Date Night

Having our first baby pretty much knocked us flat on our faces. We were exhausted new parents trying to figure out how to keep our tiny human alive while still functioning in everyday life, and the days of nice dinners out, spontaneous trips to the movies and all-day river floating adventures were no more.

Instead, we found ourselves in the clothes from the day before and eating “brinner” with our excitement stemming from watching Wheel of Fortune and keeping track of who solved the most puzzles with the loser being the one to wake up for the 2:00 am feeding.

I usually won and never rubbed it in. (Yes I did.)

It didn’t take us long, though, to miss us.  And while the thought of leaving my sweet little baby hurt the depths of my soul, my husband insisted that we get out of our house once a week, for us. That is when we started our weekly date nights. Dates to the movies. Dates out to dinner. Or simply, dates to the grocery store to do our shopping together. It didn’t matter what we did, just that we did it together.

It’s been nearly eight years now that we have been going on these dates, and I can honestly say it is one of the best things we do for our marriage.

Now, with three kids, busy schedules, and numerous activities, it can become increasingly easy to fall into a routine centered around our kids. And for the most part, our lives are centered around our little humans, but we still insist on finding the time one evening per week to make time for each other; to date each other.

We get out of the house sans kids and we eat meals without any complaining, share desserts with only each other, and we laugh. A lot.

And we go home feeling refreshed, and closer.

This past weekend we were able to take date-night to another level and go on an overnight mini getaway, which not only meant more time for just the two of us but also meant sleeping in!

We took our escape to the Coeur d’ Alene Resort in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho, which from our house is only a mere forty-five minutes away. Once we arrived, though, it felt as if we had traveled much farther, as surely something so extravagant and beautiful couldn’t be so close to home.

Once checked-in, we went up to our room only to immediately drop our belongings to walk out onto the balcony overlooking the stunningly beautiful lake. We ended up sitting out on that balcony for a good twenty minutes admiring the view, pointing out the numerous hikers and watching the boaters zoom by in every direction.

Donning a new dress and my favorite heels, I deemed myself “date-ready” before noticing the comforting smell of my husband’s sweet cologne and the crisp, collared shirt that so handsomely dressed my husband up.  With a little time to kill before our dinner reservations, we decided to explore the grounds and we made our first stop at the convenient little drink stand just right outside the resort and enjoyed a beverage overlooking the water as the sun began to set.

Shortly after, we had dinner on the seventh floor at Beverly’s and it was nothing short of excellent. From our friendly greeting upon entering to our insanely tasty meals, two-and-a-half hours had soon escaped us and we were left with happily bulging bellies and smiles on our faces.

Our waiter with the amazing accent, Tim, came promptly to our table to take our drink order after presenting us with an electronic drink menu, something I had yet to previously ever see. Being a mojito lover and not seeing one on the menu, I asked if it would be possible to make a huckleberry mojito in which I was assured it was. And when my husband ordered a dirty martini, I asked if “he” could have extra blue-cheese-stuffed olives, which was also accommodated.

Real huckleberries muddled with fresh mint, and not too sweet, this drink was exactly to my liking. And while I didn’t taste my husband’s dirty martini, I can attest the olives were just as I had hoped for and I was so very close to asking if I could order a side of just the olives. Perhaps an entire cup of them.

I refrained.

We noticed right away the service and attention to detail at this restaurant were going to exceed our expectations when the fancy rolls were brought to our table on a silver platter. I’m not kidding. That orange, gooey, goodness-of-a-roll was a treat in itself and was very-much-so enjoyed while we reminisced the past and got excited about our future.

The appetizer we chose consisted of perfectly chilled fresh seafood on a bed of ice with various accompaniments to enhance the flavor. Normally, the thought of oysters makes me gag, but being in the moment and feeling adventurous, I decided to throw one back with my husband, and I was glad I did! It absolutely reminded me of being at the ocean and it was a pleasant first oyster experience.

I chose the French onion soup as part of my meal, and I think I can go ahead and name this one of the best things on the entire menu. It just has to be. I have definitely had my fair share of French onion soups as I tend to order it whenever I see it on a menu, but this one, I tell you, was unlike any other. This was not just any soup!  The broth was thick and packed with flavor and the cheese, oh that cheese. I felt like Lady and the Tramp stringing that goodness all over the place.  My husband also thought it was incredible and we were sure to compliment the chef.

For our entrees, we chose steak and salmon and were both very pleased with our meals. Both of these entrees were perfectly cooked, which is something we aren’t always used to these days. Cooking meals now usually consist of holding a toddler on my hip with one hand, reviewing spelling words with our oldest while whisking the marinade with the other hand, discovering our middle child has clogged the toilet before running back to the kitchen to stir the sauce and barely dodging the spilled milk on the floor, and it’s about this time my toddler’s diaper needs changing, my oldest needs help with math and my middle needs me to see the tower he built upstairs. Thus, resulting in chewy steak and dry salmon. Not having to cook for this special night out and being able to just sit back and soak my roll in the juice from my steak while next to my handsome date was quite a treat!

Having cleaned our plates, we were both feeling pretty satiated, but somehow an empty space always seems to emerge once that sweet tooth strikes, and ohhhhhh, my. The desserts we ordered were something else.

My husband and I have been to Cafe Dumont in New Orleans, which is most famously known for their beignets. So when we saw the beignets on the menu at Beverly’s, we decided to give them a try and in my husband’s words, “These are the best beignets I have EVER had! Better than in New Orleans!”

