Linsey Lanier
Sally Kilpatrick
Sia Huff
Romily Bernard
Darcy Crowder
Marilyn Baron
Tami Brothers
Sandra Elzie
Carol Burnside
Debbie Kaufman
Maxine Davis
Tammy Schubert
Susan Carlisle
Pam Asberry
Lindy Chaffin StartDATE IS A FOUR LETTER WORD
By: Sandy Elzie
Last Christmas my daughter-in-law gave me a little book to help me with my writing. Since she writes also, she does this often and has a talent for choosing one that is very helpful. She has a knack for listening and then getting gifts that are a “perfect fit”.
So, I decided to use the book to help me get a few ideas of things my hero could do with my heroine while they were getting to know each other in my current work in progress.
The book is entitled, 2002 THINGS TO DO ON A DATE. Now, it’s good to be original, occasionally, in our books, but hey, (imagine me with a light bulb over my head) could I possibly use it to find some new things for hubby and I to do on a slow day when we want to “get away and have some fun”? I rushed to the shelf, grabbed it up and settled into my favorite recliner to browse and see what I could plan for the following day.
It starts out by telling me that it will suggest outings “From Fun, Sometimes Silly, Romantic, To The Unique.” Great! This is just what I’m looking for.
Number 1 on their list is “Ride through the park after dark in a horse drawn carriage.” I close my eyes and lean my head back, a smile creasing my face as I remember the time we did that. Romantic? Yes, but we’ve done that…so onward.
Number 2 is “Kiss good night”. Hey, no thrill there. After decades together, …..we’ll stop right there. (g)
I skimmed on down to number 15. “Share a bag of M&Ms”. Now they’re starting to cook! We’ve also done this, but I’m a firm believer that, like that basic little black dress, chocolate goes with everything.
As I skimmed through, some make me smile and a couple make me laugh out loud. Here are a few.
“For two minutes of excitement, (get ready…here it comes!) watch the Kentucky Derby.” (Ugh!)
Or “Spend a sunny spring afternoon working in the garden”. I don’t know about you, but even though “love” and “date” are four-letter words, they don’t belong in the same sentence with “work.”
“Drool your way through a ritzy store.” Okay, things are improving a bit, but “Where’s the chocolate?!”
Then I ran across one that I thought was cute…and maybe fun. “Dress as tourists and ask strangers to take pictures of the two of you all over town.” Top this off with “Share a root beer float by using two straws.” (sigh) Okay, now I’m getting into this game and starting to have some fun.
Then I ran into this one and had a rude awakening. “Celebrate little dating anniversaries, like your: first kiss, first date, first fight.” First kiss? (Yes, I definitely remember that), first date? (Imagine me laughing here…yes, I remember that) but first fight? Nope…don’t remember it and don’t want to.
“Engage in a friendly pillow fight.” Been there and done that, but, hey, I’m up for another romp. But then the book calms down and gets to something that sounds good to someone in my age bracket. “For a quiet evening, go out for a glass of wine and good conversation.” “Relax and get caught up with each other over drinks in a lounge.”
Then when you get home…”Raid the refrigerator”.
Well, you get the idea…and I’m not even up to 300. The bottom line is that it doesn’t really matter WHAT we do with that other special person (or our best friend) it’s that we go out to do it with the plan of having a fun time with the other person, sharing ourselves.
Of all the books I’ve read, I fall in love with characters who, at some point in the book, calm down and really share their hearts and get to know one another.
As to this book, well, there are some suggestions I’ll never use in a book or my marriage, (“Get your kicks trying Tae Kwon Do.”), but there are others that just might put an extra spark in our long-term relationship.
So, what do you like to do with your best friend? Anything out of the ordinary? We’d love to hear about it.
Tags: Dating, Sandra Elzie, Things To Do On A Date
About the author
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Sandra Elzie | http://SandraElzie.com Sandy moved to Georgia four years ago and within two years she had sold her first book to Avalon Books. She has since sold two books and has recently started e-pubbing her list of books under the name of Sandra McGregor. She is married and enjoys traveling, reading and spending time watching movies with her husband.
