...a super awesome giveaway and a chance to save some money!
Who couldn't use a time-saving, money-savy dinner AND a visa gift card for $25?!?
Well, you're in the right place if you answered "Yes!!!" to the above questions...Just in time for the start of the holiday season. This week's giveaway is sponsored by Wanchai Ferry and Macaroni Grill, as well as MyBlogSpark. My giveaway prize pack and information are provided by the above companies.
How many of you remember your first date night with your sweetie? Was it a fun activity? Maybe a sporting event or concert? A romantic dinner for two?
Having just celebrated our 12th Sweetest Day together (gah!), I took a walk down memory lane and decided to share a story about my first date with my "sweetest"...
Jason and I had met over Easter weekend at a local bar. He was the cute guy/good dancer whose name I couldn't remember months later. I won't rehash the details of that first night...There may have been an R-rated "Girls Gone Wild" moment, but enough already. Needless to say, I was young, liberated, and maybe just a little wild. No comment from the peanut gallery...
I was just finishing up my senior year of college, heading into final exams. I was focused on finishing up nursing school, getting my bachelor's degree, passing nursing boards, and finding a job. I most definitely was not interested in finding a boyfriend. But you know what they say about Cupid and that arrow of his...
Jason and I spent a few weeks talking on the phone, writing emails and letters back and forth, and sending cryptic pager messages to one another (yes, we dated "way back when" before the era of texting!) Basically, we got to know each other pretty well over those first few weeks, and decided a date should be forthcoming. We planned to meet up at my home and head out on the town for a fun night.
The toll of late night studying and early morning final exams began to wear thin on my mental and physical well-being. I got quite run down and tired as the weekend date approached. I could barely keep my eyes open at my last final exam on Wednesday, and had a very sore, scratchy throat. I went to the student health clinic on my way home from the exam, hoping to get some Robitussin and cough drops.
I detailed my complaints to the student health nurse. I was sure it was just a mix of stress, fatigue, and anxiety. After taking my temperature, feeling my glands and looking in my throat, the nurse decided a rapid strep and monospot test might be helpful.
Guess what came back positive??
I had mono. Affectionately known as "the kissing disease" because of its easy spread from one to another, especially people who kiss.
I called Jason right away and told him I needed to cancel our date. I was so tired I was practically falling asleep on the phone talking to him. I explained to him that I had mono, I was too tired to drive home, I planned on just staying cooped up in my dorm room and recuperating until graduation.
Jason, not to be deterred, decided I needed a visitor. To this day, I'm not sure if he believed I was really sick, or if he was just coming to "check up" and make sure I wasn't ditching him for
And that, my friends, was my first date with my sweetheart.
We've had many "dates" since then- some out on the town and many hanging out at home. But it still tickles my fancy when Jason cooks for me. And meals like Macaroni Grill and Wanchai Ferry Boxed dinners make cooking easy. Why, just tonight, Jason cooked Wanchai Ferry's Orange Chicken. It was simple, took less than 30 minutes to make, and tasted delicious and authentic. My kids loved it, and (although they love broccoli, brussel sprouts and asparagus) said how tasty and flavorful it was.
We have also cooked Macaroni Grill Boxed Dinners frequently in the past. My favorites are the Chicken Marsala and Creamy Basil varieties. We really love the different flavors and meals we can get with the same basic ingredient- chicken. The meals are easy, complete, and tasty!!
And now it's your turn...
You can win a boxed dinner from Wanchai Ferry, a boxed dinner from Macaroni Grill, and a $25 Visa gift card for simply leaving a comment here telling me where you went on your first date with your sweetie. One lucky commenter will get the prize pack mentioned above. Winner will be drawn at random on November 1st. Couldn't you use the boxed dinners to make a quick family meal during the rush and hub-bub of the upcoming holidays? Couldn't you use $25 to help buy groceries or Christmas gifts this holiday season? Of course you could!! So don't be shy...comment today and have a chance to win!!