They were light, crusted a perfect golden brown, dusted with powdered sugar and accompanied by some fun chocolate and huckleberry dipping sauces.

While I agreed that they were quite tasty, I gladly let him gawk over those while I devoured the dessert that I ordered, which included so many of my favorite things; salted caramel, toffee, shortbread, and chocolate. It was SO good! I let my husband sneak a bite in here and there, but when he started to reach in more and more, my inner toddler came out and I literally guarded the plate and slapped his hand away. This baby was mine.

Stuffed beyond repair, somehow my husband agreed to an after-dinner decaf coffee, and what came out was not as expected. I was absolutely blown away by the presentation of this after-dinner beverage and I may have stolen it. I mean, it’s not every day you get to stir your coffee with rock candy and cinnamon sticks!

During our entire meal, we took notice of the table in front of us which included a darling older couple, their daughter, and a friend, and they were there celebrating a birthday. The way the elderly gentleman, wearing a pretty sharp sports coat, pulled out each of the ladies’ chairs, held his sweetie’s hand during dinner and playfully fed her a bit of the complimentary birthday cotton candy dessert just reaffirmed the importance of dating your sweetie, no matter what phase of life you may be in.

After dinner, we took a stroll around outside and found ourselves so fat, dumb and happy that we were able to spend this kind of time together. Just being in each other’s presence without interruption allowed us to talk on a deeper level and really connect, something we can’t often do at the dinner table with our crew. And while I don’t particularly love this photo, I do love that it shows what kind of evening we were having. We were silly. We were carefree. We felt like newly dating twenty-somethings. And I was reminded why I initially fell in love with this man. He still makes me ugly-laugh.

On our way back up to the room I was quickly distracted by the incredibly large and intriguing fish in the middle of the hotel lobby, and take note that if you make ridiculous faces at these fish, they will swarm causing an abundance of laughter and smiles from the surrounding guests. Go ahead, give it a try. It’s quite fun.

We decided a dip in the pool sounded nice and while we had a great time all I could think about was how I couldn’t wait to take our kids here as they would have loved it. The stairs descending into the water make it so much easier for smaller ones to enjoy and let’s face it, much easier on the parents who have to hold the smaller ones as well, and I couldn’t help but imagine playing Marco Polo behind those large columns, a family favorite of ours.

We ended our perfect evening sitting outside on our balcony enjoying the incredible view in our big, comfy robes and recapping the day’s events before heading inside and falling asleep in front of the in-room fireplace. Yes, our room had a fireplace! That may have been a first…

The next day turned out to be cooler than we had hoped for with rain in the forecast, so we grabbed a coffee at the on-site Starbucks (Yes….) and took a soak in the hot tub as we talked about our plans for the morning. Our original idea of a hike didn’t sound as fun with the potential rain, so we decided on a nice covered boat ride over to check out the golf course and infinity pool.

And my goodness, this area is truly a sight to see and within minutes of docking the boat, my husband was asking if we had time for a quick round. Which, is there such a thing?

 

We explored around a little bit as I wiped the puddles of drool left behind by my husband at every turn, and once he noticed the floating green, which we were told was America’s only floating green, I had to make him a promise that yes, we will indeed come back some day so that he can golf the course he has always had his eye on.

But what I noticed right off the bat was the infinity pool overlooking the lake. Stunning! I am now completely imagining my husband out golfing with his buddies while my girlfriends and I enjoy this amazing pool. Truly, something for everyone.

We returned to the hotel for something I had been looking forward to for a long time; a couples massage! Massages are something my husband and I both truly enjoy, and our experience during this time was the perfect ending to our date.

Once we walked past the large iron gates into the spa, we were greeted by a very friendly and professional attendant who showed us to our locker rooms, explaining the various features. Now, if you are looking for some pampering, my friends, this is the way to go!

Wrapped in our robes we made our way to the lounge overlooking the perfectly calm and still water and enjoyed complimentary snacks and mimosas with a view. And it was here that we experienced something we rarely get to anymore; silence. Pure. Bliss.

The couples massage at the resort is the complete package. The massage room was large, open, and once again included an incredible view. You are able to choose which scent you would like for the aromatherapy portion of the experience and my husband and I both chose the “mood enhancing” scent, with cedar and lavender being the other two choices, because why wouldn’t we want to enhance our moods?! Though, that was looking to be a difficult feat after the way this incredible weekend was going.

Cozied up by the fire, my husband and I enjoyed a relaxing and peaceful fifty-minute massage that was modified to fit our needs. I notified my masseuse that I had had a painful knot in my left shoulder for about a week, so she carefully worked that area to relieve the tension. Feeling happily groggy and relaxed, the massage was everything we had hoped for.

Before we left for home, we poked around the shops a bit to pick up a gift for my husband’s parents who were watching the kids for us while we enjoyed our overnight-date getaway. Without them, this wouldn’t have been possible, so we were very grateful and made sure to pick up some fun treats at one of the gift shops.

Our marriage is a top priority for us, and even though our weekly date nights take a big commitment with finding the right sitter, setting aside the time, and budgeting for it all, we have realized that dating each other is much more important after our marriage than it was before. We deem these dates absolutely necessary to maintain because our relationship isn’t going to deepen by just living day-to-day; it takes work! Work that can be pretty darn fun.

I now see why people travel the world to visit the Coeur d’Alene Resort.  It’s not only a destination getaway, but a true experience, and we are lucky enough to have it right in our backyard. The whole drive home was filled with recounting all the fun we had had together, future plans we would like to make, and how much not only our kiddos would have enjoyed it, but our friends, too. 

Until next time!