J.crew Factory
BYU football games

Happy New Year to you and yours! We hope that your 2014 was filled with memorable and happy times, and that your 2015 is just as special, if not more!

Tips for Reducing Stress

I made it through finals and the semester!!

Basically, I want to shout it from the rooftops and post annoying Facebook statuses and maybe even a picture or two on Instagram, but I'll refrain. This semester was the absolute craziest. I went into it thinking that it would a piece of cake, but somehow I ended up being busier than ever and personal time became non-existent except for on Saturday and Sunday evenings. I had a few meltdowns, I stopped cooking meals (I can't tell you how many quesadillas and PB&J sandwiches I've had over the last 3 1/2 months! Disgusting, right?), and too many times I ran out of clean clothes. Some weeks I was only home for 8-9 hours a day and that includes eating, sleeping, getting ready for the day, and trying to clean for a minute or two.

Besides the end of the semester making her presence known, December is always a stressful month for me. Church parties to attend, friend parties to attend, work parties to attend, treats to make for those parties, gifts to purchase, crowds at the stores, less sunshine, cold weather, etc. I'm sure I'm not the only one that completely stresses out around this time of year, so I want to share some tips to reduce stress that Ben shared with me recently while I was freaking out about finals. (His program directors emailed this out to all of the grad students...guess PhD's are stressful or something?? ;))

1. Have more fun, both individually and with friends.
2. Take care of your body. Eat better, get more sleep, and exercise.
3. Organize and prioritize your time.
4. Learn to say "no."
5. Adjust your perspective. Is "X" a crisis? Am I being a perfectionist?
6. Relaxation training.
7. Get more support.

I'm committing myself to eating less quesadillas, getting more sleep, saying "no" more often, and working on not being a perfectionist. :)

Our Thanksgiving break was desperately needed and absolutely fabulous.

// We kicked off Thanksgiving break with a homemade pumpkin roll, because hello, holidays. My mom makes pumpkin rolls around this time of year, so I decided to give it a try. Needless to say, I had quite the experience trying to get the cake out of the pan and on to a towel to roll it up. I may or may not have contemplated just giving up on the whole pumpkin roll idea right then and there and thought about turning it into some very cake-y pumpkin bars. After some cracks, tears, and pieces completely breaking off, it somehow turned into a successful pumpkin roll. Checking that off my list!

// It snowed the day before Thanksgiving and I was in holiday heaven. That is, until it turned to ice and I slipped down our back steps giving myself a gnarly looking bruise and adding some battle wounds to my boots. #thisiswhyicanthavenicethings

// Instead of heading to Denver or SLC for Thanksgiving, we stayed in St. Louis and had a Friendsgiving. Some couples from church and one of Ben's coworkers came over for a feast, and a feast we had! Turkey, steaks (my family's go-to instead of turkey), mashed potatoes & gravy, stuffing, rolls, and a random assortment of dishes--it was delicious and I probably gained 10 pounds. (Good thing J.crew just had a sale on stretching pants/leggings.) After eating, we busted out the new Just Dance game and spent an hour learning some new moves. ;) It was only natural to follow that with pies and ice cream.

// Because of the protesting going on in St. Louis, we weren't expecting many stores or malls to be open, but fortunately a good number of them were. My friend and I hit up Michael's and Old Navy on Thursday night and were surprised that both stores were practically empty. Friday morning, Ben and I ventured out to check a store or two and successfully finished 90% of our Christmas shopping. (Boo to protestors shutting down the mall and other stores.) Side note: IT IS SO HARD TO SHOP FOR TEENAGE BOYS, LET ALONE THREE OF THEM. That is all.

// Ben got one of his Christmas presents early and has since tried to teach me how to play Halo. I will never understand, or be good at, video games, and somehow I manage to live with myself. ;)

// Working at a hospital is bound to kill me one day. Regardless of how many times I sanitize my hands, pens, desk, phone, etc., I seem to catch a cold at least every two weeks. No joke. The amount of tissues and cough drops I've purchased in the last few months is exorbitant. I spent most of Thanksgiving break in bed watching Call the Midwife (I finished it and don't know what to do with myself. Show suggestions, please.) and working on a blanket I'm crocheting. Ben thinks I'm an 80-year old lady sometimes--can't say I blame him.

// We had the missionaries and some friends over for dinner on Sunday night, and were shown this great video that the church has produced. What a great reminder of the reason for the season!

snow, Christmas decor, and ramblings.

// It snowed! It snowed! There's just something about the first snowfall that makes me giddy and even more excited about the upcoming holidays. Plus, giant steaming cups of hot chocolate sprinkled with cinnamon? I'm sold.

// Ben has been in New York City for the past couple of days, so I've been left to my own devices - which usually results in a lot of chick flicks, Honey Bunches of Oats for dinner, and crafts that involve glitter. This past weekend I dragged some of our Christmas stuff up from the basement (gasp - before Thanksgiving!) and got to work. It's a work in progress, but a start's a start. If only I could haul that Christmas tree up two flights of stairs...

