The
Alisandra Photography Blog

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve published a Marriage Monday blog post, but I really love and am still committed to this series, so I figured I’d liven things up a bit. First, by creating a sweet “pinable” banner for the series. Click on the image and be taken to the entire series. Feel free to share, pin, and read! And second by sharing my top 5 ways Chad and I keep things fresh in our marriage.

© Annamarie Akins

1. Eat in a different room of the house. If your house is like mine, we have an option of 3 places to eat. Screened in porch or outside, the kitchen, or our entertainment room. Most days, I’m ashamed to say, we eat in front of the TV. Chad gets home right when most sports games come on, and we usually watch those while we eat. It’s so American and unhealthy, but it’s our habit – I’m not proud, but I’m owning up to it. So, some days if I feel like our conversation has been suffering, I’ll set the table and have us eat in a different room. It’s enough to throw off our brains I guess, because we have some great conversations because of that!
2. Run errands together. Take grocery shopping. I always do the grocery shopping by myself, but there are times when I feel like I just want Chad to come along with me. And when he does, we laugh so hard together. Chad rides the shopping cart like a scooter, and I run after him. He gets coke and pop tarts while I make my way through the fruit and veggie aisle. He tells me to put down the gelato and I tell him to put down 4 of the 5 liters of Mt. Dew. We come out with more than we went in there for, but I love those rare “together” errands because of how much fun we have.
3. Take a day off. We haven’t done this is any official sense. I guess what I mean is that Chad hasn’t taken a “stay cation day,”, but I usually try to avoid work and take off any holiday that he is home. Whether he does yard work, we go to the movies, or do something Richmondy, it’s nice to step outside of the routine. Because my work is at home, I frequently can work WHENEVER. To embrace the fact that I can give myself a day off has been really nice for our marriage when he is home! One of my favorite photographers, Mike Larson, takes at least one weekend a year and spends unplugged, intentional time with his wife working on how they can connect and grow with each other. I’d love to get to that point!
4. Double Date. When you feel like you have the same conversations over and over, sometimes what you need is another couple’s perspective to shake things up. We have great couple friends who’s “culture” is so different from mine and Chad’s. Time with them is just what we need to begin new conversations and share encouragement with each other. That time is life-giving, and even after the date is over, Chad and I are able to continue many of the talking points and adopt new patterns in our marriage.
5. Learn something new together. When my parents first got married, they realized that they really were different. They had different interests and friends. So, the decided to learn something totally new – together! That way it would be THEIR thing, rather than his or hers. Chad and I have started going to the driving range together to try to improve our golf game. Admittedly, he has a bit more game than I do [ok, a LOT]… but it’s something we’re learning together! I’d love for us to have a few more hobbies that become “our” thing! SUP would be my vote, but I think Chad would prefer cliff jumping…