What Do YOU Do For Date Night?

Sunrise at Cocoa Beach, FL

I'll be the first one to admit I'm not the most spontaneous person. I am a planner- I like things to be highly organized and well thought out. But sometimes you just need to throw caution to the wind and live a little. My hubby brings that side out in me and I've been trying to make a conscious effort to bring even more of that attitude into my daily life so I don't miss precious opportunites. So far, it's going really well and bringing me a lot of joy.

This past weekend my husband had just arrived home from a two-week business trip. I had lived on my own for ten years before getting married so I'm no stranger to an empty home and I don't need to have someone by my side on a daily basis for it to feel like home. However, by about day 10 I was really missing him and just wanted to wrap my arms around him and give him a big hug. When he came home he wanted to surprise me with a fun date idea. He arrived on Saturday afternoon so we went out to dinner that night and were planning to drive to the beach to watch the sunset. Since we both had had a long week and were stuffed from our meal, we decided to go straight home and call it a night. Our big plan then became to get up before the crack of dawn and drive 45 minutes east towards Cocoa beach. That is just what we did. We got up at 5:45am and were out the door by 6:00am.

Cocoa Beach at 7am in October

We arrived at 7:00am and the weather was gorgeous and breezy, and the water was warm and heavenly! There is something special about being one of the first few people on the beach. We had expected a large orange glowing sunrise at 7:33am, however there were some dark, ominous clouds covering the sun, but instead we were able to see a bright glow across the sky, it was something to behold. We strolled hand in hand along the beach for about an hour, just watching the seagulls catch little fish (their breakfast), observing little crabs scurrying across the sand and admiring some of the crashing waves.

Hubby in his sweats at the beach awaiting sunrise

This was one of the most special dates we've had. Afterwards, we grabbed a quick and inexpensive breakfast before heading back home. It was so freeing not to have to plan or pack anything other than a towel and some bottled water, we simply jumped in the car and headed towards our destination.

I simply adore sea oats that blow in the wind!

What do you like to do for date night or daytime dates? Do you frequent the movies, do you plan picnics in the park, go ice skating or do you prefer to stay in? I thought it would be great if everyone could share with others what they enjoy, so that we can all get some new ideas to do with our significant others! Please leave a comment and share your favorite ideas...