Do Something Different for Date Night - A Scavenger Hunt Will Liven Things Up

Every once in a while I crave a date with my husband that is really fun and off the wall, or exceptionally romantic and thoughtful like when we were first dating. But, (girls, I know you can relate to me here) no matter how hard I tried to drop hints right in his lap that it was time to do something different, he didn’t get it! It used to make me so frustrated – I wanted to feel that excitement of our early days again. I would drop hints for weeks, months sometimes, to no avail. Then I decided to just create my perfect date myself – and show him what I meant in a round about way. I sent him on a scavenger hunt.

He came home from work one day to find no one home and a note on the door that told him to go upstairs to our bedroom and look for a note in the bottom of my lingerie drawer. I knew that would pique his interest and get him playing along. He found the envelope I had placed there, pulled out the note and read,

"The game is afoot.

"What game?" you ask.

You'll get the idea

If you do every task.

I've been wishing and hinting

for a really fun date.

The kind that we went on

Before we were mates.

To find out what's next

you must call Uncle Jerry.

I'm waiting for you,

so you'd better not tarry!"

I included the phone number to my uncle, whom he’d not spoken to for a long time. Uncle Jerry answered the phone and without saying “Hello”, told my husband what to do next and hung up the phone. Trey, my mate, was thoroughly confused, but all in the game at that point. He wanted to figure out what I was up to.

He had to complete five tasks that I had planned in advance.

1. Go to the gas station and fill up the car. Before he could leave, he had to buy a specific candy bar – my favorite, of course!

2. Go to the party store and buy three balloons: 2 – pink heart shaped and 1 – smiley face.

3. Go to the card store and buy me a romantic card.

4. Go to the florist and get me some pretty flowers. He could choose whatever bouquet he wanted – I love any and all flowers!

5. Meet me at the restaurant and bring everything inside. I’d be waiting at the bar for him.

I was a little concerned he might be annoyed at the silly extravagance, but he had so much fun! He came into the restaurant carrying balloons, candy, a card and a bouquet of flowers, saw me sitting at the bar and this huge grin spread across his face and he headed straight for me. As he passed everyone in the lobby waiting for their tables, he heard many “oohs” and “aahs” and saw girls elbowing their boyfriends and asking them why they never do that for them. He felt like a million bucks for being so “thoughtful”! We had a fabulous dinner, really great conversation as he recounted his excursion, and made a great memory, too!

Sending your significant other on a scavenger hunt for a fun date night is definitely a win/win situation, and fun for everyone! Even the retailers had fun waiting for Trey to come and complete his task in their store so they could give him his next clue.

If you’re bored with dinner and a movie – try this approach and revitalize your relationship!

Tips to having a successful scavenger hunt date night:

· Plan the progression of the hunt. Write it out. Then map it out.

· Decide how he will earn his clues. It could be a phrase he has to say, like one that declares his love for you, or how beautiful you are. Or it could be an action, like giving the person at the register a hand signal, funny face, weird noise, do a dance, etc. Be creative – but don’t require something of him you know he would be unwilling to do. That kind of thing could ruin the night…

· Make your phone calls. Call the people who are to be involved, like my Uncle Jerry. Call the restaurant if you need to make a reservation.

· Write the clues. I made all of mine a silly poem, but if poetry isn’t your thing, don’t worry about it.

· Deliver the clues. During this step you will communicate what you’re doing to the managers of the stores. Develop a mental timeline for yourself so you can know about what time to expect him at the restaurant.

· Go to the restaurant and have a martini (or three) while you wait for his arrival!