Real Life Marriage: Date Your Spouse

Confession. Despite all the advice we received about the importance of dating after marriage, we didn't really do it in our first year. We made a thousand excuses: We were busy. Our schedules were mismatched. The budget. We were tired. COVID closures. For whatever reason, we just didn't make dating a priority. Recently, it started getting to me. I love my husband. I am so appreciative of the privilege of doing life with him. But I miss dating. I miss the fun. I miss the spontaneity. I miss the romance. I miss the opportunities to break out of the norm. So I started trying to do "date nights" at home. I'm new at it and therefore not that experienced, but here are a few of the ideas we have tried:

Candlelight dinner: Cheesy, but classic. Break out the candles and your nice clothes to eat whatever meal you have fixed. Eat off china plates if you have them.

Game night: Break out the board games or spring for a new game that you can order online and have delivered to your home.

Living room picnic: Spread a blanket, order takeout (or make sandwiches from fridge ingredients), and sit on the floor to eat.

Pizza and a movie: If you have Amazon, there are plenty of free movies, or you can rent a movie from one of the various streaming services.

Vow renewal: We did this for our first anniversary. I recreated out rehearsal dinner and as we ate, re-read my vows to my husband out loud.

What's next? I don't know, but I hope I can keep being creative. Enjoyable experiences relieve stress. They renew. They create new memories. They strengthen relationships. Will we one day go on dates outside the home again? I hope so, but for now, at home date nights are important because they help us prioritize our marriage, and that overall makes home more enjoyable.