Love

3 Ways to Keep the Spark Alive in Your Relationship

January 12, 2018

One of our goals this year is to go on at least one date a month. We decided to make this a goal this year because last year, we did not do a good job of doing anything alone. We definitely did not date. It’s sad, I know, but we had three kid’s under three and amongst other things, it just was not easy to get away. While we did not feel that our relationship suffered by any means, we did decide to make a point to spend more one-on-one time together this year because it is important to keep the spark alive in your relationship with your spouse.

My mom out of the blue called me one day to ask if she could come over and watch our kids so that we could go on a date. I can not even tell you how excited we were! We ended up going to a movie (The Greatest Showman – you NEED to see it!) and dinner – just the two of us! It was so much fun and a much needed break from the kids. It was also just nice to get out with Ryan and do something fun for the first time in over a year. Sad, I know.

Free Summer Date Ideas

July 21, 2015

I am always looking for date ideas that don’t cost a lot of money. We love to go on dates, but they can be so expensive. Especially if we go often (who am I kidding). I’ve been trying to get a little creative this summer with our dates in order to save money. With the holidays approaching and all of our summer birthdays, we are starting to budget a little tighter and don’t have as much to spend on “fun” things. Here is a list of a few Summer date ideas that won’t cost you a dime!

Picnic
Free City Concert
Movie Night
Cook a Romantic Meal Together
Feed the Ducks at a Local Pond
Go to a Free Museum
Scavenger Hunt
Build a Sand Castle (make it a contest!)
Fly a Kite
Learn to Surf
Go Swimming
Play your Favorite Card or Board Game
Make Homemade Ice Cream
Tour Your Hometown
Lay on the Beach
Make S’mores around the Firepit
Bike Ride
Get Lost in a Flea Market

What do you like to do on date nights?

Valentine’s Day Ideas

January 22, 2015

I’m always trying to think of romantic date ideas that don’t cost a lot of money. We like to do our date nights on the cheap…or free. Because dates are so rare for us these days (once a month if we’re lucky), we try to make the most of our time together. I like to plan ahead so here are a few ideas for this Valentine’s Day:

-Cook your favorite meal together. Get real fancy and make it a themed night.
-Netflix your favorite show or movie and snuggle on the couch with popcorn.
-Go for a long walk.
-Relax at your favorite coffee shop.
-Go ice skating.
-Go out to eat at your favorite restaurant.
-Go to a local show or event.
-Visit a bookstore.
-Plan a weekend getaway at the lake or in the mountains.
-Get some other couples together and play games/have a photo booth set up
-Go on a hike (if the weather permits)
-Go on a picnic
-Write each other a love note and read them to one another.
-Go on a bicycle ride
-Explore your hometown

What are you doing for Valentine’s Day? What is your favorite date night?

Love and Marriage

September 4, 2013

I’ve been talking a lot about pregnancy in my corner of the internet for a while now because that is the stage of life I am in. It is important to me that I also focus on my marriage, no matter what else is happening in my life. When it comes to priorities, my husband is second only to God. Our relationship is extremely important not only for our health and happiness but also for our children’s well-being.

I recently started a devotional by Kay Arthur called A Marriage Without Regrets. It was recommended to me by another Alabama blogger, Kalyn. I am so grateful for her because this is a study I needed to be doing right now. Please visit Kalyn’s blog. She is so inspirational and encouraging.

In the 5th chapter, we discussed love in marriage and Kay reads from Ephesians 5:25-33 which says:

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her26 to make her holy, cleansing[b] her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”[c] 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

This talks a lot about love and the commands that God gives to husbands on how to love their wives. As wives, we are also called to love and respect our husbands in this way. Kay talks about the fact that love is not just an emotion, it is a choice. You hear all the time about how people are divorcing because they “just don’t love each other anymore.” Can I just say that that’s bull? If love were just an emotion, it would not be a command. Love is so much more. Kay lists out:

Love requires action.
Love demands deeds.
Love wills.
Love acts.
Love moves on behalf of it’s object.

I believe we can apply this not only in our marriages but also in our relationships with our families and friends.

If you are interested in doing a devotional on marriage, I highly recommend this book. It has caused me to refocus my attention and actions on my husband in a very positive way. It is very encouraging and the prayers at the end of each chapter are beautiful. I’m so blessed to have a wonderful marriage with God in the center of it, but we could all use time to refocus on our marriage, daily.