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July 9th, 2010 at 1:01 am
Hmmmm. I’m not sure I can answer your question without getting into trouble here. I will say it’s definitely not out of the ordinary!
So what’s the title of the book? After 33 years, I’m in the market for some new ideas. Is it available for the Nook?
July 9th, 2010 at 1:07 am
Oops. Duh. 2002 THINGS TO DO ON A DATE. Not an e-book! I love it when I can answer my own questions. Great blog post, by the way!
July 9th, 2010 at 1:35 am
Great post, Sandy. Love the picture. Hubby and I have never done the horse drawn carriage, but we have shared M&Ms and watched the Kentucky Derby (and the Preakness and the Belmont, too). Good night kisses are a given. And I’m with you about the gardening, especially in this heat!
This sounds like a good book. I’ll have to get a copy. I like what you said about characters sharing their hearts and getting to know one another. That’s a good writing tip to remember.
July 9th, 2010 at 7:41 am
Sandy, I think we have that book laying about the house somewhere. We often have the same problem: been there, done that.
Hubby and I like to travel and go to the movies, but we also just like to do silly things together like read (geek love) or watch TV (antisocial love). It’s kinda like my mom and dad–she even gets excited about going to the dump with him. I know, I know.
You were talking about books where the characters slow down and get to know each other. I really fell in love with two of the characters of Tanya’s Necessary Arrangements when they went to pay mini-golf. It was a fun–and later poignant–scene.
July 9th, 2010 at 8:14 am
I’ll tell you something we used to love to do when we were younger – race cars in individual set courses in the Sports Car Club of America events. Now, don’t laugh, but hubby raced his MGB midget and I raced a- wait for it- Gremlin. Won a few times too!
July 9th, 2010 at 8:20 am
Great post, Sandy! I think you’re right about fun dates. The simplest things can be the most fun if you’re with the right person. Hubby and I love to grab a cold beer on a hot summer night and sit out on our swing. We work hard to keep our 7 acres mowed and lookin’ good, so we like to relax and enjoy it sometimes.
July 9th, 2010 at 8:42 am
Good morning Anna,
You’re right, it’s not a Nook book. My DIL gave it to help me in writing, never realizing she was helping the older generation get some ideas on how to spend some of our slower days now that we’re in retirement.
Thanks for commenting.
Sandy
July 9th, 2010 at 8:48 am
Linsey,
Wow! I’ve been to the horse races and even harness races in California, but never to THE races. Those three races must have been so much fun. The atmosphere must have been electric.
Hubby and I like to hold hands. It’s something we can do…even in church…without anyone rolling their eyes and wishing we’d “get a room.” In fact, the older we get, I find that the younger generation thinks it’s “cute” that we still hold hands “after all these years.”
PLEASE!!!! Someone explain to the younger generation (namely my grandkids) that life doesn’t end when you start to get gray hair! In fact, we have a “date night” on a fairly regular basis. Sometimes I plan it…sometimes he does. It gets really fun when you start trying to top what the other thought of last time. Know why? YOU BOTH WIN!!
Sandy
July 9th, 2010 at 8:53 am
Sally,
I had to chuckle when you said reading was geek-love. You should have heard our daughter when I told her that we had spend about 3 hours one morning on a cruise in the library reading. What?! You went on a cruise to read a book? Hey, whatever “floats your boat”, I always say. (g)
I also loved that your mother gets excited about going to the dump with your father. Now that’s love. Reminds me of my mother. Me? I’m afraid I’d ask: “Do you need my help?” And if the answer was ‘no’, then…”Okey Dokey, see you when you get home”…and I’d keep writing.
Sandy
July 9th, 2010 at 9:00 am
Good morning Deb,
Girl, the longer I know you, the more I learn about you. I can see Bill racing an MGB Midget (I rode in one once with the top down…FUN!), but somehow I can’t see you racing a Gremlin.
