Amber and Matt August Date Summary

I was a little disappointed that we did not make the time to get a July date in.  We had places on our calendar where we could have made it a point to get some time together, but I think we were just too worn out.  We were out of town 4 weekends in a row and didn't much else during the week.

I was so excited when Matt came home with a great date night idea for us.  First, I was excited that he came up with the idea.  Second, I was excited it was something other than going to dinner, movie, drinks etc.  Third, I was so pumped that it involved something we had been wanting to do!

We were going to a sushi making class!  The local grocery store had a sign up advertising it.  Matt frequently eats dinner there (where else do you eat when you work over night?) and had seen the sign one day.  I called to get us registered ASAP and he stopped in to pay one morning before he came home.  The class was $15 a person.  We had a great time, it was something different that we had wanted to do, and got some yummy food. 

Taken about 1/2 way through the class

Chef Jess making the sticky rice

 

I can't say that the class experience was quite what we thought it was going to be.  We still had lots of fun but were a little disappointed in the class.  There were about 30 people in the class and only the chef.  She started late, didn't have enough food supplies for us all, was texting during the class ( I hoped she was texting to ask for assistance or more food but neither of those showed up), ran out of water, ran over on time and we had to leave due to Matt needed to work that night, and didn't have any handouts for us to take home.  I asked her when we were leaving if she had anything for us to take home and she said no.  I asked her if she could email us the things we made- recipes, ingredients, etc.  She said she thought that was a great idea but I still have not received anything.  I also was disappointed that all of the things we used to make the sushi were not available for purchase at the store.  I was so excited to make the stuff we learned I wanted to buy all the ingredients to make more at home right away. 

Matt's first attempt at a California roll.  Notice the sticky rice on my hand (they were covered in rice so it was difficult to take the pics) and the look of concentration on his face.

Amber's first California roll--- yummy!  Pretty good for the first time!

Matt's first California roll--yummy, just not as pretty as Amber's. 

Amber's chop stick skills are improving!  Nevermind the lady chowing down in the back ground.  Her and her daughter were full of useful information.

Our second things we made ....if I had a handout with the things we learned I would be able to tell you what these are called.  Handrolls I believe.  Shrimp, Salmon, Red Snapper, Tuna -- I LOVED these!

The final roll of the night.  Spicy Tuna.  (before it was rolled) I think this was Matt's favorite.

Our table by the end of the night!  We are messy sushi chefs!

It was a fantastic date night and I loved that we did something different.  We laughed at each other and at other couples during the class and had so much fun.  Our anniversary is this week and I want to try to find a little sushi making set somewhere for my honey. We don't usually exchange gifts much but I think this would be something fun for us since we were wanting to try making our own anyways.  Has anyone else made their own sushi before?  

 

Well, after reading the last few of everyones dates, CLEARLY, the hubby and I need to step up our game and do something SPECTACULAR for our next date night!  You guys have amazing dates, and ours are simple and boring compared to everyone elses!  By God, we are going to do something WILD for our next date...  ;-)

August Date Night

We are super duper lucky to have a set of boy friends for our little guys that are of similar ages, so overnights usually include the 2 of the them ~ Thanks to Melissa for having the Patzer's hang, leaving us room for a date night.  We went really crazy and started our night at Midwest Lanes here in Glenwood.  They were celebrating their 15 year anniversary and I love supporting local business so we stopped there for a quick beer.  The funny part, they had a free hog roast going on, so bottoms up to a cash free supper!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  In addition, the gal that was having my boys spend the night was there with Hank, Sawyer, Ethan, and Elliott, so we watched them bowl a few frames while we ate and tipped a couple back.  After that, we debated, local or Omaha.  We opted for Omaha because shopping is waaaaaayyyyy better there.  We headed to the Old Market and found rock star parking which happens once in a lifetime, check that one off!!!  We hit a few of our favorite shops, Overland Outfitters, Nebraska Clothing, Souq, and Nouvelle Eve.  Our shopping trips never end pretty, I mean cheap.  Craig had been eyeballing a coat at the Outfitters and Don was just the salesman to convince him to make the purchase.  Don actually was in love with Craig, and I felt a little 3rd wheel.  Craig says, "you have to do what you can to ensure the discount!", what ev???  The coat was not even there for the picking, it has to be shipped in.  I did not make any fabulous purchases there, but ended up with a lovely rastafarian hat from Souq.  I love my hats almost as much as cowboy boots. 

After our shopping spree, we headed over to Nosh to have a glass of wine and some appetizers.  What a fun little joint.  We enjoyed some chit chat and watched the diving and track events from the Olympics.  We won't be able to do that again for 4 more years.  We walked around the corner after we were done toward the Capitol bar.  By the view, I think we were overage, versus underage to get in, so we chose to go home.  We really had a lovely time and look forward to September's date ~ Go BIG Red!  

Date Hike!

This month, we had a great opportunity for a unique date.  We went out to Kauai, Hawaii with Justin's family, so we knew we would have a chance to get out and have a date with just the two of us while his family watched the kids.  We decided we wanted the challenge of hiking the entire Kalalau Trail on the NaPali Coast of the North Shore.  It's 11 miles to the end and 11 miles back, so 22 miles of challenging, hilly, rocky trails.  We ended up walking for 13 hours that day!  A rainbow appeared for about five minutes and we lucked out by meeting up with another pair of hikers going the opposite direction.  They were nice enough to snap a photo of us with the rainbow in the background. :)

Mindy and Jason July Date

The summer is flying by and we have been busy as ever! Between Bible School and consignment sales I'm really not sure if we're coming or going! Thankfully, in July Mindy and I were able to find a free evening to get away. Before we left the house we decided it would be a Groupon filled date. We had two certificates that were near expiration and we had to use them!

Our first stop was at the Lucky Bucket Brewery in LaVista. The Groupon certificate included a tour of the brewery, but the only tour was at 5:30pm and it was close to 7 when we arrived. Needless to say, we didn't make it in time for the tour. Instead we shared a beer and bought a Lucky Bucket t-shirt...it doesn't get anymore romantic than that!

For dinner, we decided to try out Rock Bottom Brewery in the Old Market. Parking was crazy as it usually is in the summertime, so we spent a fun filled 20 minutes circling the cobblestone streets trying to find a place to leave our car. Luckily, we eventually found one and did not starve to death! The food at Rock Bottom was good. Even though it was really loud in the restaurant it was still nice to have a night away from the kids , decompress a little bit and just focus on each other for a while.

Our July date was fun, and we can't wait for our Super Collosial August Getaway Weekend that we have planned! Have a great month everyone!

Dan & Kenzie July Date

Yay for me for finally posting another date!  We had a nice date night in July.  We went to our favorite restaurant, Johnny's Italian Steakhouse.  Each of us had a couple drinks, a great appetizer and our food was amazing.  Great time together!  :)

Tara and Dan July Dates

We had TWO dates this month!

The first was a planned date, babysitter and everything. We went out for dinner to a restaurant with indoor/outdoor seating. We ate indoors and then had a drink outdoors. A plain ol' dinner date, but nice to get away and spend time talking and people watching.

Our second date was not planned and was a breakfast date. We dropped the kids off day camp and then decided to grab some breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts. Then made a trip to Lowe's to get some counter-top samples for the kitchen and look at ovens. Sounds boring! But it was my favorite of the two dates. :) I think because it wasn't planned and we just blew off work we were supposed to be doing at home.