Date Night- Pickup Picnic

I love this truck. Its rough around the edges and practical. Good looking and clunky. Just like my husband. 😉 It took us on the first day trip Garrett planned for us through the rolling hillside of Kentucky to the Buffalo Trace Distillery. It was my first time out to visit him when we first started dating and he was determined to take me on a mini adventure.

This truck housed the conversation in a Cincinnati grocery store parking lot the fall before Garrett proposed. “I know this isn’t home to you. It may never feel like home. I don’t know what to do,” he said.

(*cheese alert*) “No, but this might be,” as I pointed at him. Oh, that soft half grin of his just kills me.

This night it took us on a picnic. It had been hot and sticky. I had experienced humid Ohio summers before -When I was little we would come to Ohio in the summer to visit my grandparents. I have the best memories of chasing lightning bugs (as we called them) with my sister in my grandma’s backyard. Sometimes she would give us jars to catch them in. They were magical. It was magical. Something out of a fairytale, not of this world.

It had just rained. The ground was soggy so we decided to skip the blanket on the grass scenario and sit on the hood. We found a great little spot next to the Ohio River beneath a tree facing a little grass clearing to enjoy our picnic spread.

We made a great first use of wedding present picnic basket from Garrett’s cousins Koert and Diana (Isn’t that just such a regal sounding duo?! Say it with grandeur with me… “Koert and Diana”) and some very special cutting boards that were other gifts. It is so fun to think of friends and family every time we use them!

“Ok, the cheese and stuff was “x” amount at the store, right?” Garrett asked me as he started to saw the cheese using his utility knife.

*Sigh… “Yes…..” I replied

“So, this picnic was “x”% of a down payment of a house. So, we could have x number of cheese picnics to equal a house down payment.”

“Oh my, so much for romance at date night picnic…” I thought at first.

But this is how his mind works. Always analyzing. Always processing. This is how he enjoys things, and this is a part of the way he loves me. Part of the way he cares for us. Always planning, always thinking about our future. Never criticizing. It’s taking me a while to let that all sink in.

We sat and enjoyed the evening air and continued our picnic. It was about time for our dessert of raspberries as the sunset painted the sky. I sat and stared at the sky, he mostly watched the ferries going by.

The sky started to get dark, a few little twinkles started dancing from the grass.

“LIGHTNING BUUUUUUUUUUUUUGS!!!!” I yelled. (Possibly it was an excited shriek…) He chuckled. I sat in wonder.

We drove home with the windows rolled down and my crazy hair blowing in the wind (and in my face), happy to have each other by our sides for whatever the future has in store for us. Whether big or seemingly small, whether fun or terribly difficult, we are committed to learning to love well in this adventure!

Garrett and I would love to hear from you!! What are your creative date night ideas? Please share them in the comments below. We can’t wait to try some of your ideas out and share our next date night adventure! And if you missed last week’s intro check it out here!