Dinner, a Movie and 10 Questions to Ask Your Significant Other
There doesn’t have to be any specific reason for a husband and wife to enjoy a night out together.
But in this house, I have a long list:
Gigi’s renewed passion for the recorder.
Lulu’s absolute meltdown every time she sees a Disneyland commercial and realizes there are no plans in our immediate future to go make lasting memories there.
The pathetic statistic that both adults in this house were passed out simultaneously at 8:45 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday night. No Irish beverages involved.
We needed a night out. Without wind instruments, OneRepublic montages and worn in, kitty-destroyed couches that sedate us.
Tonight we saw an excellent movie.
And ate at an excellent restaurant.
Keep your fancy sprouted, dehydrated, shi shi poo poo restaurant food. Give me a huge scoop of guacamole and a fork at an establishment with integrity and I’m happy.
But with a silent movie and satisfied stomachs, the writing was on the wall for dual narcolepsy episodes.
Fortunately, I’d done my research. I’ve seen several pins lately referencing anywhere from 30- 50 questions to ask your spouse on a date night.
That sounds like a lot of work. Plus questions like “What one thing do you wish you could change about me?”would inevitably lead to only one of us sleeping on our kitty-destroyed couch.
I weeded out the questions I didn’t like and added a few of my own. The resulting ten questions seem a lot more manageable and are quite telling.
So tonight we took the test:
1. What do you fear the most?
2. What do you look forward to the most in the future?
3. What things do you enjoy doing the most with me?
4. If you won the lottery, what are the first three things you would do?
5. What is one personal goal you have for your life in the next year that I can help you accomplish?
6. How would you describe me to someone who has never met me?
7. What would you say are the priorities in my life based only on your perceptions?
8. What is currently your favorite movie?
9. What would you change about yourself if given the chance?
10. What is the best thing about our marriage?
Excellent.
We talked the whole drive home and I gained a new appreciation for my husband and our marriage. And a new date set to play basketball and watch The Godfather.
If only we can stay awake.
Glad you two were able to have date night. I haven’t had a date night in so long that I can’t even remember the last one. We’re talking years, here. Whoa, Nelly. Must.find.babysitter!
Oh yes, you must! You are long overdue!
Great idea! As much as my hubby and I still love eachother, way too many times we spend the evening talking about kid’s activities or them in general… Or people gazing instead of connecting. I may have to copy! Thanks!
I have to agree about the “What would you change about me?” question.. Who wants that can of worms opened!
A lot of our answers still had to do with the girls…
What a great idea! The hubby and I are currently moving and to say we’ve been stressed out and exhausted is an understatement. I’ll have to ask him these questions later tonight… using 3G on my iPhone as we are not scheduled to have internet until the 26th.
I always wondered with the list of thirty to fifty questions how people remember them all. I just can’t see bringing along a printed list or something. Makes it more of a test not a conversation. Your list is much more manageable.
Thanks! It was a thirty-five minute drive and we both managed to answer all the questions in that time.
I love these questions… I will ask these one at a time… Sometimes, during dinner my boyfriend and I eat in silence… It’s a comfortable silence for me but I asked him once if he finds this awkward and he said yes. Yikes! But you know, I’d rather be silent than fill quietness with meaningless talk. So, these are all interesting things to talk about. P.S. I need to watch that movie.
The movie was WONDERFUL!
What great questions! Now to convince Aubrey that he wants to sit with me and think of answers to them all
Well, of course he does!
Pretty sure I love you! You never write something I don’t immediately relate to & adore! Thanks for your honest writings, tips, etc. And I hope it goes without saying, but that love is the appropriate, non-stalkerish kind
I take all the love I can get. Thank you, Ellen!
I love your new curly locks. So youthful!
Thank you!
Thank you. This is probably my favorite post ever!!!!
Wow, that’s unexpected! Thanks!
Well with young kids we don’t get date nights often and I feel we often am at a loss for what to talk about that doesn’t include the kids. THis is a great way to have a super conversation
Amen!
What a great list! I’m definitely tucking these away…although I think for one at a time as I suspect my partner would be daunted by all in one go
And great to hear you got your date night!
Oh shucks. These questions. Maybe we should skip next week’s episode of Jersey Shore to have some talking time with these.
So glad you got a much deserved date night. 
Oh how I love a date night! So happy you got to have one. We never get date nights and for some strange splendid wonderful turn of events reason we ended up with two, in a row, one of them even over night! Now that never happens!! I almost feel guilty saying that right before my mother brought our kids home this morning my husband turned to me and asked “is it bad that I don’t miss them yet?” and all I could do was agree, bless their little hearts.
I love your list, we need something to talk about outside of the kids (even though we didn’t technically miss them yet we still manage to work them into every conversation, weird right?)
Date night? What’s that? We only get those 2x a year when relatives come to stay with us and we can slip away to do something fun just the two of us. Is “Modern Family” old this week? Maybe we’ll sit and discuss these questions then! Great list!
My hubby and I are ALWAYS looking for things to talk about on our date nights. (Other than the usual mortgage payments, house troubles and work issues) Sometimes, you just need to put that aside and act like you’re actually in love without a care in the world.
It’s what marriage is all about.
I love things like this. My boyfriend and I have a habit of playing the question game on long car rides or at dinner—but usually ours are ridiculous, like “If you could be any animal, what would you be?” or “If you had to marry any literary character, who would you choose?” It’s always fun and a little bit silly!
Those are important questions too…
oh those questions do look like fun- glad you were able to get out for a date!
sounds like a great date night!!! I really like these questions, and I agree… much more reasonable than some of the lists I have seen floating around pinterest
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Your hair looks awesome!
