This year on the blog, I'd like to start a Date Your Spouse series. I think it's so important to take care of your marriage! I've been married for almost 13 years. It is so easy to forget about date night especially when you have kids. Dating goes on the back burner and I believe this is a mistake. Over this year, I'll be sharing all different kinds of dates for all different budgets. You don't have to be married to enjoy these dates either but I know that married people tend to put off date night more. First up is DateMeSacramento.
*** This post in a collaboration with DateMeSacramento. The opinions as always are honest and 100% my own. ***
DateMeSacramento is a brand new company that launched on Feb 1. The creators are a couple that I know from Instagram, Katja and Caleb. I am so excited for them and so proud of their entrepreneurial spirits! DateMeSacramento is a service that plans a surprise date for you. You don't know where you are going until the email you the morning of your date!
First, you choose how many people are going on the date. You can go with 2 people or you can go as a group. Then you pick the level. Prices start at $90 and go up to $400 for the 2 person date. Next, you get a survey asking about your interests, activity level, and the kind of date you're looking for. That's it! You sit back and wait for them to plan your date.
We got an envelope a few days before our date from Caleb and Katja. The letter told us what to wear and what to bring on our date. It also gave us a few clues about what we were doing. Now, if you wanted to be super surprised, you could open the letter the morning of your date too.
We got to go on a modified level 2 date. Due to another commitment, we were not able to do the last part of our date which would have been a dinner reservation with a special set-up. While the meal bill is the responsibility of the guest, DateMeSacramento makes your reservation and has certain perks at certain restaurants such as special menu items or perhaps a complimentary appetizer or drink.
Onto our date!
Stop 1: The Prickly Pear
Now, The Prickly Pear has a slightly odd set up. They have a green house and succulent garden in a residential neighborhood in Oak Park. There is a fabulous space on their lot with tables and stools where you can sit and pot our own succulents. It is such a cute space! The owner, Mona is AMAZING! She's so sweet and knowledgeable! You can tell she puts her heart into everything she does!
We were each able to pick out a jar which Mona hand paints, sands, and turns into a planter. Dustin decided to do a full sized jar but I could not resist the mini jar. It is pink and SO cute! Dustin told Mona that he wanted to put his succulent on his desk which doesn't have any sunlight. She helped him pick out a nice sturdy plant for indoors. I wanted a pretty blush succulent to match my jar. Then, we went to the potting station and Mona helped us pot our succulents. She also gave us care instructions for each plant and said we could contact her any time with questions.
We had a great time! I loved meeting Mona! She has an amazing heart and we have already talked about doing some events together. Also, succulents are probably the only kind of plant that will survive in my house so that was an excellent choice!
Stop 2: AVA Virtual Reality
AVA Virtual Reality is located in Natomas by the movie theater. Upon entering, you check in at a desk and sign a waiver. They have seven stations where individuals can go in and get set up for the virtual reality games. They have a lot of games to choose from and you can play collaboratively which is great for a date. You get set up with a VR mask, headset with a microphone, and controllers. This is VERY immersive!
The first game we played was a zombie game which I would not recommend starting with. It was hard to get used to the controls while being attacked by zombies. Also, I feel like you should go into that game with some sort of plan with your partner and I felt slightly uncomfortable on the headsets. Also, at one point I went underwater in the zombie game and it was rough on me, I felt a little woozy. The next game was a laser tag game which was somewhat easier to play but gave me the same issues. It was hard to figure out how to move and how to shoot while trying not to get shot at. At this point, I needed a break. The VR is very immersive and wearing all the equipment made me a little sweaty.
The last game is a game I would suggest new people starting with. Dustin decided to try the Escape Room game and I sat in the same room as him with no headset on. This was great because while there was a time limit, you could move around and interact with objects without fear of being reset. This was also easy to work collaboratively on. I could see the room on the screen. I helped point out things he should do in the game. This game would also be good for a work team building type event. Dustin also tried going into a game for a few minutes where he could explore a wizard's lab which would also be a good one to start with. He said that after wearing the VR equipment for the full hour, he felt weird walking around in real life. He can't wait to go again and talked about it a lot with friends and family the next day.
At this point in the evening, we would have headed off to dinner planned by DateMeSacramento but instead we went to a birthday dinner for a friend.
DateMeSacramento is such a fun way to have a date! They pushed us out of our box. We tried two things that we've never tried before. Both are activities that we might not otherwise try but we enjoyed. They were also really thoughtful. I feel like The Prickly Pear was something more for me and AVA was something more for Dustin. It was a nice balance of things we enjoy and it was really well thought out! We often get stuck in a rut doing the same old dinner and a movie thing. DateMeSacramento was a great way to get out of the rut. For the cost, this would be great for a birthday or anniversary. You can even give a date as a gift by purchasing from their website.
