Let's face it, after spending a little while with someone - whether married or dating - the excitement wears off somewhat and a routine begins to form. A friend of mine came up with a marvelous way to combat that tired old dinner-and-a movie-scenario by creating what we call a date jar! (Said friend also has a wonderful blog full of DIY projects and vintage treasures! Check her out at Iron & Twine).
The date jar is simply a container with a bunch of suggested activities that you and your significant other come up with together and can pick at random whenever nostalgia begins to creep in. In Will and I's case, we found it an excellent way to explore things in Austin that we both wanted. We started by researching a bunch of activities that we haven't done yet, wrote them down and put them into our date jar. Feel free to throw away suggestions as soon as you draw them, or hold on to your favorites, to avoid repetition.
What you'll need:
- a jar as shabby or pretty as you'd like. (I love decorating with Mason jars so ours stands displayed atop our entertainment unit - but you could shove suggestions into an old ice cream container just as easily and put it away.)
- paper to write on (I recycled some butcher's paper and a paper grocery bag)
- scissors
- a pen (for a decorative touch, I used thick and thin sharpies)
- a local events/ venues guide can be a useful inspiration tool
- wine or whatever you both like to drink and music playing in the background to make it seem fun!! (let's be honest, the fellas might need a little convincing on this one!)
Make sure you both get a say on what constitutes a fun activity! The date jar is more likely to be successful if you both look forward to picking from it. Although each participant in a relationship typically has a different idea in this area, remember: a relationship is compromise! And nothing bad will happen to you if you spend a few hours golfing or at a shooting range... it'll be YOUR choice next time and your loved one will have to suffer through whatever that is! :P
PS: I tied some twine around my jar and afixed a label that I purchased from IKEA
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