Fall in Love This Fall Season, 20 Fun Fall Date Ideas!

So we can all tell by the weather, that Fall is certainly on its way. I just love the Fall season. The way all the leaves on the trees change colors, the wind in the air, and that I get to wear cute boots! I have a problem with always trying to wear boots even in the summer, but now I finally have a good excuse. So here are some fun ideas for this Fall season to do with the hubby!

1) Go to a Pumpkin Patch - For as long as I can remember I have always gotten my pumpkins at a local grocery store, but I am determined to switch it up this year and we are going to an actual pumpkin patch! 

2) Star-gazing and drinking hot chocolate - Who doesn't love some creamy hot chocolate? I know I do and especially now that it's getting chilly at night I am going to take advantage and drink me some delicious hot coco. And what better way to have a romantic date by going star gazing! Tay and I love star-gazing, or city watching as we sometimes call it. We go up to the top of a hill or mountain and just look down at all the pretty lights at night and stars shining above. So romantic and relaxing! A good time to just talk and get to know each other a little better. 

3) Hike a scenic trail - Well as I have said before, I love being outdoors. I am always amazed at the beauty around me. I am not a fan of hikes where you feel like you are going to die because they are so hard, but hikes where you can just see everything for miles and miles and the view takes your breath away. I feel such gratification being away from all the nonsense of the world and especially during this Fall season when all the leaves and plants are changing colors. Don't miss it!

4) Picnic and games at the park - Grab some dinner, dessert, and a cozy blanket\and find a quiet area at the park where you guys can play games and have a cheap little date night!

5) Corn maze time - I remember my first corn maze, Taylor and I went together. (He didn't like me then, but I was head over heels totally in love with him) It was freezing and we were being chased by a scarecrow with a chainsaw and it was the perfect time to snuggle up and act all scared so I could be close to him ;) And in the end my plan worked out perfectly because here we are! 

6) Cook something Pumpkin! - I've never been a big fan of pumpkin flavored goodies or meals, but this weather is inspiring me to make pumpkin flavored everything!

7) Have a Fall photoshoot - Pictures are my absolute favorite! I love being able to look back at all our photos and remember what joke Taylor was telling me to make us laugh, or just see how happy we were then and how how in love we still are years later. 

8) Hayride - You are never too old for a good 'ol hayride!

9) Watch a scary movie in the middle of nowhere - Ya this sounds bizarre, but I can tell you it is so exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time! Take your laptop and some popcorn and find a cornfield. The first time I ever did this, I watched Signs, and I don't think the movie Signs is scary, but let me tell you, in the middle of a cornfield at night with the breeze blowing, oh man it was such a crazy and awesome night! 

10) Bonfire and smores time - Roast some marshmallows up in the mountains or even in your backyard and play some volleyball. Just one more excuse for me to be outside!

11) Make a fort - When it gets too cold outside then make a cozy warm fort and snuggle up with tons of blankets and pillows in your own living room. 

12) Harry Potter Movie Night - It's getting close to Halloween and what better way to get in the mood for witches and wizards than watching Harry Potter! 

13) Football Season - I'm not a big football fan, but, chances are one of you will be... So go bond and root for your new favorite team.

14) Leaf Jumpin - You are never too old to be kids, have fun while raking and jumping in leaves.

15) Mud War/Mud Sliding - Take advantage of this awesome rainy weather! Find a fun steep hill and go slide down on some old pans or trashcan lids. 

16) Fly Kites - This is the perfect time to fly those kites since the wind is clearly here to stay for the next couple weeks.

17) Apple picking and baking - Go to an apple orchard and find yourself some delicious apples, then come home and make a sweet surprise.

18) County Fair or Fall Festival - These seem to happen a lot during October and November. Find one close to you. You won't want to miss the outdoor concerts and fun!

19) Paint together - Painting is one of my new passions and stress relievers. One of you start at the top and the other at the bottom and then you will end up with one awesome masterpiece highlighting both of your personalities! So fun! 

20) And last but not least, Boo someone! Have you ever been booed before? Make a yummy treat or gift and then leave it at someones door. Ding dong ditching never gets old (:

Keeping it Interesting, 45 Adventures with the hubby!

