Army dating

I think an important aspect of every relationship is dating. Married, dating, kids, no kids, fur babies. You need to take time for just y’all. But dating an Army man in an Army town can be quite the endeavor. We might be going out with two other couples tonight.

First off, you don’t go out on payday or on the weekend of payday. It’s a sad state that so many of our soldiers live paycheck to paycheck, so they take the opportunity when they have the money to go out. We have a finite number of restaurants and seats here in Fay, and these tend to fill up quickly. If you don’t go early or late, you can wait close to an hour. We tend to go out on Saturday afternoons. We went out for Valentine’s Day in Lawton a few years ago and waited almost two hours.

Don’t expect to linger over a romantic meal. One downside to American dining is that you get in, eat, and get out. Your waiter will say that they’re not rushing you by dropping off the check, but they are. They want you to leave, so they can make more money.

You can’t go out until your man comes home. Mac works really irregular hours. Some days, he’s home around 5:30. Other days, it’s closer to 7 or 8. He was in the field all weekend and got home Monday at 10 pm. So a plan for a nice evening out can turn into a quiet evening in.

And finally, don’t go to a popular restaurant. The Olive Garden is always hopping on Friday nights. There are times you can’t even get in the parking lot. We go to Luigi’s, a family owned Italian spot down the road from OG. It’s rarely crowded, and the food is so much better.

How do y’all date in Army towns?