JoaS

I've mentioned before that gifts is one of my love languages, and it's one of the ways I most like to love on others. I love finding the perfect gift that reminds me of a certain person and watching their face (hopefully) light up as they appreciate it. My husband's love language is not gifts and my brother is not very demonstrative upon opening presents, either, but the point of a gift is to convey my love to them and I believe it does just that. Some of my favorite gifts to put together are gifts for couples. It doesn't even have to be a wedding gift, though with wedding season upon us that was the inspiration for this post. The past few years I have loved getting to think about what the couple might be doing for their honeymoon, or what they might enjoy doing together on a regular basis as they begin their life together. Living at the beach, one of my absolute favorite gifts to give to new brides is a monogrammed baseball cap for her to wear on the boat...

Date night has looked very different from season to season throughout our marriage. Some seasons it may look more conventional, like dinner and a movie, but we have found we almost enjoy the challenge of spending less and seeing what kind of unconventional date experience we can create. There have literally been Friday evenings when we had a $5 bill and found ourselves wandering Walmart searching for the makings of a perfect evening at home--usually a box of donuts and a DVD from Red Box. These have made for some of the most bonding and encouraging experiences together, realizing you can make the fondest of memories for next to nothing. You are really only limited by your own imagination. I thought I would put together a list of some of our favorite date ideas from years past to encourage others who may feel limited by a small budget or simply bored with the same date routine. French fries on the beach: We do live at the beach, which is such a gift and an absolute...