Life With Lipstick On

Date Night Series

12 months of date night

Date Night Serieskacee geoffroy1 Comment

I got all fired up this year about date nights. Erik and I really have to work at getting date nights. With his work schedule being a real beast, we typically use his time off to be together as a family. This year, we want to mix it up a bit. We decided to each pick 6 date night ideas. It can be anything!! The rule was that it had to be anything that sounded fun to do with each other and we can’t say no to the other person’s idea. We alternate our ideas each month. Here is what we came up with…

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Kacee’s list: ( and yes there are 9 because I get excited- I’m still making him do 6)

Speakeasy ( must have secret door)- This was my February pick and it was such a blast!

Sky diving simulator

Cooking class ( Erik will hate this one- but it’s my date pick so I’m the boss )

Fondue

Drawing class ( Erik is a really good artist and I’m not to shabby myself)

Disneyland day

Paddle boarding

Whale watching

Comedy Club

Mixology class

Erik’s list:

Rock climbing

Bowling

No kids night in ( oo lala)

Hike

Pro basketball game

Lazer tag and pizza

We also, try and get away together once a year. Last year was an epic trip to Grand Cayman for a wedding/work trip for me. This year I thought it would be fun to take the trailer somewhere and camp just us two.


Cinderella Daddy and Daugther date at Cinepolis

Date Night SeriesLorely MezaComment

The anticipation of that first date haunts us all.  Is he my "Prince Charming"?  Is my outfit right?  Is this the start of something"?  When your first date is with your daddy, you know that all answers are yes!  Daddy will always love your dress, Daddy will always bring you flowers and Daddy will always buy you the fancy popcorn.  Capri and Peyton had a date set with their "Prince Charming" this week to see the new Cinderella movie at Cinepolis Luxury Cinemas.  Perfectly clad in their Cinderella inspired blue party dresses and glass slippers they were ready for their ball!  Daddy didn't disappoint!  Flowers in hand, he wisked them away to fancy popcorn, kobe beef sliders and Shirly Temple's to watch Cinderalla.  A little girl's dream night! Cinderella date   Cinderella date   Cinderella date2T2B7436  2T2B74022T2B74122T2B7423 2T2B7528 2T2B7532 2T2B7565 2T2B7580 2T2B7665 2T2B7716 2T2B7733 2T2B7742 2T2B7797 2T2B7813

Thank you to Cinepolis for a magical night of pumpkins, glass slippers and true love!  We couldn't have dreamt up a more enchanting experience.

 

Photos: Dana Grant

Girls wardrobe: J.Crew Organdry bow dress on Petyon  and Watercolor Floral Dress on Capri

 

 

 

Date Night: Beer Tasting

Date Night SeriesLorely MezaComment

Beer tasting date night With St. Patty's Day right around the corner, Erik and I decided it'd be fun to go beer tasting for a change of pace.  I am a total wino but thought it'd be interesting to try my hand at what I hear is a super fun and booming culture. We headed to downtown Fullerton to Bootleggers Brewery where we were able to try a variety of options, indulge in pizza delivered from around the corner and an intense Jenga game.  We enlisted our friend Sean Durham to give us the low down on how to decode beer and find our faves! Here are his tips and tricks for finding the perfect brew for you, food pairing  and  gift giving.

Beer tasting date night

Q:  What's the difference between a light and dark beer?

A: The difference between light beer and dark beer is the color of the grain/barley that the beer is made from. There are tons of flavor differences between dark and light beer - with dark beer typically having roasty, nutty notes and "light" beer tasting cleaner, citrusy or floral. The color of the beer doesn't have as much to do with taste as other elements of beer (hops, yeast, fermentation) but you can get a general idea of what to expect from the beer by looking at the color. Many people think that the darker the beer, the "heavier" or higher in alcohol it is - this is not true at all. Many light (in color) beers have extremely high alcohol, while a totally black/opaque beer can be very low in alcohol. Guinness, for example has about 4.2% abv (Alcohol by volume) which is the same as Bud Light.

Beer tasting date night

Q:  How do you know when a beer is better quality than the next? Are there ingredients you should look for?

A:  Absolutely. Quality beer is made using only four ingredients - 1) Barley 2) Hops 3) Water 4) Yeast. That's it. Most of the "big beers" (Budweiser, Miller Coors, Pabst etc.) use what's called an "adjunct" in their beer - Budweiser uses CORN as an adjunct/filler in their beer. Corn (or sometimes rice) is used in lower-quality beers to keep the costs down and remove flavor from beer. There's a reason Bud Light, Miller Light etc. can be described as watery - they've been intentionally reduced in flavor to appeal to the broader audience.

The best way to judge a beer's quality is first to know what's in it. Generally, most "craft" beers will contain only Barley, hops, water, yeast (with a few exceptions.) Secondly, before you take a sip, put your nose down to the rim of the glass and inhale the aromatics. Beer should smell like beer - it should never have any hint of sulfur (rotten eggs) or a buttery aroma. Those "off-flavors" are the two common giveaways that the beer is infected or of poor quality.

Finally - taste the beer. It should be bright, clean, and free of any unpleasant flavors that linger too long. Sweetness is also not generally a good sign in beer, typically it means that the beer has not been fully fermented, a sign of poor craftsmanship.

Beer tasting date

Q:  Are there any special food pairings for light or dark beers?

A:  There are a ton of ways to pair beer, since a beer's flavor profile isn't really determined by it's color... but a general rule could be:

"Light" in color - Salads, citrus, chicken, fish - anything that's light on the palate. A lighter beer pairs well with a bright, delicate dish.

"Dark" in color - Red meat, roasty, smoky dishes. A bolder, darker beer generally pairs well with big, robust foods. Also chocolate and rich desserts.

Beer tasting date

Q: If someone was going to bring a beer as a gift what would be a good choice? Any obvious crowd pleasers?

A:  With all of the craft beer options available right now, a beer from a local brewery is always a great gift. With a little bit of research, you can probably find a beer made within 5-10 miles of the person's home. Oftentimes smaller breweries don't bottle their beer, so a really cool way to impress someone might be to stop by the brewery (they generally have tasting rooms open to the public) and grab a "Growler" of their most popular beer. A growler is a 1 or 2 liter container that's filled at the brewery for at-home drinking.

If no local beers are available, you can never go wrong buying a craft beer that's dark in color and high in alcohol. For the most part, a beer high in alcohol is suitable for aging or storing for drinking sometime later in the future.

Beer tasting date night

Q:  In finding what beer you like best, how does a person get started?

A:  Head down to your local craft beer bar, sit at the bar and chat up the bartender. Craft beer bars tend to take their beer very seriously, and tend to hire very knowledgable people. Talk to the bartender about what you typically enjoy drinking (even if it's not beer!) and let them give you suggestions. It helps to go to a bar with lots of beer options (40-50 draft beers on tap is good) so there should be plenty to choose from. If the bartender isn't helpful or doesn't know anything about beer, go to another bar. Getting to know your favorite kind of beer should be a really fun experience - there are plenty of great people out there excited to help you find your favorite new brew.

Beer tasting date night

 Photos: Corey Morgan

Big thanks to Bootleggers for having us!

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