Date Night!

Date Night!

By Hattie Foote

I must admit, the dining issue is one of my favorites. I use it as an excuse to do extensive “research” at all of our wonderful local restaurants. This past month I have been breaking my back (more like breaking my pants) exploring date ideas to share. I set myself up with three hot dates, and they weren’t all with my husband! Before the rumor mill goes into overdrive, let me clarify. As much as I love a night out with my man, girl’s nights and time with myself are just as important!

My husband Chris and I try to have a date once a week, sometimes we succeed and other times a month will go by because life is just busy. This week, for whatever reason I was craving a martini

and oysters. Now, the only other time I have had martinis was in college when my girlfriends worked at a Hilton bar in Albuquerque. I remember thinking ‘well, I am 21 now and I am a classy adult’ as I proceeded to drink three martinis. And I never touched them again after that humbling experience. Now here I am 17 years later, ready to give it another go. So, we went to what I believe to be the best happy hour in town, Stake. Talk about feeling like a classy adult! I love the food and ambiance; the staff is always so helpful. I told my waitress my martini horror story, and she was supportive in my journey to try again. My drink was perfect, it was icy and dirty and just like that I entered my martini era. Date night success, Stake will always be a top recommendation from me!

Next up was girl’s night, and this was a fun one! I had a friend invite me to an event hosted by the Coronado Floral Association. It was held in the private room at The Henry, and Kara’s Flowers led a flower arranging class. Now I am no green thumb, I have a hard time keeping any type of plant alive. However, I did accidentally grow a pumpkin patch this year! I left our jack-o’-lanterns out a little too long last Halloween, and this year my entire patio was overgrown with pumpkin vines. Chris was so mad, but the kids and I grew five pumpkins that we were very proud of! So maybe I have like, a green pinky. I had the best time learning how to arrange bouquets

and hanging out with the gals. I ended up becoming a member at the end of the night, and I am so excited for future events. If you are looking for something different, this is a really great group to join.

After all this social time, I was ready to spend some time with myself. I have mentioned before how much I like walking around town, air pods in blasting music. I set off after dropping the kids at school and decided to see where the road led me. I didn’t have to wander far before I walked right up to the Dawn Patrol window at The Islander. I ordered a strawberry beach bun because a cinnamon roll is the one

thing I can’t say no to. Now, I worked at Cinnabon in high school, so I am a trained professional when it comes to these bad boys. I can confidently say the beach buns are a 10/10. I hate the word moist, but it was MOIST. The icing was to die for, perfect amount of cinnamon, chefs kiss. Then I went and finished my walk because balance.

I know it can be hard to find the time for your partner, kids, or friends, let alone yourself. I also know how different everyone’s circumstances are. I am extremely lucky to have my mom be able to babysit, and I know how difficult it is to arrange childcare when she isn’t available. I thought this would be the perfect time to introduce The Village Childcare Network, a membership-based Network that connects families in Coronado with the most sought-after caregivers in San Diego. I met owner Stephanie Dooley when our kids were in preschool together. She is a busy mom of three, wife, and now business owner. I am so proud of her and love supporting brilliant, local ideas. Lord knows we all need a little help sometimes. Cheers to your next date night, you deserve it!