The first Wednesday of each month this year we are going to have a guest writer.  Many of you know Jeff and Vicki Taulbee.  They are dear friends, and when we learned that Vicki gave Jeff the gift of 12 Passport Dates around the world for Christmas – we knew it was something that had to be shared on The Romantic Vineyard.  Today you’re in for a real treat!  Vicki not only loves her husband, but she is full of creativity and enthusiasm when it comes to romancing him.  In addition, she’s humble, so she’d be the last one to say the above things about herself.  We’ll let you judge for yourself:

Hello!  My name is Vicki Taulbee.  I’ve been married to my husband, who is the most kind and gentle man that I know, for a little over 4 years.  In that time we have had the privilege of welcoming 3 children into our family!  Needless to say, life can be a little crazy at times.  In the whirlwind of diaper changing, potty training, meal planning, and home making, sadly, romancing my husband tends to take a back seat.

So, this year, I decided, as a gift to my husband, I would plan one special date night on the 22^nd of each month.  I chose the 22^nd because it’s our Anniversary day.  My hope and prayer is that not only would it bless and serve my husband but it would also stir my affections for him as well.

To make these times even more special I informed him that over the course of the next year, we would be going on a “Trip around the World” with each date night taking on a different theme related to a particular country or region.  I’m excited about this year long adventure and trust that God will give lots of creative and special  ways for Jeff and I  to spend time together.

I’m looking forward to planning our “travels”.  Some evenings we will go out and sometimes we’ll stay in but whatever we do, my God use it to draw us closer to one another and enjoy the gift of marriage that He has graciously given.

Well, with all of that in mind, we begin our journey!

Our first destinations………….Japan, China and Taiwan!

International travel requires a passport! So, I was excited to find a miniature passport at Michaels craft store! It will be a perfect and fun way to chronicle our “travels” over the course of the year.   I filled in all the information along with a picture of Jeff and placed three clip art pictures of China, Japan and Taiwan on the first page.

Sushi For 2

Our evening began in the dining room of our home.  I decorated the table with a couple of Asian cups and place mats that we own along with a map book open to continent of Asia.  A plate of Sushi was waiting for Jeff to munch on as I explained the “Travel Itinerary” for the evening which proceeded as follows:

After enjoying our sushi (that I picked up from Publix earlier that day) we hoped in the car and headed to our first destination. Our journey would take us to a small area of town just Northeast of Downtown Orlando where within a couple of blocks there are several Asian markets and restaurants.    While in the car we listened to an Asian inspired Jazz CD that I borrowed from the library.  The music was really good, by the way! We arrived at Martial Arts World in time to take a 45 minute martial arts class.  This was a first for both of us!  We had so much fun and boy did I sweat!!!   Thankfully we had on comfortable clothes, per the advice given to me by the instructor when I called to make the initial arrangements.  The gentleman who led the class was very good, and he really enjoyed the fact that we were there on a date!

After cooling down we headed to our next destination.  Dong-A Oriental Market.  If you have never been to an Asian supermarketbefore, it’s an experience all on its own.  So many aisles filled with (from our perspective) many different and unusual products.  Unfortunately the store was closing soon so we didn’t get to stay as long as we hoped but we were there long enough to pick up a jar of minced ginger (which, I really enjoy using to cook with these days!).

Upon leaving the market, we headed up the street to Anh Hong Vietnamese restaurant for dinner.  I had previously purchased a coupon from Restaurant.com for this establishment.  We both ordered dishes that were new to us and thoroughly enjoyed our dinner as we chatted about what muscles might ache tomorrow as a result of our class. J  I love spending time with my husband and I love that we were able to experience something new together.  It’s the stuff that makes great memories!

I’ll let you know where our adventure takes us next month!  Thanks!