Having an Affair (With Your Husband)

Let me take a second to explain my title.  I've been married to my hubs for almost 9 years now (Wow!!!) and let's just say, I've gotten a tad.... lazy.  Make up? Sometimes.  Cute clothes?  Sometimes.  Clean shaven legs?  Rarely.  Poor guy.  He's gotten the short end of the stick, really.  Back in the day when we would go out on dates, before we were married, I was a very well manicured, adorable little sass with a perky body (Ahem.).  I made sure I looked good and smelled good and that everything about me was attractive!!! I wanted to be the best catch!  The whole experience of marriage has done things to us both-- saggy bodies, wrinkles, less patience, big bellies, budget talks, and scheduled intimacy (aka, dates.)

Now, as an old married couple, dating has become even more important now than before!  IT'S SO EASY TO FALL IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE!  But it's super hard to stay that way!  As romantic as it is, a lifetime commitment to the same person is so hard but so wonderful! It's like a big oxymoron!  Let's face it.  Sometimes it SUCKS!! But, most of the time it's so great to share every living, breathing moment with your favorite person on this planet.  Really and truly.  By going out together on a date, it's almost like we are boyfriend/girlfriend again and having an affair WITH our spouse!

Josh and I after 2 months of dating.  He was 25 and I was 28.  (Yep, I'm a cougar.)

{Nerd alert!}  I was doing some research and found these stats...

• 63% of men and 61% of women are "very happy" in their marriage.
• Married men and women have longer life expectancies than single or divorced men and women.
• According to recent studies, the percentage of children that experience parental divorce by the age of 12 is estimated to be about 24%.

                                   From http://www.foryourmarriage.org/factsfigures/

What can dating for your marriage?  TONS!!!  Shoot!  Frankly, it gives me a reason shave my legs and wear a push up bra!  Can I get an amen?!  Men are primarily visual people so let's give our husbands something to fancy to look at!  Dating your spouse also opens up uninterupted communication, offers a chance to flirt and be romantic, have a blast together, and show that you are all in!  What's wrong with that?!  GENIUS!!

A few weeks ago, a group of 5 couples (including us) went out on a group date!  We had soooo much fun together.  First dinner and drinks then off to a fantastic place called EXIT STRATEGY!  Wow, was it fun!  They have these different themed rooms and a problem to solve with each.  You have to use the clues you find in the room to solve the problem and exit the room within 60 minutes.  You can ask for help from the staff, but it's way more fun when you work together as a team.  Here's their blurb...

At Exit Strategy, sixty minutes will fly by as you attempt to unlock the door to your escape. Few have beat our rooms and those who did, have earned bragging rights and a place on our wall of fame. 

Although our rooms are known to claim many victims, visitors of all ages are sure to have a great time! Exit Strategy is the most challenging fun you'll ever have in sixty minutes. So, gather up a group of friends, family, or co-workers and see if you can work together to solve puzzles, find clues, and ultimately escape one of our rooms.

It's sooo much more fun than going to a movie together or with a group! You are forced to communicate with your spouse and your friends, forming instant connections and converstation!  It's like you are inside a mystery novel and it's unfolding right before your very eyes! 

I will say it was a tad costly at $25 per person, but money much better spent than going to the movies and paying ridiculous amounts on salty popcorn and sugary soda, and on a movie would have been better to watch later on Netflix.  The experience and the very detailed theme room is what you pay for and there's nothing else around like it.  

The themes are great:  Queen City Heist, Cabin in the Woods (the one we did), Murder Mystery, The Final Sacrifice (Eek!!), Quest of Honor, and Lost in Space.  

When you get there, you have to put your belongings in a locker and you get to keep the key.  They do this so you don't take pics of their rooms or try to copy their idea.  I totally get it.  Then, you are blindfolded and taken to the room.  Once you are in there, you are able to take off your blind folds and they lock you in the room.  And, as a person with claustrophobia, I thought it was going to be waaaay worse than it was.  The room was super spacious and I wasn't freaked out at all.  I'd give you more details about what was inside the room but I don't want to ruin it for you!

All in all, I'd give it 4 3/4 stars.  Not a perfect 5 because of the cost, but that's the ONLY reason!  We will definitely be back!!!!  Even thinking of taking our church group there!  

Do something big this weekend!  Hire a babysitter (or swap services with a friend) and take your guy or girl out for a date!  

I have a $50 gift card up for grabs for EXIT STRATEGY!  That's a paid date for the two of you!  Comment below with where you went on your first date to get entered in the drawing!!