It's Date Night!!

I think we can all remember the romantic things we did for our wives to win them over when we first started dating. As time goes by, and we get more and more comfortable in our relationships, it's easy to take our spouses for granted and not put the effort in to make them feel wanted. After all, they already chose us, right? Well, it’s still important to make them feel special and wanted.  I mean, don't you want to feel special? I do.

This is why it's so important that couples spend quality time together regularly. If you have kids, a career, or both, you know that quality time with your spouse is hard to come by. Different people have different love languages, but I've never seen a couple that could really thrive without some dedicated special time, just the two of them. We certainly need it, and we don't always do it often enough. Whether it's a picnic or a night at the opera, all couples need it.

Sometimes it's spontaneous; sometimes it can be planned. With Laura and I, it's generally planned because she's a planner. If I want it to happen, it needs to be on the schedule or something else will fill that slot. Your wife might be the same way, so you might want to think about that ahead of time. (I learned that the hard way. :))

Ecclesiastes 9:9 says to enjoy life with the wife whom you love, and I couldn't agree more. We only have so much time on this earth together, and I want that to be full of wonderful memories. Many of our best memories came on a date or a nice vacation together. Don't forget to stop and HAVE FUN with your spouse now and then. My favorite times have been with Laura, and I wouldn't trade them for the world.

So why don't we do this? Honestly, I get distracted. Many of us live distracted by the responsibilities of work, family, bills, and life…. Even the television. We have to make notes to ourselves, talk about it, and just downright prioritize quality time to make it happen. Most parents I know have baseball, dance, PTA and a myriad of other things that take up evenings and weekends. While memories are being made at all these things, and I don't deny their importance, no one wants to realize one day that the kids are gone, and they are married to a stranger.

It's date night...now what? Well, you don't have to do something boring. 

I had this idea in my head that date night had to be a fancy dinner and (*ahem*) a chick-flick. It doesn't have to be that way, though. Laura and I like to golf, attend a play at the local university, or just eat out and go to the coffee shop. Once in a while, I even grill and rent a movie. That's a date under $20. (There is something to be said for watching what she wants though. :)) 

So take some time and plan something nice for your spouse. Take the kids to Grandma's and go enjoy an evening together. You'll be glad you did, and you'll be amazed at how connected you feel to your spouse days later.

~Howell 

@G2WHubs

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