DATE NIGHT IN BOX
TE QUIERO (I LOVE YOU)
DATE GUIDE
BIENVENIDOS (WELCOME)
Transport yourself to the tropical ancient city of Tulum where beautiful beaches, fresh ceviche, and ancient Mayan ruins await! Natural sinkholes filled with turquoise water and edged with lush forest will set the backdrop for your Te Quiero experience. We have so many fun, exciting, and hopefully new experiences planned for you to enjoy with your loved ones. Fun games, crafts and even some dancing! Don’t forget to take pictures of your date and share them using #DateNightInBox. One lucky couple will win and get their next date night FREE! Join us on Facebook or Instagram for more details. If you received this date as a gift and enjoy your night, we would love for you to join us again next month! Thanks to all of you for allowing us to help build memories with you and your significant other. Till Next Month!
Megan Pruitt, Owner and Founder of Date Night In
DATE ACTIVITIES
- - - - - - -
SET THE MOOD COOK YOUR SUGGESTED DINNER RECIPES TABLE TALK APERITIVOS (SNACK TIME) & LOTERÍA VAMOS A BAILAR (LET’S DANCE) MEXICAN TRAIN DOMINOES REFLECTION & WAYS TO CONTINUE YOUR DATE NIGHT
SET THE MOOD To begin your adventure tonight, you will be enjoying the ambiance of a papel picado. Papel picado is considered a Mexican folk art and designs are commonly cut from as many as 40-50 colored tissue papers stacked together. The Aztec people first chiseled spirit figures into bark, which later became the art form known as papel picado. Papel picados are commonly used to assist in one’s life journey. It is believed that if someone wanted to improve a relationship, they would go to their local leader and have a papel picado made just for them. Locate your included templates (choose your favorite side of the design) and prepare to make your papel picado! Head to datenightinbox.com/tequiero for complete instructions! Hang them up in the space your date will take place and enjoy! Don’t forget to access your custom Te Quiero playlist at datenightinbox.com/tequiero
DINNER MENU We’ve included custom recipes provided by culinary experts Off The Pepper! Get ready to enjoy these yummy Mexican inspired recipes. Husband and wife duo, Virginia and Joshua Townsend, have been in the cooking world for over ten years. They have a passion for food and the idea of using it to bring others together. Feel free to follow their journey on Instagram @offthepepper or at offthepepper.com. Our hope is that you will be inspired through the Townsends’ passion for delicious food and will even use this recipe card again in the future. Have fun cooking and enjoy!
TABLE TALK A tourist was at the pier of a quaint coastal Mexican village when a small boat with only one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The tourist complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked him how long it took to catch them. The fisherman replied, “only a little while”.
The tourist inquired to
the fisherman why he didn’t stay out longer and catch more fish? The fisherman said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The tourist asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?” The fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.” The tourist scoffed, “I am a smart businessman and I could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats and eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would be able to leave this small coastal village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City.” The fisherman asked, “But how long will this all take?” The tourist replied, “15-20 years.” “But what then?” asked the fisherman.
Don’t forget to share pictures from your date or your dinner with hashtag
#DATENIGHTINBOX #OFFTHEPEPPER
The tourist laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right, you would announce the company is for sale and you would become a very rich man.” “Very rich - then what?” replied the fisherman. “Then you would retire, move to a quaint coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, and stroll to the village in the evening where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos”. Be More With Less
–
How can you and your significant other adopt a lifestyle similar
–
Take a moment to talk about simple and achievable ways you can
to the fisherman? slow down, reassess, and get real about the way you want to live your life.
–
Discuss your individual strengths and weaknesses related to the characters in the fisherman’s story.
ENJOY APERITIVOS (SNACKS) & LOTERÍA If you have ever visited the Mexican Pacific Coast, it is likely you have encountered a lovely señorita selling indulgent sweet candy treats. One taste of this and you can feel the warm breeze and golden sun of the Guerrero coast! Enjoy your Tamalitoz candies with the perfect mix of sweet and heat, colored with beet powder and spirulina extract, and flavored with natural flavors. While you enjoy your sweet treats, locate your Lotería cards and game boards and get ready to play a game that was brought to Mexico in 1769. Don Celement began publishing the game in 1887. The current images have been iconic in Mexican culture.