Thanks, Kristin!
We had a date night Saturday and we were WAY overdue for one! We try to do at least 2 a month, but usually just 1!
Love the questions and a great idea!
Godfather is one of my favorites. I was watching that when I was wee little, haha! My italian family ways, we all were watching godfather and coming to america very young. Crazy but yup that was my family!
Happy Monday!
Date night tonight… a couple of these are coming along
I’m saving this for the day that I have a hubby!!
You and Pea D are such a cute couple, and I love that you were passed out by 8:45pm. I go to bed early (really early for a 23 year old!) but you beat me on that one!
That’s a great list. Now I just need a date night!
We don’t have kids and never go out to dinner and a movie…I guess every night is “date night.” lol!
I am with you on the guacamole…just give me a big bowl of that and I’m set!!
I love this!! I’m so glad that you guys got a night like that…and I’m totally stealing that list of questions to use
I also went out for Chipotle the night I saw The Artist! I’m not sure which was better.
Let’s call it a tie! You are a smart lady, Jaime!
I think I could eat Chipotle every day of the week and never get tired of it! Yay for date night!
Me too. Every time we go, I just say, “Can we eat all of our meals here?”
What a great idea! Have you heard this song yet? It’s similar:
http://www.cmt.com/videos/lee-brice/712078/a-woman-like-you.jhtml
I hadn’t, thanks!
We loved The Artist, too…gotta love Uggie
Oh my gosh, he is so cute! I’m glad we didn’t take Lulu to see it.
So great to see you still do this! My hubby and I got married 10 months ago with the idea of having date night once a week and that idea has already gone out the window. And we don’t even have kids yet
I hope you are able to revive it. So important to spend time just the two of you!
hooray for date night and for unabashedly loving chipotle! yum! i love taking the kids there when it’s not date night, too…
and, those are some good questions– i see a date night with my hubby in the near future involving these.
lastly, tell lulu disney is overrated. we took our kids to disney world about a year ago, and our trip happened to coincide with a nasty stomach flu going through our family. lasting memories, alright…
Oh no! We actually had that happen on one of our trips too. It didn’t hit Gigi until the plane ride home. Lovely.
I love the questions- I’m going to quiz my husband!
We are HUGE Chipotle fans. I love that you can get a really decent (and filling!) meal for under $20 for two. It’s definitely our “go-to” place.
It’s our family place too…the kids’ meals aren’t too shabby either!
was this a date or a job interview?!=)
A date, for sure!
sounds fun! we go to chipotle often. everything is so fresh there, and i love that our bill is always under $20. we don’t do a lot of talking though, mostly mmm and can i have a bite of yours?=)
Oh how I love The Godfather (there is a small scene with a horse head that won’t be very vegan friendly).
Congrats to you and Pea Daddy for grabbing a date night with dinner and not falling asleep too early!
For the record, I was out by 10.
This is so sweet!
ah this reminds me of my friend’s parents who, on every anniversary, do “the state of the union” at dinner. They talk about the past year, and how they want to change things in the future. One day, when I’m married
I want to do that too.
That is a great idea! Thanks for sharing, Molly!
So good to reconnect! I’d say those questions are good ones to ask because much can change since the topics last came up…before kids, moves, careers, life changes. I’ll keep the questions in my back pocket for our next date…which are yes, woefully few. But the guacamole seems to be calling, maybe we’ll have to make it sooner than later.
BTW- as always your hair looks great!
Thank you! It’s growing slowly but surely.
I love this idea. Totally saving these for dinner one night. I also like guacamole shoved directly in my face. Sounds like the perfect evening to me.
You should see The Artist too! It’s fantastic!
I think Date Nights are key to a strong marriage during the young-kid years. We try to do at least one a month – I’ll have to use these questions for our next one! Although, our next date night will likely involve Hunger Games, so maybe I’ll think of HG related questions. “Would you volunteer for me if I was picked to be in the Hunger Games?” “Do you have any idea how to shoot a bow and arrow?”
We watched all three Godfathers (my first time to see any of them) together early in our married life and I associate those movies with our newlywed days. Not sure what it says about us that I associate mob life with marriage…..
Your Hunger Games questions are crackin’ me up.
Love this! We are doing it on vacay next week in Mexico! Until then we can’t have any in depth conversations – we need to save them for the trip.
Is Anna going with you? I hope you guys have an awesome trip!
I love those questions.
We should ask ourselves more often what we love about the person we are in a relationship with and also what we love about the relationship itself.
Love these questions! I’m a newlywed, so I think these will be great to discuss with my husband.
I love those questions! I’m getting married in July, and I want to make sure we continue to go on fun dates for years and years, even after we start a family. I used to babysit for a family once a week because the parents had a Tuesday night date night tradition. I thought it was so nice that they took time for themselves, and I enjoyed my time with their kids!
I love date nights, what a great idea to sprout a healthy convo! I should ask him to think of 10 questions too! I just wanted to let you know that I’ve been using recipes out of your cookbook daily! It’s seriously the best thing EVER! I just had some Almond Ginger Dressing and it was SO good, you are very talented!! What do you get at Chipotle? My husband loves that place!
I usually get a salad or rice bowl with lots of guac!
Questions are great. I love these kinds of talks, but hubs usually rolls his eyes. Sometimes I can get ‘em though! Glad you had a fun date night. BTW, I love the new photo of you and the girls on the sidebar (your about me section – your hair looks extra bouncy. : ) Where are you in the picture, it looks like some adorable store??
We are at a local farm market: EZ Orchards. We love it!
Oh, and thanks for the compliments!