Want to know a secret?
You’re going to think I’m crazy, but…
I actually LIKE the rain.
Good thing, because I live in one of the rainiest areas of the country, the Pacific Northwest.
I was raised in sunny, gorgeous California and spent summers in Greece, my Dad’s homeland.
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE sunshine and take advantage of every moment I can get outside when the sun actually decides to visit the Seattle area.
But the reality is, it’s November and the days are getting shorter. Looking out my office window-leaves are falling by the hundreds and our back deck is covered in a wet, sloshy mess.
Since I can’t do anything about it, why not celebrate it?
Hubby was raised in Eatonville, a little town on the base of Mt. Rainier. I have never once heard him complain about the rain. (Well, except when he wants to mow the lawn on a Saturday morning and the weather doesn’t cooperate.)
The thing is-we can’t change the weather. This is where we live. It may be wet 150 days of the year here, but the way I see it, we’re pretty darn lucky. We don’t have hurricanes or droughts or live on a fault line.
So…we’ve embraced the rain. And, we’ve become creative about how to have a fun time on a rainy day date.
Here are seven cool ways to celebrate rainy weather together.
- Cozy up with a book. Where we live, there are four great bookstores and 5 or 6 libraries within about a 15 minute drive from our house. One of my favorite spots is the Snohomish City Library, in the town of Snohomish, which I just found out has been noted by famous authors and newspapers for being one of the best libraries in the United States. How lucky are we to live 15 minutes from this place?
- Pop Some Popcorn, make hot cocoa and watch a movie. Want to make it really affordable? Check out a movie from the library. I’ll be honest; the cost of a movie out these days takes my breath away. Hubby and I would rather chill out and watch a movie on our own time in our family room, with a giant bowl of Trader Joe’s organic popcorn and sea salt.
- Take a dance class together. I know men aren’t big on this. How do I know? The last time Hubby and I took a dance class, the male teacher asked a room (of about 40) how many were dragged there. Every single hand of
every husband and boyfriend shot up. I’m still working on Hubby to convince him to do this with me again. I have visions of us burning up the floor like the couples in Dancing with the Stars one day, but I think I’m letting my imagination get away with me. Either way, a dance class is usually pretty affordable and experts are now saying it’s can be as effective as marital therapy.
- There’s nothing to be afraid of…Go for a walk in the rain. Really…why are people so afraid of the rain? What’s it going to do to you? The worst that can happen is you will get wet. Try going for a walk together and stop fighting the rain. Let yourself get wet. It’s actually pretty invigorating. The fun part is when you get back inside and change into warm clothes and then you can get cozy by the fireplace.
- Take advantage of FREE museum days in your city. We have not tried this yet, because I keep forgetting. This month, I’m marking my calendar so we don’t miss next month. There are museums in the Seattle area for everything you’re interested in. Check it out and have fun browsing and exploring together while it pours outside.
- Indoor recreation-Bowling, laser tag, roller skating, etc. Entertainment.com has lots of options for half off on spots like these in your area. It might be out of your comfort zone, but relationships need that kind of stuff to be strong. I am horrible at bowling, but I love it. Hubby makes fun of the way I contort my body to try to get the ball to roll, but that’s what makes it so hilarious. Besides, it’s comforting to watch him get a gutter ball after he just made fun of me.
- Find an unusual grocery store and browse. We love Central Market and World Market. Recently, we just discovered H Mart, an Asian store Hubby’s cousin told us about. There’s also Uwajimaya, in Seattle and Bellevue.
If you want to be really creative, find a recipe for a meal you’ve never tried and cook it together.
So, don’t tell me you don’t have plans for this weekend, just because it’s raining. It’s going to be a long stretch before spring arrives in the Pacific Northwest. You might as well get going with your plans anyway.
Put on your raincoat, grab your umbrella and get out there!
Try out some of my ideas above and tell me how it went. Or, did you find something new to do for a rainy day date? As always, I would love to hear your thoughts!
*Disclosure: I was not paid or asked to endorse ANY of the places mentioned above. The opinions are my own.