HOW TO PLAY LOTERÍA:
–
Each player has a different board, featuring pictures of the
–
A card is dealt from the deck, and any player that has the
–
The pattern to win (a column or a row) is determined at the
–
Once one player makes that pattern, they shout “Lotería” and
different cards in the deck. picture of that card on their board puts a game marker on it. beginning of each round win the game.
VAMOS A BAILAR ( LE T ‘ S D A N C E ! )
Get ready to bailar and learn some traditional and modern Spanish moves. Let your guard down, enjoy the idea of dancing in your home with no one watching, and embrace the experience. Head to datenightinbox.com/tequiero to watch your instructional dance videos!
MEXICAN TRAIN DOMINOES Next, locate your included dominoes set and get ready to play Mexican Train Dominoes. This exciting game can be played as a couple or with up to eight people. We hope you enjoy this game tonight and for future play! GAME SETUP To begin, find the double-six domino and set it apart. Shuffle the remaining dominoes face down. While the dominoes are face down, each player draws seven tiles. You’ll need to view all your dominoes in your hand at a glance, so place them on edge facing you. The remaining dominoes are gathered together in a “boneyard” pile, still face down. Place the double-six domino in the middle of the table; this will be called “the hub.” Each player will play their dominoes off one side of the hub. One additional side of the hub is chosen to be the starting point for the “Mexican Train.” BASICS Each time a player places a domino on the table in Mexican Train, the domino must be placed so that one end is touching the end of a domino already on the table and such that the end of the new domino matches (shows the same number of dots) the end of the domino it is adjacent to. A domino with the same number at either end is called a “double.” A double must also be placed adjacent to a matching domino, but it is placed perpendicularly, making a “T.” A tile played to a double must also be placed accordingly – perpendicular to the double, touching at its middle.
PLAY Player 1 starts their “train” by laying down their first domino off their end of the hub. The end of the domino that points toward the middle must match the central hub domino; in this case, six. If Player 1 does not have a domino with a six, they draw from the boneyard. If possible, the new domino from the boneyard is played. Player 2 will then start their own train by laying down their first domino or drawing from the boneyard if they do not have a domino with a six. Players then take turns laying down one domino at a time, making sure each new domino matches the end of the train. If a player has a double, they must lay down the double AND another domino with that number OR lay down the double and draw from the boneyard. STARTING THE MEXICAN TRAIN Once both players have started their own trains, the Mexican Train can be started off the hub by laying down a domino with a six (or whatever number tile is in the hub). Both players can play off of the Mexican Train. WINNING The aim is to be the first player to get rid of all the dominoes in their hand. As soon as this happens, even if the last tile is a double, the game ends. The winning player scores zero; the other player scores the total of the number of spots on the dominoes left in their possession. To play a full game of Mexican Train, play seven rounds, starting each round with a different double tile in the hub (i.e. - 1st round: double six, 2nd round: double five, 3rd round: double four, etc.). Keep track of the score at the end of each round and see who has the least amount of points at the end of the game!
“El amor verdadero hace milagros, porque él mismo es ya el mayor milagro.” —-Amado Nervo
Translation: True love works miracles, because it is already the greatest miracle.
ADIOS UNTIL NEXT MONTH
REFLECTION TA K E A M O M ENT T O RE F L E C T O N Y O U R T E QUIERO D AT E NIGHT I N. D I SCUS S T H E S E Q U E S T I O N S T O G ET HER:
- - -
Which part of the date did you enjoy the most? Did you try something new as a part of your date? What was it like to experience it with your significant other? Are there any aspects of the date that you would like to incorporate into your relationship in the future?
CONTINUE YOUR DATE NIGHT H ER E AR E SO M E W A Y S T O C O N T I N U E Y O U R D AT E NIGHT :
- - -
Play more rounds of Mexican Train Dominoes Continue to practice your dance moves and really perfect them! Support your local Mexican restaurant
CHECK OUT THESE MOVIES
- - - - - -
Y tu Mamá También Miss Bala Sicario: Day of the Soldado Gringo Frida Amores Perros
#DATENIGHTINBOX @DATENIGHTINBOX
Don’t forget to share pictures from your date with our hashtag #datenightinbox for a chance to win a FREE date.