I love going on dates with my husband.  This probably seems pretty obvious to most couples, but I’m always surprised when married friends tell me that they only go on a few dates a year.  Tristan and I are in a very fortunate situation – we both work from home, which means that we see each other…a lot.  It has been this way for almost 3 years, and I absolutely love it.  I do realize that most families do not have the luxury of time like we do (and also that there are pros and cons to working from home, but that’s another post in and of itself).

I’ve been thinking about the definition of a “date”.  Is it a fancy dinner, movie, or concert?  Does it have to be just the couple themselves, or can it be with a group of friends?  Can you have a date at home?  With your kids around?  How much money needs to be spent and what’s the minimum amount of time?

I think for me, any time with Tristan sans kids is what I consider a “date”.  We can talk without being interrupted.  We can enjoy a meal or snack without getting up several times to refill plates, and clean up messes.  Since Gemma started Kindergarten last month, we’ve been able to take advantage of the morning hours to be together and “micro-date”.  Sometimes we stay at home to hang out and chat.  Sometimes we take a stroll through Target looking for deals and a trip to the Starbucks.  Other times we sit at McDonald’s for coffee and breakfast sandwiches (with a coupon of course) and discuss our dreams and current to-do lists.  As cheesy and  cliché as it sounds, as long as I’m with Tristan, it’s always a special, exciting, and romantic time.  He makes even the most boring and mundane things fun, interesting, and hilarious….and isn’t that the whole idea of a perfect “date”?