Things To Do For Two

Cost – Free!

SHE SAID:

I must have been half asleep when I agreed to watch a sunrise, because normally I would not voluntarily wake up before the break of dawn on a weekend. I find if I can force myself to break the sleep barrier, I’m actually quite happy I woke up early, but that barrier is not easily broken.

If you share in the same disdain for all things morning related, a hot, caffeine enriched drink is a key ingredient for you. We went the cheapy way and made our own tea in traveler mugs, but if that’s a deal breaker for you, there’s sure to be enough change under the sofa cushions to grab a cup at your local coffee shop.

I have a beautiful drive to work every morning and wanted Brad to experience it as well, but somehow we hit the road too early (6:30am) and out drove the sunrise. So, we went for plan B and headed to Lawrencetown Beach. In hindsight, this should have been our original plan because the sunrise against the waves was spectacular. However, when we were planning this I was secretly trying to avoid the beach because I find it particularly eerie in the dark.

Since we were originally planning to stay in the car and be driving as the sun rose, I didn’t dress very warmly. When we arrived at the beach and saw how beautiful it was I couldn’t resist getting out of the car to take a few photos, which don’t do the sunrise justice at all. Within a few minutes I thought my finger had frozen to the shutter button and regretfully got back into the car. I’m thinking a snowsuit and a thermal blanket would be best for the next visit, or maybe just visiting during a warmer season.

If you need a reward like I do for getting up early on a weekend, going out for breakfast afterward is the perfect finale for your early morning date. We went to Kempster’s in Halifax afterward because I was craving their delicious blueberry pancakes and I was not disappointed.

I’m really glad I agreed to this date for several reasons. Not only did I get to see a breathtaking sunrise, but more importantly I also got to spend some quality time with Brad amidst the busyness of life. Plus, since I was up so early that day I got way more work accomplished than normal and even got to nap in the afternoon. We enjoyed it so much we plan on doing it again. If you’ve done this before or do so in the future, let us know of any other great spots to check out a sunrise from.

HE SAID:

Susan and I are an “opposites attract” type of couple. Never is that more evident than early in the morning. I love getting up really early, especially on a cool fall day. I have learned over our few short years together that she doesn’t necessarily share in my love of early mornings to put it lightly.

I know you’re probably thinking that you get up early every day and head off to work as the sun is coming up. Why would you get up on a weekend to see the same thing. You would be right. However, this is something entirely different.

After driving out towards Porter’s Lake, Susan decided we had left too early to see the sunrise the way she does throughout the week. We took the next exit and drove around randomly before deciding to just drive to Lawrencetown Beach. As soon as we rounded the corner and saw the huge waves I knew we had come to the right place. The water seemed to almost be glowing in the little bit of light that was beginning to show. I was really surprised at how big the waves were. We sat on the big rocks that are normally a good distance away from the water, but we had to run out of the way of the waves a few times. There were also a few (crazy) surfers out. I don’t know how they do it because I was frozen with a jacket and a sweater on.

If you want to try this out there are few things to keep in mind. One is that it takes a while for the sun to come up. From the moment you begin to see light on the horizon to the time it feels like the sunrise is over it can be about an hour. Also, if your local sunrise time is 7:00 am for example, that’s the time that it’s pretty much over with. You’ll want to be at your location by 6:30 at the latest. Check this website out for your local sunrise time.

It sounds cheesy to drive to the beach and watch the sun come up, but it’s actually a lot of fun. It’s not like in the movies (at least for us) where you sit there hand in hand while the orchestra music swells up as the sun fills the sky with bright colours. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. We walked around and explored the area, enjoyed the company of a few nature photographers and other morning people, and just had a fun time. Of course, you don’t have to go to the beach. Just go to your favorite spot and enjoy. If you’re not a morning person, then pump the caffeine into your system and get out there. If you’re like me and enjoy getting up early then you shouldn’t need much prompting to give it a shot.

It looks as though the fall season is in full swing these days. The leaves are falling off the trees and the temperatures are steadily falling. Hopefully you are all enjoying it as much as we are. We’re always looking for ways to keep warm through the cold months of fall and winter. Of course, one of the best ways to warm up is with a nice hot drink. That’s why we’re giving you the chance to win your very own french coffee press.

Last night we pulled out a french press to make some tea after supper. We had never attempted it before so we weren’t sure what to expect. It turned out to be very easy and the results were great.