// Yesterday I decided it was high time I put on my big girl pants and get myself over to Home Depot to buy some window insulation kits. These are the kinds of things I usually leave for Ben to do, but with him gone for a few more days and the apartment being a drafty 67 degrees on a good day, I took matters into my own frozen hands. I'm happy to announce that I can now insulate a window all by myself and it doesn't even look half bad! Feeling kind of invincible--and warm--right now.

// I'm sure most, if not all, of you have heard about the Ferguson happenings over the past couple of months. (Ferguson is 9 miles from our place.) Basically, it's the Trayvon Martin case all over again. The grand jury is supposed to announce in the next week whether or not the officer who shot Michael Brown is guilty, and regardless of the decision, major rioting and violence is expected throughout the city. If you're the praying type, would you mind saying a few prayers for the police officers and National Guard members that will be responding to the events, and maybe St. Louis in general as well? Thank you, thank you! Also, if you have any great 72 hour kit tips feel send them my way as I put ours together in the next day or two.

// Since I can't end this post on such a somber note, I have to share this video on how to lose a million dollars (and a car!) in a matter of seconds. Bless him.

in which i pretend i have painting skills.

A few weeks ago, my friend Alicia discovered a thing called Paint Nite on Groupon. She sent out an email to all of the women in our ward inviting us to tag along with her, and I thought the idea was so great that I signed up immediately! I've never been one to pull out paint and paper and create masterpieces (mostly because I can't paint or draw to save my life), but this event sounded too fun to pass up.

Paint Nite usually takes place at a bar (people can get unlimited drinks with the Groupon - we got ice waters, haha) where an art instructor shows everyone how to paint the same picture. We signed up to paint a bunch of blue flowers.

From looking at the pictures, you get the idea that everyone interprets things differently or takes their painting in different directions. One guy decided to paint his abstractly while some women chose to follow the instructor exactly, and my friends and I decided to half listen to the instructor and half do whatever the heck we wanted!

All in all, it took about 2 hours from start to finish and the time seriously flew by. We had so much fun sipping our ice waters (haha) and chatting while painting. I think it's safe to assume that we're all looking forward to trying it again next time it's discounted on Groupon! Wherever you live, you should definitely check out what paintings are being done in your area and jump on that!

^^I have to admit, I'm super surprised that I don't absolutely hate my painting. Pretty sure it won't be displayed anywhere in our apartment, but I'm proud of the fact that I actually painted something!^^

Have you done something similar to this before?

what can i say? i like holidays.

// Ben left Friday morning to head out to a funeral, so I was home alone all weekend long. I decided that in addition to studying for a Human Development test coming up (bleh), I was going to do all of the girly things I've been wanting to do. Like make some crafts and decorate for Halloween. And maybe watch a few episodes of Call the Midwife.

// Speaking of decorating for Halloween, I had absolutely zero Halloween stuff so I made myself those sparkly black letters, bought some candy and a black bird, and sewed a few buntings. This could be the start of something expensive wonderful. I like holidays too much.

// I discovered the easiest and most delicious recipe for Reese's stuffed peanut butter cookies and I'm grateful for friends who helped me eat all of them so I didn't.  I also rediscovered my love for frozen grapes.

// I've been thinking a lot about this talk and how agency can bring about some of our greatest blessings, or lead to some of our greatest struggles.

// Calling all bookworms:  lately Ben and I have been taking turns reading Divergent aloud to each other in the evenings right before falling asleep. We're almost done with the book and need suggestions for what to read next!

Happy Monday!

running out of summer days.

With summer on its way out and fall just around the corner, I'm getting really excited for some weather changes. But that also might just be because it's been 100 degrees over here recently, with 80% humidity. I die.

Between evening classes and life just being generally busy, there have been quite a few summer activities I haven't gotten around to doing yet this year. Fortunately, my sister-in-law is visiting us this week and was up for a visit to the zoo! Our first 10 minutes was spent searching for an animal (it was so hot they were all hiding), and it pains me to report that a squirrel digging through a garbage can was the first one we saw. The seal tunnel (with A/C!), however, made up for those initial disappointing moments. I'm not an animal person - never have been, never will - but that seal tunnel was pretty sweet and definitely something I could regularly visit.

We have a few festivals going on this weekend and we'll probably hit up a local burger joint in between! Gotta get all of these summer activities in before it's too late. :)

Happy Friday!

along the journey.

In this old world, all of us get a little nicked and scarred, beat up here and there. We become damaged in some ways, and we probably do more damage to others than we’d like to think. Along the journey, we become a bit jaded, weary and wary, and it’s easier to mistrust than trust, easier to abandon hope than harbor it, and perhaps for good reason. We have to protect ourselves. It’s a part of life, unfortunately; part of what we all experience.

Maybe that’s why we all need to hold a newborn every so often. Looking into the eyes of an infant, all you can see is peace and innocence. And if you look a little deeper into a baby’s eyes, perhaps you can see hope and sweetness in the reflection of your own face. Babies give us the chance to leave one world and enter a better one.