Right now we don’t have kids and I intend to live it up to the fullest. Not that I am not excited to have them one day, but right now this is the time we have by ourselves to just have fun and go on adventures with each other without worrying about kids. So take advantage of the time you have with just the two of you and make the best of it. I love to look back at all these pictures and remember those fun days we have had and can't wait to keep making more.

1) Sleep under the stars.

2) Go dancing together.

3) Backpack through another country.

4) Go on a cruise.

5) Fly a kite.

6) Spend a day where you fell in love and fall in love all over again.

7) Parasailing.

8) Make a fort in your living room and watch a movie.

9) Run a marathon.

10) Rock climbing. I eventually want to go real rock-climbing, but for now this will work.

11) Bungee jumping.

12) Swim with dolphins.

  

13) White water rafting.

14) Learn to fly a plane.

15) Scuba-diving.

16) Buy a season pass and go snowboarding/skiing every week.

17) Ride on a dog sled.

18) Drive the Pacific Coast Highway from top to bottom making stops along the way.

19) Live in another country.

20) See the Northern Lights.

21) Work out together.

22) Tandem Bike riding.

23) Take a hike where the scenery is stunning!We love hiking! It is free and takes my breath away everytime.

24) Go sand boarding at the dunes. (Snowboarding on sand)

25) Windsurfing.

26) Sumo-wrestling.

27) Have a candlelit dinner.

28) Visit Niagra Falls.

29) Hot Air-Ballooning.      

This was one of the most magical and beautiful days that I have ever had. Not only was the view spectacular and gorgeous, but Taylor proposed to me. It was definitely a day to remember!

   

30) Visit Dracula’s Castle. 

31) Take a romantic Gondola ride in Venice.

32) Play in the rain.

33) Watch fireworks from your roof.

34) Pull over on the side of the street and take a picture. 

We used to do this all the time and would get the 

greatest looks from people! I remember trying to climb on 

Taylor's shoulders as his phone was counting down to take the picture. 

It took a couple tries that is for sure! Priceless memories. Do ridiculous things just for the fun of it.

35) Ziplining.

 On my very first date Taylor and I went zipling across a lake in Idaho. I can’t even explain the beauty and excitement and terror of swinging (holding on for my life because there were no harnesses) across the lake. If you let go of the handle you would be in the lake… Haha it was such an amazing night!

36) Do a zombie race and run like you’ve never run.

37) Sing karaoke to an audience.

38) Drive through the canyon. This is something I just love love love about Utah. We live right up in the mountains and it takes only 5 minutes to get up inside the canyon and taking drives is one of my favorite things to do!

39) Polar-Bear swimming.

40) Try something new. For me, I wanted to go mountain bike riding. Let me tell you, one of the scariest, but most exhilarating things I’ve ever done! I had to keep telling myself not to look down because if I did, well, I would have not made it past those 2 inch ledges we were riding on…

41) Go shooting.

42) Learn a new language together.

43) Take a roadtrip with no planned destination. 

44) Wake-boarding and surfing. 

45) Play glow in the dark Frisbee at night.

35 Ways to Show Your Husband You Love Him and Make Your Marriage Last

So sometimes it can be really hard to show our spouses we love them. We get carried away and stuck in our daily routine. Sometimes I think, He knows I love him, I cook, I clean, hey I even took my time to make him a cake! What if it turns out he doesn’t even like cake? Get out of the habit and start showing different ways that you love and care for him. And don’t be afraid to get creative!

1) Snuggle into him any chance you get. –I can’t even explain how much I love this. We don’t see each other a lot so when we do I am constantly near him holding on.

2) Actually listen to his day instead of 10 percenting it as we call it. Focus on him.

3) Hold his hand wherever you go.

4) Go for a long walk, just talking about anything and making each other laugh.

5) Offer him a massage when he’s had a long day.

6) Send him sweet and sexy texts. – I love me some sweet nothings messages!

7) Cuddle up on the couch and watch a movie, his choice.

8) Laugh at his jokes.

9) Call him up just to say I love you.

