A Monthly Date Challenge: Fondue & Beethoven

September is an exciting month in the love story of Alex and Sarah so our dates this month were a little more extravagant. 

September is the month we got engaged and exactly one year (and by exactly I mean to.the.day) tied the knot. So both of our date nights happened on our anniversary weekend as part of the celebration of our first year of marriage. We each still planned one and they were a surprise to the other person (I just love surprises!) 

Alex's Date

Alex's date happened the Saturday night before our anniversary the next day. 

He chose to do have us do something that neither of us had done before but always wanted to experience. 

And that was to attend a symphony orchestra concert!

But this wasn't a normal symphony performance in a stuffy auditorium. This was indeed a performance at Red Rocks Amphitheater- perhaps one of the most famous outdoor amphitheaters in the country. With good reason- the sound quality is awesome, and the stunning beauty of the rocks and Denver city lights in the background just takes your experience from good to awesome.

(see what I mean??)

My 6 foot 3 dirtbiking man just happens to really dig classical music and with my piano background, I like it too. I must say, though, that Alex likes it a lot more than I do. 

I realized this when the director sat down in front of the grand piano and started playing "Clair De Lune", and Alex turns to me and exclaims, "This is my favorite classical piece!!"

To which I thought, "You listen to classical music enough to have a "favorite piece"?" I am always learning about that man, that's for sure.

We snacked on skittles (because we're 5 years old) as we marveled at the talent of the symphony players, and watched for the musicians' reactions when the wind blew their sheet music off their music stands. 

All in all, it was a great night. It was so fun doing something completely new, that we'd never done before. If you've never seen an orchestra or symphony I vote go do it! Even if classical music isn't totally your thing, I bet you just might enjoy it! 

Sarah's Date 

Since Alex found a totally fun thing to do Saturday night, I had to follow it up with a fun dinner. A couple of years ago on our second year dating anniversary, we had gone to a local fondue restaurant in a little town outside of Colorado Springs. We loved the experience and I thought it would go to a similar type of restaurant that neither of us had been to- the Melting Pot. 

This place is a type of "fondue experience". Meaning that your meal is is a series of things that you dip in fondue- usually a cheese fondue for an appetizer, a broth fondue that you dip different kinds of meat in for the entree, and a chocolate fondue that you dip different fruits or sweets in for dessert.

In true Jenik fashion, I found a good deal that offered a 4-course meal as part of customer appreciation month. So we went all out- our bellies are not  used to four courses, that's for sure! And most of dinner we talked about how we should try this at home because it seems like such a simple and fun concept! 

We opened cards, fondued, and chatted the night away, reminiscing about our wedding a year ago.

That's another monthly date challenge in the books! I will say that these dates were a lot more expensive than we would normally do, so if you're looking for something on a budget, these ideas may not be the best... But we figured the splurge was worth it for a first anniversary! Come back next month for two more date ideas! 

Has anyone else gone to a symphony? Or tried fondue?