And just in case you don't win (or even if you do!) you can visit the MyBlogSpark website for a coupon off of Wanchai Ferry or Macaroni Grill Boxed Dinners.
I'll be anxiously awaiting your comments about your first date. Can you beat a mononucleosis-infected dorm room futon?
My friend at the time set us up on a blind double date. I was not even supposed to be paired up with Rob...in fact I was supposed to be with...Hmmmm...some guy named Jason ;) Thankfully for you, he and I did not hit it off, but Rob and I sure did!
ReplyDeleteWe went to dinner at a place called Bogey's over by Middlebranch Rd. (now closed) and then went bowling...Soooo romantic! We then went back to Rob's "apartment" in Grandma Tallman's basement and slow danced the night away!
My friend and I were totally crazy to agree to meet these two random guys that she had met over the internet at THEIR apartment...it must have been fate :)
Not sure mine tops yours.....but....
ReplyDeleteI worked with this guy named Bryan who I didn't really like at first, thought he was kind of a pig....but he was starting to grow on me and my cousin told me he was going to ask me out. When he didn't I confronted him and asked him what was the deal....not really my style but like I said he was growing on me....don't remember really what he said (it was almost 15 years ago) but he then said, do you want to go out?
So we went on a double date with our friend Jen and her boyfriend at the time (my cousin) to see a movie "The Craft", yes I know that makes me really old.....then to dinner at Chili's. Not sure what I ate, but he had chicken of some sort and corn...is that weird that I remember that??
We have been together ever since, on May 3rd it'll be 15 years from our first date and been married for 12 years on January 9th...funny thing is about 5 or 6 years after we were married, we were talking and he said I don't really like Chili's.....seriously, we have been there numerous times and NOW you tell me....we still laugh about that.
If you would asked me that the beginning of 1996 that we would of dated, let alone gotten married...I would of laughed at you and said you had lost your mind........but it has been the best decision of our lives :)
Goodness, I feel old and can barely remember my first date with my now better half. It was way before texting, paging, emails, or Cell phones. The phones we had were the desk phones that sat on the end table in the living room. Lucky for me, our phone had a long enough cord on it, that would stretch across the living room and up to the stair steps, where I could sit on the steps, close the door and have some "privacy".
ReplyDeleteEnough reminiscing! Our official first date was spent at the drag race track. No supper out. No double date.. just a lot of noise, alot of tires burning rubber, and a lot of fast cars, oh and maybe I did have some french fries for the snack bar. As a matter of fact, I'm not even sure why I went out with him again. I know you're all jealous, but believe me there was no romance there at all.
All I really remember from our "first official date" is begging my mom to please let me go out with this guy with blue eyes, and saying to her, and I quote, "It's not like I'm gonna marry the guy, mom!!!" That was almost 29 years ago, and we will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary this summer! Funny how that works out!
Hmmm... Although I am not married yet... it is coming very quickly believe it or not! And not that I am trying to show my age but I am from the era of text messaging! Paul and I started from a txt message that I sent him asking him if I could "cat sit" for a few days. We texted back and forth for a while about making sure I cleaned up after the cat and made sure that the litter box didnt stink the apartment up (since he was my landlord) While I was actually out to dinner with someone else(unmentionable) I got a message that stated "if i was 21 i would be on your doorstep right now" ... in true girl fashion I responded with the classic " age should matter!" From there he asked me if I would like to have dinner with him at his cabin! I know kind of creepy... but he was from Louisville and i figured if he was to murder me then everyone in Louisville would murder him in some type of painful way!
ReplyDeleteWhen I arrived at his farm he was NOT ready! We loaded up the vehicle and drove down into the woods to the cabin! He showed me around and started to prepare our dinner... he made marinated pork tenderloin and potatoes on the fire! After dinner we went for a ride in the paddle boat and a walk around the property!
Our first date was at the cabin which is also where he proposed to me and it was in the exact place that we had our first kiss!