Dating Challenge – Date #2!
For the second part of the Pilot Marriage Shake-Up: Dating Challenge, we went on a date that my husband, Scott, planned. He even managed to keep it a surprise! (Here’s how the first date went, in case you missed it.)
It started out by him driving me to the secret location. I was a mixture of nervous and excited – what if he picked something lame? Okay, I knew the chances of that happening were slim to none, but you never know.
We pulled up to a building and I saw the front sign – Shooter’s World! My jaw flew open and I looked at Scott. “Are we going shooting?! Like, gun shooting?!” “Yep,” he smiled. YESSSSS!!! I had always wanted to go to a shooting range, and neither of us had ever done it before. (Obviously, since that’s one of the rules of the challenge.)
We went inside, got our gear, and were helped by a super nice guy behind the counter who helped us choose which gun we wanted to use. There are SO many to choose from, I had no idea of the vast amount of different types of guns available.
Once we got into the shooting area, it was intimidating. There were all sorts of guns being fired, and I didn’t grow up being around guns so it was all new to me. The first shot I took, the shell flew into the front of my shirt! (Also good to know – shells are hot.)
After a few minutes getting over nerves, though, it was so much fun. What a rush! We took turns shooting at the target, and I’m not gonna lie, my husband looks pretty sexy while shooting.
After we went through all of our ammo, we turned our stuff back in, and headed to our next destination. He took me to a restaurant called the Salty Sow and all I could think of was bacon, so this place must be awesome.
I was not disappointed. The drinks were amazing, the food was fantastic, and we went through the second set of questions together. Maybe it was the adrenaline still pumping, or the martini I was drinking, or both, but I felt that familiar connection with my husband that reminded me of how I felt early in our relationship. I loved the effort he took in planning our date and making sure I had fun. And it was SO different than any of our other dates!
Like I mentioned before, there is science behind the Marriage Shake-Up Dating Challenge. Studies show that couples who try new things together have happier relationships, and are more satisfied.
“The more you invest in fun and friendship and being there for your partner, the happier the relationship will get over time,” says Howard Markman, a psychologist who co-directs the university’s Center for Marital and Family Studies. “The correlation between fun and marital happiness is high, and significant.” (Source.)
My thoughts exactly! We didn’t do the awkward stare at the restaurant this time, but waited until we were home in bed. We set the timer, and it seemed like the time went by much faster even though it was actually a minute longer. We talked more, and laughed, and one thing led to another… You can guess how it went from there. Let’s just say that I think my husband will be planning more adventures in the near future. I can’t wait!
Next up is the date we plan together – stay tuned for how it goes! If you’d like to join the Pilot Wife Dating Challenge Facebook group to stay updated and get more dating ideas, go here. We love sharing stories!
And to see the Dating Challenge rules and how it works, go here. Happy dating!
Xoxo,
The Flight Wife
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