You can find DateMeSacramento on social media:
DateMeSacramento Facebook
DateMeSacramento Instagram
Tell me all about your favorite date nights! I'm hoping to make this a twice a month series which is A LOT... LOL!
Connect with me on social media:
*** This post in a collaboration with DateMeSacramento. The opinions as always are honest and 100% my own. ***
First, you choose how many people are going on the date. You can go with 2 people or you can go as a group. Then you pick the level. Prices start at $90 and go up to $400 for the 2 person date. Next, you get a survey asking about your interests, activity level, and the kind of date you're looking for. That's it! You sit back and wait for them to plan your date.
We got an envelope a few days before our date from Caleb and Katja. The letter told us what to wear and what to bring on our date. It also gave us a few clues about what we were doing. Now, if you wanted to be super surprised, you could open the letter the morning of your date too.
We got to go on a modified level 2 date. Due to another commitment, we were not able to do the last part of our date which would have been a dinner reservation with a special set-up. While the meal bill is the responsibility of the guest, DateMeSacramento makes your reservation and has certain perks at certain restaurants such as special menu items or perhaps a complimentary appetizer or drink.
Onto our date!
Stop 1: The Prickly Pear
Now, The Prickly Pear has a slightly odd set up. They have a green house and succulent garden in a residential neighborhood in Oak Park. There is a fabulous space on their lot with tables and stools where you can sit and pot our own succulents. It is such a cute space! The owner, Mona is AMAZING! She's so sweet and knowledgeable! You can tell she puts her heart into everything she does!
We were each able to pick out a jar which Mona hand paints, sands, and turns into a planter. Dustin decided to do a full sized jar but I could not resist the mini jar. It is pink and SO cute! Dustin told Mona that he wanted to put his succulent on his desk which doesn't have any sunlight. She helped him pick out a nice sturdy plant for indoors. I wanted a pretty blush succulent to match my jar. Then, we went to the potting station and Mona helped us pot our succulents. She also gave us care instructions for each plant and said we could contact her any time with questions.
We had a great time! I loved meeting Mona! She has an amazing heart and we have already talked about doing some events together. Also, succulents are probably the only kind of plant that will survive in my house so that was an excellent choice!
Stop 2: AVA Virtual Reality
AVA Virtual Reality is located in Natomas by the movie theater. Upon entering, you check in at a desk and sign a waiver. They have seven stations where individuals can go in and get set up for the virtual reality games. They have a lot of games to choose from and you can play collaboratively which is great for a date. You get set up with a VR mask, headset with a microphone, and controllers. This is VERY immersive!
The first game we played was a zombie game which I would not recommend starting with. It was hard to get used to the controls while being attacked by zombies. Also, I feel like you should go into that game with some sort of plan with your partner and I felt slightly uncomfortable on the headsets. Also, at one point I went underwater in the zombie game and it was rough on me, I felt a little woozy. The next game was a laser tag game which was somewhat easier to play but gave me the same issues. It was hard to figure out how to move and how to shoot while trying not to get shot at. At this point, I needed a break. The VR is very immersive and wearing all the equipment made me a little sweaty.
The last game is a game I would suggest new people starting with. Dustin decided to try the Escape Room game and I sat in the same room as him with no headset on. This was great because while there was a time limit, you could move around and interact with objects without fear of being reset. This was also easy to work collaboratively on. I could see the room on the screen. I helped point out things he should do in the game. This game would also be good for a work team building type event. Dustin also tried going into a game for a few minutes where he could explore a wizard's lab which would also be a good one to start with. He said that after wearing the VR equipment for the full hour, he felt weird walking around in real life. He can't wait to go again and talked about it a lot with friends and family the next day.
At this point in the evening, we would have headed off to dinner planned by DateMeSacramento but instead we went to a birthday dinner for a friend.
DateMeSacramento is such a fun way to have a date! They pushed us out of our box. We tried two things that we've never tried before. Both are activities that we might not otherwise try but we enjoyed. They were also really thoughtful. I feel like The Prickly Pear was something more for me and AVA was something more for Dustin. It was a nice balance of things we enjoy and it was really well thought out! We often get stuck in a rut doing the same old dinner and a movie thing. DateMeSacramento was a great way to get out of the rut. For the cost, this would be great for a birthday or anniversary. You can even give a date as a gift by purchasing from their website.
You can find DateMeSacramento on social media:
DateMeSacramento Facebook
DateMeSacramento Instagram
Tell me all about your favorite date nights! I'm hoping to make this a twice a month series which is A LOT... LOL!
Connect with me on social media:
How awesome is this service! My hubby and I go on dates every now and then but this sounds like a wonderful way to spend an evening! Especially the succulent planting!!! 💕
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun date night! I love all the unique activities you got to do, what a great way to bring a little something extra to date night!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun way to reconnect! I think my husband would like the VR as long as it didn't make him nauseous which is always a bit of a concern with those type of things.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great service. I like that there are so many different activities to do.
ReplyDelete