Love+Marriage+Children = Dream Date Number 2

Dream date number two comes to us from the lovely and classy Mrs. Stefanie Byrd, a Baptist pastor’s wife and homemaker. Stefanie and her husband Jeremy have been happily married for ten years and are raising three adorable children in West Tennessee. When I asked Stefanie to share what her dream date would be, I would have never have imagined the answer I got. It was most unexpected. To her it’s not so much about the date, but about cherishing the one you share your life with. Stefanie shows us that the anniversary of a marriage is worth celebrating despite the unexpected circumstances and chaos that comes with life, marriage and parenthood. Her dream date was real and rooted deeply in love.

Here is what Mrs. Stefanie Byrd had to say about her dream date…

We celebrated our 10 year anniversary on January 12. It's hard to believe it's been 10 years. We've seen many moves and 3 kids over those years. It was in celebrating our anniversary that I had my dream date.

We loaded up all the kids in the Expedition that is crusted over in road salt and needing a wash in a bad way; cheerios and crushed animal crackers all over the floor. We chose Outback because we got gift cards for Christmas and we didn't want to go over our monthly budget by going somewhere else. Anna started complaining about a stomach ache about 10 miles out and threw up 2 miles later. No big deal, we just pull out some wipes and get back on the road. Liam decides that he's tired of riding and cries the last 5 min before we arrive.

Since we are a party of 5 that requires two high chairs and a booster seat, we are seated at the largest table in the restaurant and the focus of many attentions as we get everyone settled. Jeremy and I engage the kids in coloring as our pre-dinner entertainment and are relieved as the bread and salads arrive. Anna's stomach starts hurting again and she is getting whinny.

As dinner arrives, Isla starts crying. Upon getting her from the carrier, I smell what the problem is. And so does most of the people in the booths behind me. As I clean her up in the bathroom, it's clear that she has the same stomach bug that Anna has.

When I return to the table, Jeremy has a worried look on his face as he has realized that the fragile balance of contentment was starting to break and that in seconds we could have any of the three kids pitching one of their grandest in the middle of the restaurant. I say that we need to just get our food to go. He scarf's his down, something he regrets later. We pack up our boxes and we quickly head out, patting each other on the back as we go. Not to bad.

As we were heading to the car, Jeremy said "Happy Anniversary, sorry it wasn't more special." I said "Are you kidding, I wouldn't have it any other way!" And I wouldn't. My family is such a blessing to me. Going out to celebrate the birthday of our family is one amazing dream date to me!

Winter Date Ideas For Nashville, TN

More dream date post coming up later this week, but in the mean time here is a little something to inspire you to get creative, and create your own perfect date.

Winter time is in full swing and so what if the days are gloomy and gray. That doesn’t mean you and your sweet heart should stop coming up with date ideas. After all, the most romantic night of the year is just around the corner. Here are a few ideas to get you started. Some are romantic, some are sporty, and some are just about spending time and doing things together.

1. Get in touch with the artistic side of yourselves with a trip to All Fired Up, a 'paint your own' pottery studio located in Hillsboro Village. The upside to this place is it supplies everything you need. You just show up and create. Another wonderful benefit to this studio is that they allow you to bring in your own food! So you could pack your own little indoor picnic to enjoy while you create a unique piece of ceramic artwork. The price varies depending on which piece you decided to paint, and there is a firing fee. I think you will be pleasantly surprised with how bright and vibrant the pieces are when you return to pick them up. Also the staff is extremely helpful in explaining and even helping you decided on what to paint.

2.Spend an evening ice skating! You have to agree, it’s fun to hold hands while you laugh and concentrate really hard on not falling down to impress your date. Things to remember when hitting the ice(no pun intended); bring a sweater/jacket, gloves are also a good idea as well, and check the calendar for public skating hours. An afternoon of Skating at Centennial Sportsplex is 7.00 dollars per adult. Have fun giggling as you try to keep your balance!

3. Visit a local neighborhood bookstore(no chains bookstores). Spend an evening searching for vintage copies of your favorite classics. You will be surprised what you can learn about one another after spending some time together in a bookstore. Like, what stories got read during each other’s childhood years? What’s the first book your date remembers reading? Who’s your sweetie’s favorite poets and what section did each of you spend the most time in? A couple of suggested bookstores are Bookman/Bookwoman and Elder’s Bookstore. I would also recommend topping the date off with a trip to your favorite coffee house. If you don’t have one, look for one together and skip the hustle and bustle of Starbucks. This is one day you skip all the chains and find something new, even if it’s been around for years. That’s half the fun of this date idea!

4.Volunteering together bring smiles and hope to someone else, while spending quality time together. While this probably isn’t ideal for a first date scenario, it would be perfect for a couple looking to share the spirit of love. Make dinner for your elderly neighbor(cook it together) or serve a meal at the Nashville Rescue Mission. I guarantee it’s a date that will not soon be forgotten by you or the people you took the time to help.

