Great Date One: Sharing Hopes, Dreams, and Expectations

A few months ago, I admitted to being a "control enthusiast," and that I was using 10 Great Dates Before You Say "I Do" to supplement our Church marriage prep course. What I liked about this book in particular was that it hit all the major marriage prep topics, but put the discussions in the context off something fun--a date. I feel as though these topics are especially relevant to Jay and me because we've never lived together.

Last night, we started with Date One: Sharing Hopes, Dreams, and Expectations. Jay was in charge of this date, so he surprised me with dinner at one of our favorite Youngstown restaurants .

We started our talk by discussing how lame its title was. We agreed that it is apt and describes the purpose of our discussion, but seemed unavoidably lame.

With that matter settled, we talked about our personal visions for the future-- home, career, traditions, and spirituality-- then discussed how to integrate our goals into shared ones.

Then, just for fun, we went bowling. If you need more laughter in your relationship, I would recommend bowling in party clothes. It's too funny for words.

We bowled a terrible game (Jay didn't break 100, and I couldn't make it past 40...) but had a great time.

Now it's my turn to plan Date Two: Appreciating Your Differences. Hmmm...