Date night was so much fun last night!
But first, I have to tell you about something completely insane.
Right around 3:30 p.m. yesterday, Ryan and I took Sadie to our favorite hiking trail for a quick three-mile hike.
About halfway through our hike, we heard some rustling off the path. It sounded like a herd of deer, so we instantly became excited and watched as Sadie stopped and pointed at the noise.
“What is it?” we asked her, getting her pumped up.
Sadie is a hunting dog by nature and watching her “in action” is seriously one of the coolest things because her tail gets rigid and she stalks her “prey” until she sprints after it like a mad dog.
Well, when she took off sprinting after the noise, I saw movement in the brush and called out to Ryan saying, “Watch out, I think the deer may run up the path.”
With that, we saw a BLACK BEAR appear on the path! It spotted us immediately and kept running, across the path and away from us.
(That is not my picture. I’m not crazy enough to stop to take a picture, but that’s exactly what it looked like!)
We screamed, “Oh my God, it’s a BEAR,” followed by, “NO!!! SADIE! NO!”
Sadie appeared on the path immediately and stopped running, trotting toward us like nothing crazy just happened.
We’re pretty positive she was just chasing sound and never actually saw the bear, but it was still pretty scary.
I was sweating like crazy and my heart was racing as we took off in the opposite direction of the bear.
It is still insane to me that we saw a bear since the trails are pretty popular and we saw a bunch of other people on our hike. There are a plethora of campsites near by and signs cautioning of bears, but I honestly never thought we’d see one ourselves.
Thankfully the bear could not have been less interested in us and Sadie and appeared scared by our noise and Sadie running through the brush. The feeling was mutual there, buddy.
Date Night
Date night is going to seem rather dull compared to our adventures with a black bear, but it was really fun!
When we returned from our hike, we quickly changed before heading out to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant.
I felt quite overdressed for the restaurant, but our plans following dinner took us somewhere nice!
Ryan and I have been meaning to try El Toreo after we heard great things about it.
We immediately knew it was going to be a good meal when the chips and salsa were on point.
I love thin, crispy tortilla chips and homemade salsa. We had no problem demolishing all of the chips and salsa before our entrees arrived.
I opted for the taco chicken salad which was a great choice.
When it came out, I was confused because I didn’t see any chicken, but there was a ton of chicken hidden under the lettuce… a TON.
I feel like there was maybe a handful of lettuce in the salad and the rest of the bowl was chicken. Ryan was quite jealous.
It was a great salad!
Obviously.
After dinner, it was time for our first Ocala theater show!
We headed to the Ocala Civic Theatre to see “Rumors,” a hysterical show all about rumors and embellishment.
Ryan and I both thought the show was so, so funny and really well done and hope to see a lot more shows at the Ocala Civic Theatre in the future.
A date night success!
P.S. The Fashion page was updated!
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Love your outfit- super cute!
Ahh thats so scary that you saw a bear! Glad it ran AWAY from you and not towards you!
LOVE your outfit! Seriously..I would like to have your sense of style! 🙂
Have a great Sunday!
Cute date night outfit!!
I cant believe there are bears in Florida!
haha oh my, i would’ve been scared *hitless if i saw that bear!!
glad you guys had a great evening!! mexican is always one of my top favorite choices when going out to eat. and i absolutely agree, the thin crispy tortilla chips are my favorite! if a mexican restaurant has quality chips, it’s usually a good sign that the rest of the food will be great too.
uhm a bear. Are you freaking kidding me? I think my heart would have pounded out of my chest. Thank goodness Sadie was okay!
I saw a group of black bears once in canada but I was in a car. I would have freaked out if I just saw one out on a hiking trail! How scary! Actually, a snake migh scare me more! Lol.
Your date night looked fun. Now I have to try and get my husband to take me out on a date night! I love your dress!
What a fun post! I used to live in East Tennessee, and my family would take trips into the Smokies in hopes of seeing a bear… from the safety of our car, that is! Didn’t you order bear mace spray? I hope you had it with you!