10) Fall asleep in his arms.

11) Turn the lights down low.

12) Greet him with a huge smile and leap into his arms whenever he comes home.

13) Go on fun dates that you actually have to plan and prepare for instead of just a movie in dinner. -In that case we went to the drive in movies a couple weeks ago and had a candlelit dinner and chocolate covered strawberries. What a fun date that was and then we snuggled up in the back of the car and finished the movie.

14) Whisper all the things you love about him in his ear.

15) Remember to tell him you are grateful for him. Think of everything he does for you and/or family and let him know.

16) Leave messages for him on the bathroom mirror.

17) Make him his favorite meals.

18) Listen intently to his day and be understanding.

19) Kiss him on the lips everyday.

20) Have a special language only you two understand whether it’s squeezing each others hands or winking at one another.

21) Give your attention to him. Your book, vacuum, text message, facebook, can all wait!

22) Pray for him everyday.

23) Cultivate your friendship.

24) Forgive often.

25) Be patient with him.

26) Show respect.

27) Let the annoyances go. -This one can be hard I admit. There is just always something that’s going to bug us whether it’s the cupboards left open, or shoes all over the ground. Don’t get angry, you can easily close a cupboard and bring the shoes to a closet. Simple as that! Is it really worth bothering about? If no, then let it go.

28) Offer him and praise and encouragement.

29) Resist the urge to nag. -Again let go of the things that bug you! –Obviously this one is a little hard for me, but I am working on it and I have seen such a difference in both our attitudes and we both are just much more happier when there is not a ton of nagging going on!

30) Do more kissing than complaining.

31) Take a shower or bath together.

32) Pay attention to details. –Know how he likes his sandwiches cut, or which way his clothes hang on the hanger.

33) Always remember a good marriage is worth fighting for. It isn’t easy, but it will be worth it.

34) Spend quality time together, whether it’s playing Battleship (my favorite) or going on a bike ride.

And I saved my favorite for very last

35) Tell him I love you everyday! –Now this one holds a special place in my heart. When Taylor and I were first dating he told me he had never said I love you to any girl before other than his mom and sister, not even jokily saying it. I was amazed and realized those words really meant a lot to him and they began to hold the same effect on me. Ever since the first day he told me he loved me, he has said it everyday since, no exception, and I do the same.

Keepin up with the Hoopes

I’ll start by introducing myself. My name is Ciara Brooke Hoopes.  I am 20 years old, a full time Dental-Hygiene student, nanny, housecleaner, cook, best friend, and wife. My life is hectic as probably many of yours are as well. I was married on September 1, 2012 to my best friend Taylor! We were married in the Los Angeles Temple after convincing him for that past year we were meant to be together and trying to get him to fall for me. It took some time persuading him and I even left out of the country for 5 months. And of course that did the trick; he never wanted to lose me again, so now here we are, happy as ever and married living in Sandy, Utah. Taylor is a full-time student at Utah Valley University in the Fire Academy and working full time at Kennecott Coppermine as an EMT/security guard. I am a Dental-Hygiene Student at Fortis College-Salt Lake and currently nannying 2 little kids nearby. Do we have time to see each other? Not really. But do we make time? Yes!

I thought I would start this blog about my life and show that even though your life can be so crazy busy, you can always find the time to spend with your family and show them how much you love them whether it’s writing cute love notes, or even staying up an extra hour or two just so you can see each other for 10 minutes. Taylor is gone in the day from 3-11pm. He comes home, changes, and then leaves for work at 11:10 and gets home close to 9 in the morning. He then sleeps from 9-3. And so on again… How do I see him you might ask? Taylor doesn’t have work on Friday or Saturday nights so yippee those get to be our nights we spend together! Because we don’t see each other a lot, we are really working on making it special when we do. Through-out this first year of marriage we have been consistently trying to do sweet things for each other whether it’s writing each other cute love notes, or Taylor randomly bringing me flowers home.  I am so blessed to have such a sweet man who takes care of me even though he is so extremely busy and barely has time to take care of himself.

This is our life. I hope you have time to Keep up with the Hoopes (: