Date Night Planning

Jennifer and I never did the boyfriend/girlfriend dating stage because we went from meeting each other, to long distance, to getting married. Then we were married and didn’t have to date because we were already living together and broke. We just settled into a comfortable routine of cooking dinner, hanging out together and watching TV and then going to bed and getting busy.

Then the kids came and by the time we actually got to have a date night, we were so tired from jobs and little kids that all we could imagine for date night was dinner and a movie. We’d go about three different places for dinner total. I would always order a cheeseburger. About eight years ago we both discovered we liked sushi, so that got added into the mix as well. Sushi and a movie… my seduction is unstoppable. Not.

Fast forward…

We have date night coming up on Wednesday. I casually mention to Jennifer today that I have three possible date night plans for her to choose from.

Jennifer: “Three?! I’m impressed.”

She is already grinning like the Cheshire Cat and we haven’t even done anything yet. I rock.

Athol: “Well the first is the easy low stress one. Dinner and a movie, but the restaurant is nice and somewhere neither one of us been before.”   This one really is easy and low stress, but the restaurant would make her very happy. I’ve checked the menu out and I already know what she would order if we went and it’s kind of a unique dish. If we don’t go on date night, I’m saving this one for the future.

Athol: “The second option is going to Mohegan Sun (huge casino and shopping mall thing), but that’s a bit of a haul and going to depend on babysitting timing to enjoy it.”  This is true, we keep staying it’s a good idea to go, but it is a haul to get there. So this is really just a throw-a-way option to pad out the three. Always have a throw-a-way option, it makes them feel in-control when they automatically discount something and blinds them to the fact that they are now in fact choosing between two pre-selected choices you have already defined.

Athol: “The third option is ‘Magical Mystery Tour’”. It’s like catnip to her and she immediately chooses option three.

Because Jennifer edits and reads the blog, obviously I can’t tell you what the Magical Mystery Tour involves until after date night. So like Jennifer you’ll just have to get all worked up and wait for the surprise. Suffice to say, I’ve got her pegged pretty good and I know she will like it. Plus there’s a dinner some place we haven’t been before in there as well.

Oh and first things first… we already ordered the movie we plan to get naughty and naked to once we’re back home. Jennifer gets completely overwhelmed by adult movie selection, so I selected three possible options online and gave her the choice. One of the things we’ve learned about date night is that if we don’t do something a little out of the ordinary sexual routine, I get extremely frustrated with the whole thing. Jennifer likes being pushed a little further than normal too.

Thursday I’ll write about how it all went, and how a Cheeseburger and Fries guy like me can find a good restaurant in a pinch.