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I’m going to ask my husband out on a date.

Mr. T and I have been focused on parenting these past 11 months, but it’s time we gave our relationship some attention.

We haven’t been on a real date — one for which I put on a special outfit and Mr. T wore shoes that weren’t Converse — since 2014.

My therapist was appalled when she learned that.

She said we need to make spending time together a high-priority, regular occurrence. Here’s what I heard: “You need enough date-night ideas to get you to 2018.”

Twenty-four weeks left in the year. Twenty-four fun, easy ideas to strengthen our connection.

BTW: The hubs and I worked on compiling this list together. It was on a Saturday night. Does that count as a date?

1. Movie night. Instead of vegging on the couch, we’ll settle on the outdoor sectional and watch a flick on the computer.
2. Fruit picking.
3. Hiking. Before Baby Bird, Mr. T and I would hike the trails in the city, and we climbed Mt. Liamuiga — a dormant volcano — in St. Kitts. Scaling mini mountains and making it home unscathed kind of became our thing.
4. Picnic in the park.
5. Ice cream-shop stop.
6. Tasting at a local winery.
7. Road trip to Niagara Falls. This would be an overnight trip, so Baby Bird would tag along.
8. Cooking together. He could handle dinner, I’d tackle dessert. Or vice versa. Nothing says loving like not having to cook the entire meal.
9. Tattoos. It’s not necessarily a traditional date night idea, but it was on the agenda for our first date. But only I got inked that night. Ten years later, I’m still waiting for him to hold up his end of the deal. Along those lines …
10. First date redux. That night was supposed to involve salsa dancing, tacos, and tattoos. Instead, I got tattooed, we went to see the “Grindhouse” double feature, and we made out in a bar while tossing back caramel apple martinis. It was a good night.
11. Laser tag.
12. DIY wine and paint. We’ll buy some canvases, paint, and wine, and see how it all works out.
13. Board games. There are lots of games that’ll feed our need for competition and help us connect. We could start with Jenga (we have the XL version, and the bigger pieces just make the game more awesome), and move to something like Forbidden Desert, which will make us work together.
14. Video game showdown. I could kick Mr. T’s butt in some Wii boxing and burn calories in the process.
15. Ride the incline. Taking a trip on the city’s inclines is a quintessential Pittsburgh experience, but I’ve never done it. We could ride the Duquesne up, then enjoy dinner and the view from Mt. Washington.

    

16. Go see one of our favorite artists in concert.
17. Moonlight horseback riding and dinner. Doesn’t that just sound sexy? Like something you’d read about in a Harlequin Romance novel? Rolling Hills Ranch outside Pittsburgh offers this date for just $60 per person.
18. Take a walk. In the beginning of our courtship — when we were both young and broke — we’d often walk the city’s streets together. We’d walk, talk, and learn about one another. Those were good, easy times.
19. Rock climbing. Neither of us has done this, and it could be a cool trust-building exercise.
20. Roller skating.
21. Go to a slam-poetry night.
22. Ziplining.
23. Steelers game. To say Mr. T is a Steelers fan would be the understatement of the millennium. Me? Not so much. But I’d be willing to go to a game just for the experience.
24. Sweet-shop tour. Mr. T suggested we visit dessert shops and indulge. I’d say he’s a man after my heart, but he kinda already has it.

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