Shooting Range/Chili Pepper Challenge

This weekend was my turn. I chose to go for a two-part date. Chris' sister was in town visiting, and this will be the second date she's accompanied us on. I surprised Chris by buying target rounds for his Smith and Wesson M&P .40. He's had for several months now and had yet to shoot it. We decided to head to the Fort Bliss Rod and Gun club to shoot, since I wouldn't need a safety class in order to shoot there (EPCC has a much cheaper shooting range, but I would be required to complete a safety course that's only held on the first Saturday of every month). The weather was beautiful. Chris went and bought targets from the PEx before we left. For the three of us, it cost $30 (seemed a little steep). Chris loved it! It was a little bit too much gun for me, but it was still fun. We were using an old target that was already bullet-riddled so it was hard to see how well we were doing. The 100 rounds I bought went fast!

Part two has been in the works for over a month now, and it turned into a huge bust. I told Chris about this date a couple days ago, just to give him a heads up. I registered us for the Chili Pepper Challenge 20 mile bike tour. I knew we could both complete the distance, but I would want the same courtesy of a heads up for a physical date. Held at the La Vina Winery in La Union, NM, our heat started this morning at 10:30 am. Chris has felt pretty awful the last week, and he was pretty sure he wasn't going to try it last night. This morning he decided to suck it up and go with me (I was going either way since I already paid). I was glad to have him with me. There were over 900 riders participating. We got there a little early to pick up our packets with our numbers and t-shirts. There were all levels of experience from kids up to seasoned road racers. Things were going well for the first couple miles. The weather was beautiful and the scenery was as well. About four miles out it became apparent that Chris was having a lot of difficulty breathing and was pretty miserable overall. We made it to the 5.5 mile marker and turned around to head back. We didn't quite make the 20 miles, but 11 miles isn't too bad for someone that likely has pneumonia. We also found out that Chris' bike is extrememly uncomfortable at anything further than a couple miles. Lessons learned.

Rodeo! Yeehaw!

This week was Chris' turn again. He tried to keep it a surprise as long as he could, but finally broke down and told me Friday night. He ordered the tickets online and thought they were being shipped to us, so when they still didn't arrive Friday he decided to wait one more day in the hopes we would get them in the mail Saturday. Well, the instructions online weren't very clear and apparently what he paid for online were internet tickets to be picked up at will-call. Not knowing this, we decided to chance it with the receipt he had printed off when he bought the tickets. Luckily, it worked!

The gates opened at 7:30. It was officiall family night and the crowd was packed. We walked around for a little while, grabbed a couple beers and checked out some of the vendor tents. The event was held at Cohen Stadium, where the Diablos usually play. We were thinking their home season must be over because the infield was covered in about two feet of fresh dirt for the rodeo. It started out with the young boys riding bareback and the younger bulls. This was followed by steer wrestling, calf roping and bronc riding. Then the really little guys gave it a chance on sheep :) The rodeo clown was pretty good, and the dog act was really funny. There was some awesome side saddle riding, and honor was paid to Mr. Bowen who passed away this week.

We had a couple more beers, some nachos and enjoyed an awesome night. The weather was perfect, the rodeo was great, and no one was too badly hurt (one cowboy needed to be taken to a hospital, but he walked off the field by his own power). Another awesome night!

Oktoberfest!

This week was my turn. Again, it wasn't a surprise since we had to buy tickets well in advance :) We nabbed tickets for Friday night (and we're lucky we got those as they sold out pretty quick!). The weather was very cool and overcast. It was definitely a huge relief from the typical El Paso summer. We met up at the Doziers and headed over with Chris and Becky, and Aaron and Rachel. Paulaner sponsored this year again and set up a huge tent in the middle of post. Upon entering, we were given a huge one liter mug complimentary with our ticket. We headed straight to the beer line and filled up. Chris and the boys all bought bandoleer shots (see picture). We found one open table way at the back. We were only about 15 later than when gates opened and it was already packed!

We got to see the tapping of the keg, the American national anthem as well as the German anthem. Chris and I took advantage of the pretzels and cheese, bypassing the huge line for dinner. German bands played and the German-American dance team was there in full force. We experienced snuff again :) There were a couple familiar faces there and it was an awesome night, albeit an early one. We called it around 10 or 10:30 and headed home. Another great date experience!

Sunland Park Casino

This week was Chris' turn. He chose the Sunland Park Casino. This almost crossed the boundary of the rule that states the date must be at least semi-enjoyable to the other person. All kidding aside, I don't despise the casino that much. It was an okay time, we were in and out pretty quickly (I have a $20 max and Chris burned through his budget pretty quickly). The casino is nice and right across the border in New Mexico. Later in the winter they will start horse racing there. Full of people that shouldn't be there, with an attached hotel and buffet area, it has all of the trimmings of a respectable casino.


After the casino, we decided to try a new place for dinner nearby. Ardovino's Desert Crossing was the restaurant. The grounds are beautiful, and it definitely wasn't the kind of dinner either of us are comfortable with. We were a little worried we were under-dressed pulling into the parking lot, but a couple wearing jeans on the patio eased our minds slightly. Once inside we went back on high alert again. Real silver, cucumbers in the water, live flowers on every table and the hostess immediately asked us if we had reservations (they never ask that at Buffalo Wild Wings). Lucky for us, Kingfisher Beer was on the menu. We started our meal with an appetizer of wild mushrooms (fantastic!). After a little wait, another couple walked in and the hostess attempted to seat them at a table on the other side of the restaurant. When they refused to sit down, Chris and I took notice and started watching the spectacle. They demanded a vacant corner booth, and a white table cloth to boot! Seriously? People can become so detached. After we finished making fun of the crazy people, Chris ordered a stuffed salmon dish and I ordered a bleu cheese salad dish. Don't get us wrong, the food was delicious, albeit tiny. A nightcap of Taco Bell wouldn't have hurt. After trying a new Czech beer, we paid with leftover budget from the casino trip and got back to our comfort zone as soon as possible. Another adventurous date night!

UTEP vs. OU - Season Opener!

So it was my turn this week. This week's date wasn't really a surprise since tickets were a little pricey. We went to the season opener of UTEP versus Oklahoma University football game. We both had an awesome time. The game started at 8:30, but we got there a little early so we could walk around. I ran into a client I know from work and we got to hang out at their tailgate for awhile. Once we entered the stadium, we got our little foam pick axes for free. We were eager to see the views so we headed straight to our seats. Sun Bowl Stadium is beautiful, and it was a gorgeous night.

We had about an hour before kick-off, but there was plenty of warming up to watch. The UTEP marching band was awesome to say the least. The football players all run out of the "Mine Shaft" and on onto the field. At halftime we grabbed some snacks to tide us over through the game. We were up for the first quarter, then stayed tied for the next two quarters. I was pretty impressed actually. We did end up missing three field goals which I think haunted us through the game, but OU ended up running away in the last quarter. I think the final score was 27-7.

Regardless, it was a really awesome experience. The views from the field were gorgeous, the weather wasn't too hot, and there were fireworks. All in all, not a bad date night.