It was Friday, and I was ready to do this: 10 dates in one day.
Wait, 10 dates? 10 complete, interesting dates? Yep.
The idea came to me a while ago, and I just had to try it. For those who seem to be always busy, you're lucky to get one date night a week or even a month. But today, we tried 10.
[Read: How to date your husband
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Here's the list of the dates we went on, and what we learned from each date. You may have done these dates 100 times, but there's something new to gain from each one. Try them again, and they may surprise you.
1. Eating breakfast
A simple breakfast date can be the best way to start your morning. If you want to step it up a notch, cook together! We ate waffles, eggs, bacon and fruit. If you live together, try breakfast in bed; but watch out for the crumbs! We learned we had to start our day pretty early if we wanted to try 10 dates in one day, so breakfast started at 8 am.
2. Exercising
Some feel intimidated by an athletic or exercise-related date, but this can be simple and take as long as you'd like! Go for a hike, take a bike ride or do silly workout videos from the '80s. We decided to do 20 minutes of indoor exercise and 20 minutes walking outdoors.
3. Bowling
Work on your bowling form with this classy, go-to date. Make it a competitive activity, or just have fun! If you don't want to pay to bowl, be creative and set up 2-liter soda bottles. Roll a tennis ball or softball at the pins, and get a strike!
We went to the bowling alley and had a fun time trying to beat the other person's score. He only won by 10 points! Luckily, at this point in the day, we weren't too tired yet.
4. Building a fort
Go back in time, and be a kid again. Building a fort can take 10 minutes or 2 hours, depending on how serious you are about construction. String up some lights and bring extra pillows to glam up your space. This date can be great for teamwork and silliness. Our fort took 20 minutes to build and included more than 5 blankets, but it was totally worth it.
5. Making a pie
Any type of cooking brings people together, and this is a date we could eat! Make your own dough and talk about your favorite sweet treats. Our apple pie only had one roadblock: we realized halfway through we didn't have anymore flour left, so we had to buy more at the store.
6. Running errands
You may think driving around town and going to different stores is boring; but when you're with the right person, you can make a date out of it! You'll learn a lot about the other person, too. If he has to wait in a long line to return that sweater his mom bought, you'll be able to see how he handles that situation. You can jam out to music in the car as you run from place to place.
Our errands included buying groceries, going to the post office and checking the tires on my car. Even simple errands were fun to do because we were with each other.
7. Visiting family
If you are close, and if family lives nearby, you can stop by their homes for a family-style date. Play a few games, catch up and offer to help family members with something. This will bring you and your date closer; though, it's probably best to do this kind of date once you've known each other a while. Our family visit took about an hour, and we enjoyed catching up with siblings.
8. Painting with creativity
What do paint bottles, darts and balloons have in common? Put them together, and you have a super fun and creative date. It takes a bit more planning, but you'll need a board/sheet to hang, balloons, paint and darts. Fill the balloons with paint and staple, nail or tape the balloons to the board. Then, throw the darts at the balloons! You'll have a splattered masterpiece and a creative date to remember.
If you don't have those materials nearby, try fingerpainting or coloring in a coloring book. Take your mind off stress and the things you have to do, and let your artistic skills shine.
9. Talking
Can two people go on a date that involves just talking? You bet! Most people choose to talk over coffee, dessert or dinner; either way, a good conversation can be one of the best dates if you're with the right person. Try asking each other random questions or debating an important issue. Keep it civil, fun and light.
Even though we talked all day long, we decided to try to sit down and just talk. We put away our phones and computers to eliminate distractions. It was actually refreshing to talk face-to-face without showing the other person a video or picture.
10. Watching a movie
This date may seem the most cliche, and maybe it is, but it's a classic that is cheap and easy. Maybe combine some of the previous dates above-watch a movie inside a fort while you eat the pie you both baked? Watch a movie you both haven't seen, so you'll have something more to talk about when it's over.
So, yes, these 10 dates can be accomplished in one day, but you have to start early, end late and have a lot of energy. You can try each of these on a different night, or combine some ideas yourself. The important part of these dates is taking the time to be involved and attentive to your significant other. Make sure he or she is having a good time, and you'll have fun naturally.