Once about 30 years ago I raced our TransAm down a quarter mile track. (Wednesdays was open to the public) I sat at the line with a Camaro Iroc, gunning my engine as the lights blinked down to GO! I took off. We ran down the track a total of 5 times…until I got the timing of the lights and the shifting down and I beat the guy, and then I went home. I had accomplished what I had come to do.
BTW, hubby didn’t know that I was coming and he was one of the two medics there with an ambulance. (state law in CA) I went by the ambulance…waving to him…and praying he wasn’t going to kill me later. (g) Since I didn’t scratch his baby, I’m alive to tell the tale.
Sandy
July 9th, 2010 at 9:11 am
It sounds like that book needs an update! Maybe it could be a collaborative effort of the bloggers and fans of PFHT!
July 9th, 2010 at 9:13 am
Joya,
Thanks for dropping by! Ah yes, a cold beer on a hot day AND a swing. Nice.
Wow, 7 acres…I sure hope you guys own a riding lawnmower. We have a nice sized lot, but only about .6 acres and hubby has a riding lawn mover. I even have a picture of him riding it down the hill to check the mail. He said he was being innovative and finding more than one use for it.
Hey, a fun date night might be to go shopping for a tree and plant it together in your yard and then over the years you can watch it grow. It’ll give you another thing to reminisce about when you’re older.
Good to hear from you.
Sandy
July 9th, 2010 at 9:16 am
Hi Sandy,
Really enjoyed the post. I will have to get that book, although with him working and me retired, we both really look forward to our Friday night date–dinner, a bottle of wine and great conversation. Sometimes the talk is animated and some times it’s so quiet, the waitress just smiles and turns around.
One fun time was when he called me at work and asked what I wanted for dinner. I laughingly said dinner in Savannah. There was a pause then he said to get home as quick as I could. It was total fun.
July 9th, 2010 at 9:16 am
Pam,
Thanks for dropping by. Another book by the PF&HT? (hear me groan)
But, you know, it would be fun to write something like that with the combined imaginative minds of a group of writers. I bet it would sell.
Sandy
July 9th, 2010 at 9:21 am
Hi Maxine,
You guys sound like the perfect couple. Savannah, yes that’s nice.
One date for us was for Dick to arrive at work on a Friday to pick me up (he had the day off) with a pup tent, the Coleman stove, etc.
He announced that we were going to go camping overnight.
It was fun…well, except that he remembered my tennis shoes, but forgot socks. Oh well. To this day I don’t think our kids understood why we would leave a perfectly good house with a bed (and 3 teenagers) and go sleep on blow-up mattresses in zipped together sleeping bags.
But something tells me that all my romance writer and reader friends can figure it out. LOL
Sandy
July 9th, 2010 at 11:18 am
Ah, I forgot to mention those horse races were on TV, LOL. We’re dedicated couch potatoes. It’s still a bonding experience.
July 9th, 2010 at 11:32 am
Sally’s geek love and anti-social love references had me laughing out loud. Debbie’s race car love was so cool, me and my husband will HAVE to do that!!
My husband and I watch TV together alot (anti-social love at its finest!)
We also love to go white water rafting on class 5 rapids. Now that’s fun!
Our guilty pleasure is to watch the totally off color movie STEPBROTHERS together. He says he likes to see me crack up so hard I cry.
What I’m looking forward to though is going to Scotland with him. I’d love to see my short italian husband in a kilt!
Loved the post and the sweeet pic.
Have a brilliantly productive weekend,
Tamara
July 9th, 2010 at 11:35 am
Sandy -
[I posted but it disappeared, so I'll apologize in advance if it shows up.]
LOL – I love the visual of you checking of all these date ideas with “did that…not happening…did a better version of that…”
My husband and I have always had businesses, which is good and bad at times. The downside is working seven days a week at times, but the upside is that we’ve always lived spontaneously and still do. I saw Maxine’s comment about a trip to have dinner in Savannah, which made me think our favorite restaurant there.
We might see 2 days come open in our schedule that could be a tues-wed and take off on our motorcycles for one of our favorite restaurants (in Savannah it’s the Sapphire Grill – wonderful) and have a night out together.