Photo Credit Terasa Lewis

5. Just because it’s cold, and as a dear friend of mine said, "God has decided to turn middle Tennessee into a snow-globe with all this snow and continuing flurries" don’t let that scare you off from bundling up and enjoying the outdoors. Actually, winter time is a perfect chance to take a nature walk. You are likely to spot wild life that you wouldn't see in the summer and spring months. So pack a thermos of your favorite hot cocoa and head on over to Warner Park located 7311 Highway 100, Nashville TN, and enjoy a nice little winter wonderland walk hand in hand. Don’t forget your hat, mittens, and camera on this little adventure!


Hope you have be inspired to create your own special date for your sweet heart. I would love to hear your ideas on what you would do on your perfect/dream date?

Adventurous Kirsten{Dream Date Series}

Dream date numero uno comes from the lovely and adventurous Ms. Kirsten Buccigrossi of Wadsworth, Ohio. Kirsten has recently become engaged and is set to take the stroll down the aisle come September. Here is what this beautiful young woman had to say about her idea of the perfect date.

When I think about a dream date, I picture something out of the ordinary. It's not a dinner and a movie or anything typical like that like. It is something creative, unique, and surprising, particularly something that "he" thought up himself without my input. Making a meal together, creating a time capsule, a road trip somewhere neither of us have been.

5 Summer Date Ideas For Nashville, Tennessee

Movie under the stars
Take your sweetheart to Movies in the Park. To bring the date around to a more romantic mood pack a grown up picnic dinner for two. My suggestions would be Pita bread sandwiches, strawberries, cheese & crackers and teacakes for dessert. Grab a bottle of bubbly, either real or sparkling grape juice will do. Don't forget the wine glasses for the over the top romance. Collect your quilt and head out to Centennial Park. There is no admission fee and the movie starts at sunset. The movies will be playing every Wednesday in the month of June.

Garden Stroll
Cheekwood Botanical Gardens is a beautiful garden located here located here in Nashville, TN. Chilhuly at Cheekwood, Chilhuly Nights, and Live at Cheekwood are just a few of special events hosted at the gardens throughout the year. You and your special love will enjoy strolling through the gardens and taking in the uniquely gorgeous display of colors. Make sure to stop in at the Pineapple Room Restaurant for lunch in it's bistro atmosphere. Take note that reservations are encouraged. The cost of admission is $12 dollars each and the restaurant dishes are priced between $9-$15 dollars.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame
For the more sporty or adventurous couple. grab your baseball cap and have a casual fun filled night at Geer Stadium. Take in one of America's favorite past times and cheer on the Nashville Sounds. Don't forget to enjoy a hot dog,and peanuts for the full baseball game experience. Ticket prices for a sounds game general admission are $14 dollars each. You can save a couple bucks if you purchase your tickets in advance!

Pottery Passion
For the couple who is passionate about not only each other, but also about art, the Brush Fire Pottery Studio is the place for you. Spend the afternoon or evening hours of this date creating your own personal unique piece of art. The prices are affordable and they have a large selection of pottery pieces to choose from. Not only will you and your better half have fun with a quality moment being creative as a couple, at the end of the experience, you will have something tangible to remember your time together. The admission fee to the art studio is $6 dollars each, which covers all the supplies needed to decorate your ceramics. The Pottery pieces range from $6 to $40 dollars.

Hide Out At The Factory
Spend your date in Franklin, TN at The Factory. The Factory is a unique, enchanting place of business, with an assortment of dining options. You can dress causal or get all dressed up for your evening out at The Factory. Spoil yourselves with ice cream and shopping. Even take in a little theater experience at the Boiler Room. So many options for an unforgettable evening out with your special someone hiding out in an old factory. The cost of this date is totally up. You can window shop and spend $0 dollars or you can spend hundreds of dollars and everywhere in-between.

Summer Date Night by MysticIris on Polyvore.com

Homecoming Date

The date was October 8th 1996 I was in the passenger seat driving down a familiar old gravel road. I was particularly chatty this day. Mom drove past the house and towards the old barn to where my Dad was clearing out the fence row. I had something very important to ask my Daddy on this day. I was in my first semester of my Freshman year of high school, and I had been ask out on my first real date. I thought for sure when I ask permission my Dad would say I was way to young, but he didn't he said yes. So later that evening I was off on the cool October evening to the homecoming football game in the passenger seat of a Crown Victoria with a Junior, and the man that would soon become my first love, not to mention the love of my life. I don't remember every detail of that night. I can't even tell you if we won or lost the game. I do remember it being pretty chilly that night. I also remember the butterflies throwing a huge party in my stomach, and laughing was a huge part of the evening. I was a 14 year old girl hoping on the stars he liked me as much as I liked him. Lucky for me he did, and on that cool October night at the football game in the student section in Hog-eye country two lives began to intertwine. That night I found my heart. I am not sure that I exactly new it at the time. Nor did I know that my true soul mate was going to be sitting next to me on the first date of my life. You just never know when love is going to gain her amazingly beautiful momentum!