singing in the rain

by Kristin

Nathan's September date for me was SO FUN!  He kept it a secret...just told me to dress comfortably since we would be outside.  I woke up that morning to cold and rainy weather, so I asked if the date was still on.  The answer was "yep!"

We all got in the car, and Nathan drove to a dentist's office. :)  Apparently, the trunk wasn't closed completely, but he didn't fill me in on that.  For a minute, I actually thought he took me for a date to the dentist!

We ended up at a restaurant in an area of town I've always wanted to explore.  The place is called Twisted Root - they have great burgers, shakes, homemade root beer, and a pickle bar!  Nathan had told me about it (he had been before with his coworkers), so I was really excited to try it out.  It definitely lived up to the hype.  My burger was so good that I didn't even need condiments.  Apparently, the place has been featured on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives!

Rebekah really enjoyed herself, too.  I think she entertained all of the other tables around us with her big grins.

And, she learned to "high five" while we were there!



We tried walking around after lunch, but it was pouring rain.  So instead, Rebekah drove us to our next location.

Nathan's surprise for me - a nature walk through the Arbor Hills Nature Preserve in Plano!  It was wet, but really fun.

Fortunately, the path we took was paved, so we were able to pack Rebekah in the stroller and let her nap while we talked.

The trail had signs telling you about all of the wildlife you might be able to see.  We were fortunate enough to be able to view some of that "wildlife".  Here's what we saw...

Seriously, though, some of the paths were really, really beautiful.  It was impressive, considering that the preserve is in the middle of Plano.

During lunch, Nathan gave me a small notebook and had me make two lists: 1) my top ten financial priorities, and 2) my top ten life priorities.  While we walked, we compared notes and discussed our priorities.  This was great and much needed.  Last year was a big year for us, having moved across the country, had a baby, and bought a house.  Things are completely different for us, so our priorities have changed quite a bit.  It was nice to get on the same page and really hear what was important to each other.  We are really blessed that we agreed with each other's top three and ended up coming to a compromise consensus on how we should order all the others.

The walk wasn't without frivolity!  Nathan got super excited to see a bridge going to a lookout. :)

When she awoke from her nap, Rebekah was a happy camper as well.  We'll have to go back sometime...maybe in the rain!

coffee, cars, and books, oh my!

In September, we re-instituted our creative dates!  Each of us designed a date with the other one in mind, using the book 40 Unforgettable Dates with Your Mate as a guide.  The book encourages you to create a date that meets one of your spouse's needs - like spiritual intimacy, physical intimacy, friendship, etc.  Kristin went first, designing a date for Nathan to meet his need for friendship.

The date took us to Denton, TX where the first stop was an eclectic coffee house that friends had told us to check out. 

Then, we roamed around the courthouse square where (surprise!) a classic car show was going on!  Denton has one of the coolest courthouses we've ever seen, and the square is full of fun restaurants and antique stores.  We didn't actually get to any of the eating or shopping...there were too many classic (and some new) cars to see.

Part of the point of a "friendship" date is to learn about what interests your spouse.  Here's what Kristin learned...

Nathan thinks these Jaguars are a bit ugly, but he thought the engine and sleek engine compartment were worth admiring.

Wind-up cars are cute!!!  (Okay, so Nathan didn't tell her this...she figured it out on her own.)

Nathan thought that while the color combo was a bit odd on this Willys, the details were immaculate.  Notice the recessed headlights, single-piece fender and side panels, and the paint scheme that carries over into the engine compartment.  The Willys had very odd suicide doors that looked more like small hatches - that would be really impractical.

We both liked the following car.  Obamacare EMS... very clever. :)

Kristin liked the pink '32 Ford truck.

Rebekah learned a lot, too!  She really enjoyed her daddy-daughter time with some old cars.

This truck had an extremely elaborate paint job.  They had painted each rivet and the windswept staining with such detail that even up close, it looked almost real.

While walking around, we discussed friendship...ours as well as Nathan's need for friendships outside our marriage.  That's been an issue for both of us since moving to Texas and having Rebekah.  It's just not easy to make friends anymore.  Fortunately, we've gotten connected with an adult fellowship at church and have started going individually to Bible studies in the evenings, so we're working on it.  But it was good to talk through some of our friendship desires and encourage one another in that.  It also really helped us to know how we could support one another in making friends, whether that be Nathan taking Rebekah for an evening or Kristin being willing to host X-box parties at our house.

We ended the date by hitting up an awesome used bookstore called Recycled Books.  It's actually an old opera house turned into a book store.  The store is unassumingly large, and it's got some great finds.  We spent as much time as we could before Rebekah had a melt down (that's what happens when we skip nap time to look at cars).