BTW – I’d love to see a blog – hint, hint – on restaurants for lunch and/or dinner that are a day or two drive from Atlanta. It’s great to find a place only the locals know about. You’re such a well traveled group with great tastes and a sense of adventure that I wanted to throw that out there.
July 9th, 2010 at 11:57 am
Sandy,
Great post. For me, work (in the garden, around the house) is a four-letter word. Although I love to look at the flowers in the garden.
Ritzy stores and M&M’s are more my speed.
Like Sally, my husband and I love to go to movies. As a matter of fact, this weekend, we can’t wait to see the second movie in the series, “The Girl Who Played With Fire.” Tamara, if you’re still on, you’ll probably want to see this foreign language film, a continuation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. We like action movies like Knight and Day and have our favorite TV programs. I love to travel, he tolerates it because I love it.
Dianna, I like your idea about a restaurant review on the blog.
Be on the lookout for the new
Petit Fours and Hot Tamales Cookbook that’s coming out soon.
Marilyn
July 9th, 2010 at 2:02 pm
Oh, Linsey! LOL Okay, so the atmosphere was a little more comfortable, the temperature perfect and you didn’t have to pay to park. (g) Your horse racing experience was perfect. And, yes, I agree that couples can bond while watching T.V. if they’re enjoying it together.
Sandy
July 9th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
Tamara,
Hey, girl, I can’t imagine you being anti-social on any level. (g) So you love to white water raft. Well, I can actually say that I’ve done that…once …and only once. It scared the beejeebers out of me. Do you guys go often?
We used to raft a lot, especially when the kids were young, but it was more like floating down the river on a sunny afternoon with the cooler full of drinks and lunch.
Sandy
July 9th, 2010 at 2:08 pm
Dianna,
Thanks for dropping by. Yes, businesses tend to own the owners, not the other way around. Like you, and a couple of the others, I love being spontaneous. Give me ten to fifteen minutes and I’m packed to go for however long. Dinner or a weekend, I’m ready.
Thanks for the suggestion on local restaurants. There are so many of them…and I’ve found quite a few in the four years I’ve been in GA, but I’m always open to finding a new and interesting one.
Sandy
July 9th, 2010 at 2:11 pm
Hi Marilyn,
I can soooo picture you being in to sub-title movies. You’re classy. Me, I’ve only seen a couple of them in my life. But travel, now that’s one area where I’m your girl. Give me an invitation to ‘hit the road’ and I’m packed and ready in record time. I love seeing new things and meeting new people.
Thanks for commenting today.
Sandy
July 9th, 2010 at 2:52 pm
I do love your posts, Sandy! I can totally see you and your “quiet” hubby being this cute couple. LOVE IT!
I found the book I have on my shelf. It’s called Fun and Creative Dates for Married Couples. 52 Ways to Enjoy Life Together. If you get a chance, check it out. It’s kind of like the one you have, but this one has a few other ideas for each idea giving some budget tips, where to find the ideas in your area, and even over the top ideas for that specific idea. Fun. I haven’t used it yet, but I think I will pull it out and start working my way through it.
Thanks for a fun post!
Tami
July 9th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
Hi Tami,
Hey, I’m glad you like fun posts. I think there’s a time for being serious and then there’s a time to have fun! And as for you and yours, I think it’s time to have fun now that you’ve finished school. (g)
I’ll have to check out the 52 Ways to Enjoy Life Together…or maybe I’ll write my own!
Sandy
July 12th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Sandy,
Great post! It really got me thinking about all the fun things I do with my hubby! Of course some are best left for the imagination (fun fun!), but there’s plenty of tv watching and even shopping times. Once in a while he’ll go shopping with me (I have to have a goal and a time limit! LOL) and it is so nice because of the compliments he gives me – it is also interesting to see the outfits he thinks I’ll look good in.
There’s the other side of that where I go with him to “guy stores” like Home Depot, or Harbor Freight. He gets a kick out of my interest in rummaging around with him for cool things.
Anyhow – fun post!