A year of dates...

Ryan and I decided that we weren't exchanging gifts this year. We agreed that Santa was bringing us new boots and aside from that we didn't really need anything. (We didn't really NEED those.) But, my love language is gifts. I really really really love to give gifts. I love everything from picking out something unique for a person to wrapping the actual present. L-O-V-E.

So this "agreement" was going to be hard for me. 

I thought and thought about how I could get around this little deal and it hit me - what if the gift wasn't for Ryan... what if the gift was for US? We always talk about going on more dates or having more time for just us, so I decided I would make it happen with... 

I asked my bestie, Pinny, for some pinspiration and as usual, she did not disappoint. This was my favorite post by far. Except she started way in advance, has much better camera skills than me, and lives in a cooler town that College Station. But still - I got some ideas. 

(I had to make this blurry on the off chance Mr. King actually reads this blog).

Cindy found these calendars last year so I checked to see if she had uploaded some for 2015 and she had. JACKPOT! I simply downloaded the images and then uploaded each month into PicMonkey to edit. 

Once the picture was uploaded I added a "label"...

The label I chose wasn't part of the "royale" package - so if you don't have a membership you can still use this option! I made the label the size that I wanted and then changed the color to match a coordinating color with the calendar. In this case light blue. Then just added text and changed fonts/colors that I thought looked good. 

I did this for all 12 months and then placed them in each in an envelope. I printed extra calendar pages and then cut the top to be the labels for the envelope. Again the free printables are these  (FREE y'all. FREE!) 

Then I placed them all in a box with an explanation about what was inside... 

Things to consider:

1. Cost - 12 pre-planned, pre-paid dates can be expensive. I was pretty strategic with my ideas and followed her advice by keeping some of them "at home." (I also only paid for the first four... I intend on getting some items as I go to add to the remaining envelopes.)

2. Childcare - Y'all. Adding a babysitter into the price of each date will add up. (See "at home" date idea.)

3. Sneakiness - I didn't want Ryan to suspect anything so I pulsed cash from my account to pay for the first four dates.

4. Creativity - They don't have to be HUGE date ideas to be fun. I'm most excited about some of the "smaller" date nights. (That I will disclose later). 

5.  Personalize it - No one knows your hubby/significant other quite like you. Think about fun things that you always said you wanted to do together. Or that HE always wants to do and you find excuses not to go. ;) 

6. Coordinate - This isn't a "must" but I tried to think of things that match the month. For example:

What better way to celebrate the New Year than at a NEW place? (Ok, the place isn't new, but we've never been there). Each envelope contains a "clue" or "instructions" along with something small to match. (And to keep him from guessing.) 

We will open the envelopes together on the 1st of each month and then pick a date that works for us. (On some months, I have already picked a date). I can't wait to see how much fun we have over the next year!

First up... January...