A Harry Potter Moon

By Connie Lewis

My favorite date involves a Harry Potter release party. 

When people couldn’t wait to get their hands on a new release of a Harry Potter book, bookstores used to hold midnight release parties with food, games and excitement. I attended one at the Borders in Murray with my husband and we made it a date.

It was summer so we were on our motorcycle. There is something special about riding a motorcycle through the streets when they are mostly deserted and you can smell things other than exhaust. 

As we drove up a particular hill, the full moon seemed to be perched at the top as if once we got there we could touch it. Perfect temperature, perfect partner, perfect night. And the cost? Only the price of the book.  

A Different Kind of Bubbly

By Bianca Dumas

A glass of something bubbly is pretty standard on Galentine’s Day, but I like to shake it up. Not literally, so that the foam goes flying, but figuratively, by drinking something a little different. 

Last year, a friend and I went on a Valentine’s date to HK Brewing Collective Taproom and Bar in the Ballpark neighborhood and drank some Han’s Kombucha — house-brewed, small-batch booch.

Yes, a bit of alcohol did find its way into our drinks, and that’s a really cool thing about this little bar — the kombucha is offered straight or as a mixer for cocktails and mocktails.

The taproom is just gorgeous, and is a cozy space for hanging out and chatting without feeling like everyone else can hear you. While we were there, co-founder Kate gave us a tour of the brewing facility and it was amazing to think of booch brewing like beer, with the stainless steel vats and the temperature monitoring and the chemistry-obsessed nature of it all.

We tasted a lot of great snacks like house-toasted empanadas and locally-sourced charcuterie, and we laughed our heads off when we were offered tinned fish, but it really fit the not-so-standard tenor of the afternoon. 

When it comes to shaking things up, I think it’s time to change the boring old friends’ coffee-date. We all get enough caffeine anyway, and if it’s midday and you’re not feeling like drinking, sparkly kombucha is healthy, tasty, and low-calorie. It made for the perfect Galentine’s date.

Itty Bitty Main Street

By Tani Leavitt

When I was in high school during the spring, eight of us (4 couples) decided to do a day date before the spring dance. I had racked my brain to come up with a fun activity for weeks. I finally came up with an idea that I believed was a winner and that idea came to be known as Itty Bitty Main Street. 

The basic idea was that a third party would go and find interesting things to take pictures of on Main Street. They would then zoom in on a small detail of the picture that stood out. Those pictures would be printed on a sheet of paper and everyone in the group was given a copy. One picture that I remember vividly was the eye of a duck that we found on a window at the bookstore on Main Street. 

It took a while for us to figure out what the eye belonged to, so when we finally found it, we were excited. We made it a competition to see who could find each item and take a picture the fastest. 

This date may only stand out to me because my date and I won, but from what I could tell, each couple really enjoyed the hunt. 

It was fun to have the opportunity to go for a walk and get to know each other while playing a game and competing against the others in the group.

Cheesecake romance 

By Anna Lythgoe

Probably the most memorable date, one that didn’t involve embarrassing moments like barfing into my to-go bag or having an entire 44 oz. soda spill all over my white jeans, was a simple date. 

It was a Valentine’s Day date before my husband and I got married. We were poor college kids so I decided to cook a fancy spaghetti dinner complete with a linen tablecloth, cloth napkins, and candles. This was set up in my parent’s basement. 

I hung hearts from the fanlight above the table. I don’t remember if there was music, but if it makes the story more interesting, we could say there was. To finish off dinner, I made a triple chocolate heart-shaped cheesecake. I’m pretty sure that cheesecake is the reason my husband decided to marry me, because later that year we were engaged. 

My Fun, Frustrating Date 

By Dave Jensen

I once met a woman who was attractive and intelligent, and I thought she might be the one. Still, I needed to know more about her sense of adventure, so I devised an ingenious plan.

One winter evening after dinner and a movie, I nonchalantly asked, “What are you doing tomorrow morning?” She seemed intrigued and told me she was completely free. “Great!” I replied. “Here’s the deal: I’ll pick you up at 2 am. Put your swimsuit on and dress for the cold. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Where are we going?” she wanted to know. “That’s a secret,” I told her, “but it’ll be fun!”

True to my word, I knocked on her door at 2 am. She was dressed like an Eskimo and seemed eager for whatever adventure lay ahead. As we headed south on I-15, I revealed the plan; we were going to hike to the hot springs at Fifth Water and watch the sunrise from a steaming pool next to the creek. She seemed excited.

I parked my truck on the crusty snow at the trailhead and we stepped into the frigid morning darkness. I had made this trek many times on my own, but never with an attractive woman. She was well on her way to passing my test until she turned to me and asked in a somewhat irritated tone, “How much further is it?”

It was obvious at that moment that she didn’t really want to be there, and although we enjoyed the sunrise from the pool, she let me know that she was not the adventure woman I was looking for.

“I Choose You”

By Nicole Anderson

He said we were going to Vegas. He had said that for weeks. Instead of traveling south toward Vegas, he went southeast toward Moab, and at the last minute, turned into the little airport just north of town. He chartered an (almost private) plane to fly us above the Arches on the outskirts of Arches National Park. 

Another couple on board smelled quite pungent — I imagine from a day of hiking — which made my stomach queasy as the pilot took a sharp turn to view the Angel Arch. After landing, we continued driving to Red Cliffs Lodge, ate dinner, relaxed by the pool, and laid on a blanket beneath the stars. 

When I asked about Vegas he said, “You’re too important for Elvis,” even though we joked about getting married that weekend. We sat out on the patio, the Colorado River rushing by, starlings flitting about, candlelight flickering across the rustic stone walls of the Lodge. 

I stood up to admire the river and when I turned around, he was down on one knee. I said yes! After celebrating, we went to bed. I woke up to use the bathroom, turned the corner too sharp, and ran smack into the wall. I slept with an icepack on my eye next to the man who had stolen my heart. 

It wasn’t the perfect trip. It wasn’t my first rodeo. But one thing I’ve learned is that life comes with sharp corners, and love is a choice we make daily. 

We choose to say, “I choose you,” every day.

Feature Image courtesy of Red Cliffs Lodge.