Excerpt from here

This little one belongs to a friend of mine from church. She was born last week and is the sweetest thing! Taking her photos was so much fun. . .and much easier than trying to get photos of a toddler! ;)

Need some fun and exciting date ideas?

Since it's Friday and you might be wondering what you should do for date night this weekend, here are a few of my favorite ideas that you might want to try out! Keep in mind that sometimes things don't go exactly according to plan, so go with the flow and find something that you and your spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend would both enjoy. :) I came up with these lists with married couples in mind, but they're easily adaptable for whatever stage your relationship is in. Don't forget to let me know in the comments what some of your favorite free (or cheap!) date night ideas are.

P.S. Tonight we're heading to a free movie in the park put on by the city and will also be stopping by our favorite custard place. It'll be fun, something new, and under $3. Score!

• Go to your local library or Barnes & Noble, find an interesting book to read, and plop down in a comfy chair.
• See if your community puts on free outdoor movies or plays in the park, and hit up one of those!
• Pick a movie to watch at home and make a themed dinner and/or dessert to go along with it. For example: Watch Napoleon Dynamite, serve tater tots and some "dang quesadillas," and have a dance party. Don't forget your chapstick!
• Go for a hike.
• Find a new bike trail and go for a ride.
• Take your laptop to the park and watch a movie. 
• Create a photo scavenger hunt list and find those items/people together. 
• Decorate your home for the next upcoming holiday.
• Go to "Italy." Eat a home-cooked Italian meal, find an Italian Pandora station, and paint like Michelangelo (tape paper to the underside of your kitchen table, but don't forget to wear shirts that you don't mind getting paint on!).
• Go sledding. 
• Play board games.
• Build a fort. 
• Put on a movie but mute it and speed up the time just a little. Together, you create the dialogue for what the characters are saying. You'll be rolling on the floor in tears in no time! 
• Play dress-up at your local thrift store. Put together funny outfits for each other.
• Create a little fire outside and make s'mores.
• Ask each other these questions while stargazing.
• Find a pond and feed the ducks.
• Check out the local farmer's market and sample different foods.
• Hit up a fair or festival going on in your area.
• Volunteer together at a community event.
• "Camp" in your backyard for a few hours. Pull out camp chairs, tell ghost stories, make s'mores, enjoy the stars, then pack it all up when you're done.
• Download a stargazing app and see how many constellations you can find.
• Find out if your community hosts any free 5k runs and do that together.
• Have a YouTube night - take turns sharing your favorite funny clips with each other.
• Look at the pictures on each others' phones and tell the stories behind the photos (or reminisce if you were both there).
• Walk around a free art museum or gallery.
• Go fishing.
• Look up free tourist attractions in your city and tour one you've never been to before.
• Do a puzzle, but don't forget some snacks!
• Learn how to say phrases in another language.
• If you have a GPS, go geocaching.
• Go to the gym together or play on a playground.
• Check out ancestry.com and read up on each others' extended family.
• Stop at garage sales or estate sales, just to see what interesting things you can find. 
• Read a book out loud together.

• Split a meal (take-out) and watch a movie at home.
• Go to a dollar movie and share some popcorn.
• Grab a $5 footlong sandwich from Subway and go for a picnic in the park. Don't forget a baseball and mitts!
• Buy a small bouquet of flowers from your local grocery store and pass out flowers to people on the street who need a pick-me-up.
• Buy a strange ingredient from the store and come up with a recipe using that item.
• Make cookies together and deliver them to friends. (Doorbell ditch them, obviously!)
• Find some postcards of your city and send them to friends or family.
• Walk along Main Street in your town and grab a small treat from a shop you've never been to before.
• Have a little fondue party with just the two of you.

• Go swimming at a community pool.
• Go ice skating or classic skating.
• Check out a local high school's play.
• Mini golf.
• Rent a paddleboat or a canoe and take it for a spin around a lake or pond.
• Buy a small (cheap!) piece of furniture off of Craigslist and fix it up together. (For example: a rocking chair, a nightstand, a small table, a bench, etc.)
• Find a local restaurant that has live music on certain nights and get a meal or treat to share.
• Go to a planetarium (find out if they have discounted nights/hours).
• Pick your own fruit at an orchard.
• Buy a disposable camera and snap pictures of the two of you (yes, selfies) in random places. Get the pictures developed and put the photos up around your home.
• Plant some flowers in your yard. If you're renting, plant them in planters for your porch or inside.
• Go to the pet store and pick out a fish together. 

• Go to a comedy club show.
• Go bowling.
• Check out the zoo if you have one nearby.
• Try indoor rock climbing.
• Have a progressive fast food dinner. Fries at one place, burgers at the second, a shake at the last (or whatever kind of fast food you want!). 
• Take a community class together (cooking, art, dancing, etc.)
• Go camping.
• Go to the shooting range or take a class.