Gotta Get Away?

It is hard to do, especially with children, but you have to take time away with your hubby once in a while if you want to keep that flame alive, even in the healthiest of marriages. Prioritizing time with each other allows you to stay connected to the person to whom you committed your life. You must choose time with him over other people (sometimes even your kids), continually get to know him as you both grow and change, and then you will become again “in his eyes like one bringing contentment” (Song of Songs 8:10). Practical tips for taking time away with your spouse: 1) Choose a destination that you both can enjoy. I love to lay on the beach, but my husband hates it, so we go places that have both poolside lounging for me and shopping and other activities for him. Then we take turns doing things together that the other enjoys, hopefully with no complaining! 2) Make sure you are not too busy on your vacation to hold hands, which reminds him to “enjoy the wife of his youth.” 3) If you do go away with other couples, which can be really fun, be sure to set aside a meal or other time that is just for the two of you. Otherwise you may get home and realize that you had a great time but didn’t really talk to your spouse at all! 4) Go away together at least once a year, and not only on your anniversary, when the stakes are high for things to be perfect. Relax and enjoy each other! What my husband and I have loved most about all our getaways over the years have been the little things: singing along to the radio together in the car, holding hands as we walked around (hard to do at home with little ones in strollers), talking about our future together, and unknowingly creating memories that we still laugh about today, like my sweet husband getting to our honeymoon with only one shoe in his bag, the trip when a trainer let us touch, give commands to, and interact with the dolphins at Sea World because we were the only guests in the park on a rainy Thursday, or the Yosemite trip where I nearly flattened about twenty tourists because I didn’t think I could forget how to ride a bicycle, but was proved wrong. Because of our time spent together, my husband and I have a shared history that carries us through the day to day, that creates an understanding between us that we are on the same team, and that binds us together with affection and laughter on days when there would otherwise be a shortage.