Also, I loved the theater trip! Derek, my husband, looooves going to the theater! I think we lucked out on men 😉
A bear?! That is so scary!!!! I’m so glad you guys are alright!
Going to the theatre is so much fun! That’s definitely something that I hope to do more of as well!
I saw your tweet about a bear yesterday. That’s a close encounter!
I can’t believe you saw a black bear, I had no idea they were in Florida!!! And what a fun idea to go to the theater, I used to go in college when it was really inexpensive!
I LOVE Rumors! My high school did it way back when, and I so enjoyed being in it…. not sure which I prefer for comedic drama, Neil Simon or Woody Allen 🙂
So great that you and Ryan are exploring your new digs. I know what you mean about taking a while to settle into a new place- I moved to DC in August and I still feel like there’s so much left to explore. Luckily the beau is moving down in February so I’ll have a partner-in-crime soon!
my parents live in the middle of nowhere pennsylvania and they have A LOT of wodded land.. we have all seen bears up there while walking a few times! It is scary cause you just dont know what they will do!
Glad you’re all ok from the bear scare! Loved your outfit from date night 🙂 which is now making me crave Mexican food.
That’s so crazy with the bear! When I had first moved to Jersey after college (before ending up in LA), there was a picture of a bear at a nearby restaurant in the local paper. The restaurant was like 1/2 mile away and freaked out my parents so my dad looked up what to do if you’re ever in a confrontation with a bear….no joke!
And what a fun date night!! 🙂
Looks like fun! Its so cool about the bear! Hahah I would’ve freaked out 🙂
one of my friends is really involved in the civic theater. i don’t think he was in the show you guys saw, but i know they have a really talented group of people involved! sounds like it was awesome.
During a Colorado hiking trip I saw bears–scary stuff! Once I was walking one of my dogs at a farm and a deer ran right in front of us. Kostas started to chase after the deer and I was screaming for him to stop. Thankfully he came out of the woods. It was a close call!
What a fun date! It sounds like there is a lot more wildlife in Ocala than in Orlando. I’ve never seen a bear before but I’m not exactly upset about that either!. 🙂
What the adventure it turned out to be!!!
I love that yall are taking part in so many local events. I definitely is hard when you move somewhere new to “get involved” but looks like youre having fun with it.
I love Neil Simon’s plays. He has the greatest sense of humor.
Hey Julie! I just took a vacation to Yellowstone National Park and the guides gave us a few tips while hiking on the trials because bears are everywhere over there. One of their tips was to clap your hands as you approach curves/turns in the trails because often times bears are actually scared of humans/dogs and will run away from your noise. So keep that in mind on your next hike! 🙂
I would have freaked out!!! Thankfully the bear didn’t harm any of you. The theater sounds like a blast 😀
Wow that is so scary. One day I was on a walk with my dog and we saw a fox and it kind of freaked me out because he was walking toward us. I wondered if he had was rabid.
You look beautiful for date night.
WOW! I don’t think I could have made it after seeing a bear. WOO! Talk about many nightmares and bad dreams to follow! So happy Sadie is okay! (:
Your date nights look like TOO much fun!! And your outfit is ADORABLE! I love your shoes!
That’s crazy that you saw a bear! I went to college in the mountains, and sometimes bears would end up in our little town (in the valley of the mountains) and animal control would lock down the buildings and we would have to stay inside. It’s pretty creepy. I hope you had your bear spray with you.
My high school did a production of Rumors a few years back, I thought it was hilarious, sounds like a great date night!
I’m SO glad that there was not confrontation with the bear; I had no idea that Black Bears were even in FL??? OH my goodness!!!! Right now, our biggest “prey” are the little foxes that attach garbage bins, and stray cats who poop on our front porch.
Whoa, seeing a bear that close must be insane! My parents live in the suburbs of NJ and my mom saw a black bear in the parking garage at her work. She works at a HOSPITAL! I’ve never seen a bear but I would like to, as long as it’s from a safe distance 🙂
Love the outfit!