First you boil some water. Then you dump in however much loose tea or coffee grinds you want into the bottom of the press. It’s a good idea to wait a minute or two before pouring the freshly boiled water into the press so you don’t burn your coffee. Pour in the hot water and let it steep for however long you like. Once it looks good, just push down on the press and watch the grounds collect at the bottom. That’s all there is to it.

The Prize: 1 Bodum French Coffee Press

How to Enter:

1) If you haven’t already, sign up for Twitter.

2) Go to www.twitter.com/thingstodofor2 and click on the Follow button.

3) Send out a Tweet that says:

“Win a Bodum French Coffee Press from Things To Do For Two. Pls RT. Details here: http://bit.ly/2WJ3u3”

Fine Print: Contest closes Friday, October 30th at 2pm ADT and is open to Canadian and U.S. readers. If you are chosen as a winner we will message you to find out your shipping address. You then have 72 hours to respond to our message.

Cost - It’s totally up to you. If you decide to just play the game then it’s free!

If you are looking for a fun little indoor activity on a chilly day, try a book hunt. You go to a local book store with someone, split up, and with a time limit you try to pick out a book that the other person might like. Then you meet up and reveal your choices to one another. We gave it a shot, and although we didn’t stick to our own rules we really enjoyed it.

SHE SAID:

One of my favorite places to shop for gifts is at a bookstore. So when Brad suggested we go on a book hunt for each other I was in.

Chapters is a lot of real estate to cover in a short time frame so I chose the top three sections I thought I might find something he enjoyed. I also tried to think of any recent conversations we had about his latest interests, curiosities, etc. I tend to be a tad indecisive, and coupling that with a time crunch spells disaster, so it’s no wonder I ended up coming back to the meeting spot with more than one book. Three to be exact.

I found the hunt for the books and the big reveal to be very exciting, but no so much the deciding what book to keep. This is why I recommend sticking to only bringing one book back to your partner. Giving yourself more time to hunt for books may help with this. Brad gave me 15 minutes, without a watch, in a store with many shopping distractions, to find an awesome gift. I recommend a good half hour, but don’t take so long that you have to put an announcement over the PA for a lost partner.

Brad’s first picks for me were massive novels, which I would have loved were it July and I had endless hours to read at the beach. However, it’s October and I need magazine type texts to flip through at my leisure.

The second attempt was very successful. Option #1 was a massive book of nothing but lists. Option #2 was a tip book on how to buy yourself more time (was that a hint?) and Option #3 (my favorite!) was a quick decorating book for people on the go. In the end, my frugal and practical side won out and I didn’t end up getting a book that Brad had picked out for me (sorry love bug!) but a book I needed for school. If nothing else, Brad has some great ideas for Christmas….

HE SAID:

After almost three and a half years of marriage we finally put all of our knowledge about each other to the test. We went to Chapters, split up, and took 15 minutes to pick out three books that we thought the other might like.

First of all I should say that we bent the rules quite a bit on this one. I think the idea is to each pick out one book, and no matter what ends up getting picked, you have to buy it. We decided not only to pick out more than one book each, but to do two rounds of picks. We also went in with a budget in mind, but that didn’t last long as I am horrible at looking at prices when I shop for Susan.

I went into this feeling quite confident that I could pick out the perfect book on the first try. Then I got knee deep in choices and realized it was going to be harder than I thought. Do I go for a novel, or more information oriented book? While Susan (of course) took the more logical route of picking from what she thought was my top three favorite sections, I went the more frantic, running up and down the aisles in a panic route. In the first round I decided to pick out some novels. I knew that she doesn’t have the time to read one right now, but I figured it would be nice to have one to look forward to reading when some free time shows up. So in the second round I think I found some better choices for her.

I have to say, I was quite surprised by the books she picked out for me. I was expecting more random choices, books that I had never heard of before. Instead she went pretty safe and picked books I had either looked at before, or books by authors that I enjoy. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the books she picked out, I was just surprised.

We decided in the end not to buy any of the books we picked out for each other for two reasons. The first was because we both threw our original budget out the window. The second was that we decided the fun was in the hunt itself plus the reveal, not in the purchasing.

I had so much fun with this one and I can’t wait to try it again. It’s kind of like Christmas with more instant gratification. With a Christmas gift you often have to wait weeks or days, if not months, before you can see the reaction of the person you bought the gift for. With this you get to see the reaction almost immediately, plus you don’t even have to buy anything to have fun. I really got a kick out of watching Susan’s reactions to the books I picked for her and wanted to keep picking more, but we ran out of time.

So what are you waiting for? Go out to a local book store with someone and try this game. It’s a lot of fun, and the cost is totally up to you.