Isn't it funny that we count down to summer for months only so we could immediately take to Twitter and rag on the sun once it gets here? In high school, I would spend winter and spring break brainstorming all the best summer dates for when it's hot and, obviously, every single one of them required to me to take advantage of the heat. The problem was (and still is) that when summer actually came around, I couldn't bear to stand outside for more than a few minutes at a time without feeling moist — yeah, I used that word — and sticky. Um, hello, this is not what I had in mind when I decided to be slick on a date.
Spending the day at an amusement park might sound like a good idea in theory. The reality is, though, you'll be spending the day panting like a dog, fighting off tourists at the water fountains, and shielding your phone from the sun so it doesn't overheat. It's not so much 500 Days of Summer as it is 500 reasons I'd rather be doing literally anything else indoors.
Trust me when I say that summer dates don't have to be miserable to be cute. Natural lighting be damned, this is what you need to do to have the most adorable summer break with your dates.
Challenge your partner to a frozen pizza cook-off.
To start, you'll need two individual-sized frozen pizzas and 10 options for toppings. The idea is to select five traditional pizza toppings (think mushrooms and pepperoni) and five toppings you're fairly certain will ruin pizza for you forever (think chocolate chips and gummy worms). Place each topping in an opaque paper bag and number the bags. Choose numbers at random to determine which ingredients each of you will add to your pizza. Bake and enjoy (hopefully). Chrissy Teigen and John Legend are quaking.
Rewatch your favorite cartoon series or sitcom from when you were kids.
What's the one show you and your partner agree defined your childhood or adolescence? I bet you can find it on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Video. Spend a few hours binging the adventures of Tommy and Chuckie from Rugrats or comparing your love to Cory's and Topanga's on Boy Meets World. You'll be surprised to find out which major plot points you misinterpreted when you were younger.
Have a pool day indoors.
Oh, yeah. This is 100 percent possible if you have a bathtub. You won't be able to fit an inflatable unicorn in there but you can definitely opt for the miniature version designed to fit your can of rosé. To make this fun, you should really to commit to the idea. Put on your bathing suits, spread your beach towels on the bathroom floor, and turn on your favorite summer playlist. Toss in a beach ball before you step in and you're ready to party.
Walk through a museum and come up with backstories for each sculpture you see.
Admit it. The only reason you and your partner stumbled on in here is because you were melting outside. I'm not here to judge. If museums aren't your typical summer activity of choice, hype yourselves up with a little creative storytelling. For each work of art that catches your attention, take turns making up the most ridiculous backstories you can think of. I know, I know. You're so funny, you should have your own reality TV show. Just don't annoy the other museum patrons with your loud laughter.
Try the couples' yoga challenge.
There are tons of hilarious videos online of couples who've tried and failed at this challenge, but you don't have to film yours or share it if you don't want to. Identify a handful of yoga poses for couples on Instagram or YouTube and try (with little to no prior training) to recreate them with your partner for the laughs. Before you turn your nose up at the idea of physical activity (other than making out) in 90-degree weather, let me run the highlights by you. You can and should do this indoors, which means that clothing is optional. If (when?) you fall over on each other, you can abandon the experiment in favor of other, more comfortable positions.
"Summer lovin', had me a blast," am I right?