Better keep Sadie on a leash next time . So glad she didn’t chase the bear. Did you have your bear spray with you? Sounds like a successful date night, theatre is so fun to go to and something we tend to forget about . Have a nice Sunday.
Ahh I would’ve been so scared! Did you have your bear pepper spray or something?! Thank goodness it was a scardy bear.
It’s so much fun to get dressed up for a night on the town!
I can’t believe you saw a bear hiking! I lived in Florida for 18 years and never saw a bear once. Looks like you had a great day of adventures!
A bear?!? Oh my! Well that made for an extra-exciting day then, didn’t it? Date night looked like fun. Mexican is always a good choice. 🙂
love your skirt!
Rumors is an awesome show. I am so glad you guys enjoyed it.
Oh, and your dress? It reminds me of a “ready-to-wear version of Carrie Bradshaw’s tutu in the open credits of sex and the city. Can you see that? 🙂 Its gorgeous (like most of your clothes). We are similar in body type and you dress much nicer than I… so I might take some advice from your fashion page!
You definitely had quite the day yesterday! I am glad Sadie is such a good listener and ran right back to you and Ryan. I am very particular about my tortilla chips, my favorite are the one’s that have been folded over while frying! It may sound crazy but I think I like them best because they’re the most crunchy!
God Julie…how rustic is you and Ryan’s “Favorite Hiking Trail”?
I really love reading your blog! You and Ryan seem so good at saving money and not overspending. It would be great if you could do a post about managing finances as a married couple.
Here are some questions I have: Do you have a joint account or keep separate accounts? If you want to buy something expensive, do you first discuss it with each other? Do you guys ever fight about money? How do you decide how often to eat out? Do you make a budget for clothing, etc.?
Thanks!
P.S. You guys are a gorgeous couple!
Taco salads are my go to meal at Mexican restaurants 🙂
I can’t wait for fun (and creative) date nights with my soon to be husband!
That’s crazy about the bear! I’ve only seen a couple of black bears while hiking, but it’s always really exciting/scary.
Isn’t Rumors awesome? My college put it on a couple of years ago and I went twice- it was that good.
holy crap i think i would’ve peed my pants if i saw a bear that close! glad sadie didn’t actually chase after it!
Ekkk! I’ve only seen a black bear crossing state road 40, a little past silver spring!
You need to try Latinos Ymas on 441. They have the BEST homemade chips and salsa! {I’m a huge fan of cilantro!!} Its a local Spanish restaurant.
What trails do you guys hike? My husband & I have a 3pound yorkie, not sure what she would do if we came across a bear!!
Oh man. I’ve never seen a bear, so I don’t know what I would do. Good choice in restaurant 😉 I’m a huge fan of Mexican food, and the theater show looks like it was a ton of fun. I love seeing productions.
Thank goodness you have such a well behaved dog! One of our dogs doesn’t ever listen when we call her!
I was in the one act play Rumors when I was in high school! I love Neil Simon plays 🙂
I probably would have freaked if I saw a bear! Crazy!
I love taco salads like that come in the delicious, crunchy shell!
That is so scary about the bear! My dad used to tell me stories like that a lot about when him and his family would visit Yellowstone. So crazy!
Your outfit is so cute! And now I’m craving Mexican. I just love Sadie! I have a weimaraner, and I’m sure you know they’re very similar – tons of energy and tons of personality!
Love the outfit!! Looks like you guys had a great time. Our “date night” last night was quite different … Panera for me, Chipotle for him … followed by watching his old high school team play basketball haha. 😉
Yikes! I never think of bears when I think of Florida, just sharks and gators. Guess your bear mace will come in handy! When I was 2 months pregnant with my daughter, I went for a run in the morning on a paved trail at a local park, a coyote ran out of the brush onto the trail about 6 feet in front of me. I was so scared, I slowly walked backward in the opposite direction and he ran off. I went the long way (away from him) back to my car. Scary stuff!
Your date looks fun and Mexican food is my absolute favorite!