I'll admit that for most of our married life we've been pretty fried at the end of our busy weeks, and we LOVE movies, so most of our dates are spent at a theater or on the couch staring at a screen. We have always known this was pretty boring. Sometimes we come up with ideas like playing pickle ball or going rollerblading or going to the symphony, but usually movies win out.
In Redmond we organized a monthly friend's dinner and would meet at different, unique restaurants around Seattle. Six to eight couples were on the invite list, and sometimes all would come, sometimes just 2-3 couples would be available. It was always fun. Our life path sort of isolated us for several years, and we don't really have a lot of couple friends these days. Maybe we'll try to rekindle some old friendships in the future.
Date nights are a priority because our relationship is the number one priority. It is easy for kids or work or LIFE to creep in and get between a husband and wife. It is always nice to step outside of one's world and be with one's best friend. Geoff and I love to be together, even if we aren't doing anything in particular. Sometimes we can talk for hours; sometimes we don't have much to say at all.
The important thing is TIME for and with each other.
Along these same lines, we try to go on weekend retreats once a year. This has been inconsistent for the most part, but every time we do them we love it. Early on these retreats were to discuss things we never had a chance to discuss because of the craziness of small children or an demanding work schedule, things like our marriage, how each child was doing, short and long-term goals, a budget, etc. Sometimes it was at a nearby hotel, sometimes a cabin in the mountains or a room overlooking the beach. We both loved these long days together.
In more recent times we don't feel like the retreats need to be so productive, so we'll hike or window shop or go to museums and take our time eating out. And of course we watch movies...
A few times we've taken trips together. Those are great memories, but overall we both have preferred to use the money and time away for family adventures while we have kids at home.
While we love to be together, watch movies and prioritize each other, we both recognize that we have a LOT more time together coming in the next few years when our nest is empty. That is a phase we've been talking about and are going to prepare for, as I've mentioned before. Life is constantly changing and we've tried to adapt and reevaluate things as we go along. It is a work in progress!
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