Infinite & Beyond

Dear lover, thank you for the sweetest time of my life. And thank you that it never has to end. I've never laughed so much in my life since marrying you, and I still get a frog in my throat when you have to leave for work. I'm honored to have a son with you, and your hugs are what I longed for as a little girl. Your words are constantly encouraging me, and your eyes are always loving. Happy, happy 6 months of marriage, dear husband. // We had a fabulous day. We drank caramel machiatos and ate over-glazed doughnuts at Starbucks for breakfast. Then we "hiked" to the Pirate's Cove cave and threw our wedding cake off a cliff (which I recorded and will post to Facebook. *Actually, it could be a while because I just discovered that my camera records in a very rare and bizarre format, urgh), before sitting on the [nude] beach (fully clothed) talking and watching seals squabble on some rocks. I guess they're over the honeymoon period. Then we had lunch at our favorite Chinese place in SLO followed by a little shopping spree. We wrapped things up with a chocolate shake from INO before Jonas had to work. Here are some pictures of our day. 

Some husbands buy roses, but mine picks me Scottish thistles. <3

In honor of romance, I wanted to share the following with you all as well. You may or may not know that I am a Pinterest maniac (if you follow me, I know you're nodding your head with wild eyes right now), and I sometimes like to repin lists of "good date ideas" or "fun ways to say 'I love you'". Well, I was finally looking through them this weekend in search of some extra fun things to do and was disappointed in how boring they seemed to be, not to mention that they all said basically the same thing (although, as soon as I thought that, Emily K. posted this, of course). I realized I could come up with a way better list on my own, and so I did. Here are 55 for your enjoyment.

1. Be each other's personal shoppers; see if you can find something your partner would like in 20 minutes for $15 or less. 
2. Recreate an episode of Chopped or Iron Chef. 
3. Go shopping for lingerie and "other stuff" together. Suggest things for your significant other.
4. Find swings on a beach. Preferably with a snow-cone stand near by. 
5. Draw each other as caricatures (or your lady as a pin-up!) or cartoons. 
6. Dream up baby names for both a boy and a girl. 
7. Google/Youtube pictures and videos of baby and strange animals. 
8. Invent an instrument with what you have in the house and have a battle-of-the-tribal-warriors (you know - like battle of the bands, but more exotic). 
9. Invent and home-make a new ice cream flavor.
10. Play the associations game - "If you were a color/animal/word/smell/etc., you'd be___________". 
11. Pick a room/closet/disaster area and fill a thrift-store/giveaway bag as you organize. 
12. Host a themed dinner party for a couple you know. Dress up encouraged. 
13. Write a story or comic strip together, switching off paragraphs/frames.
14. Visit a near-by farmer's market. We loved the cheese-cake caramel apples at the SLO farmer's market, and we always check for tuber roses. 
15. Take a game (we like Bananagrams) to Starbucks and invite a stranger to play. 
16. Go to a bookstore and sit in the coffee table book section. Take note of your favorites and price them on Amazon upon returning home if you see any you have to have! 
17. Visit the library and each pick a crazy title or subject for the other person to investigate and give a mini report half an hour later. 
18. Take a kayak or inflatable raft to a nearby lake, beach or river. 
19. Design a magazine publication or blog together.
20. Foster kittens!
21. Paint on each other.
22. Recreate the Indian festival of Holi (the color throwing portion, clearly).
23. Recreate the Thai festival of Songkran (the water fight portion, clearly). 
24. Make a fort in your yard or a nearby forest or thicket.
25. Build a tree swing in a nearby forest.
26. Play naturalist - follow animal tracks, collect plants, photograph wildlife. Even better, video it all in an accent as if you're Steve Irwin (may he R.I.P). 
27. Visit the houses you grew up in.
28. Hide something ridiculous for geocachers.
29. Give each other pedicures.
30. Go to Macy's or Sephora and try on perfumes. Put leftover spray strips in drawers at home. And in case you didn't know, you can get up to 3 sample vials per visit at Sephora for free. 
31. Go to a farm or orchard and pick berries or stone fruit. 
32. Explore a lesser known beach or caves in your area. 
33. Make up (or look up) some holiday traditions and/or discuss your favorites growing up. 
34. Make up a secret language.
35. Create a board game.
36. Make a time-line playlist of your relationship or childhoods.
37. Paint your bedroom ceiling.
38. Have a watermelon sculpture contest.
39. Plan your next vacation. 
40. Discuss favorite childhood media and food.
41. Invent a sauce for your next pasta creation. 
42. Google new sex ideas. But only if you should be. 
43. Design tattoos and discuss placement. 
44. Spell a message with candy. 
45. Make something show-stopping in your neighborhood with sidewalk chalk. 
46. Play Mario kart, duh. 
47. Ice skate or roller skate together. Preferably to techno.
48. Start a potted indoor garden (for apartments :)).
49. Grocery shop together. 
50. Go to the playground, feed the ducks. Try not to scare children. 
51. Bring home unexpected flowers or candy and write an unwarranted love letter (ok, that's generic, but I still like it). 
52. Visit each other at work for lunch.
53. Get a hammock.
54. Make your car or truck bed into a nest and go to the drive-in (also generic). 
55. Set up dinner on the roof or apartment patio.