Hello beautiful!
It's time for the SECOND blog of the day! I could simply NOT go a week without blogging, so here we are. I thought it would be fun to include a listicle about relationships, highlighting the particular love language of "quality time" as your girl is DEFINITELY a quality time chicka.
I know it can be difficult as a quality time wife to describe the types of quality time that would make you happy, without centering around cliched dinner dates. To me, quality time together means doing life together. Activities, fun things that can draw us closer and projects that can make us laugh together!
So I have compiled a list for you all of all the quality time things I like to do with my husband just incase you needed some inspiration today. Enjoy!
1. Errands
I think this is my favorite thing to do with my husband. I love running errands with him partially because we do it so differently, but also because it's so fun to interact with the outside world together! You know, pick out a specific brand of cleaner together, or make small talk with the guy at the hardware store together. I love getting in the car together, chatting, and collaborating on our purchases. That mundane type of life is just so satisfying to me, and I feel very bonded. Probably because I'm a quality time person!
2. Cook dinner together
This one is funny. We don't stir the pot together, or even bump in to each other while cooking... what we do is he takes the meat and I'll do the sides and desserts, while we sip some wine and work together on the meal. I like this because it's so fun to be able to eat food together and just relax knowing that you worked together on the meal.
Notice that I'm not saying do dishes together lol! I'm weirdly controlling with dishes and I like to do them myself, so we mostly just do the dinner together. I did enjoy doing the dishes with my dad after dinner as a kid though; he would rinse and I would put them in the dishwasher. I hope that my husband does that with our kids when we're parents. :)
3. Sing together
My husband plays guitar, and he's still teaching himself but it's so fun to sing together. He likes to learn folk songs or hymns, and it's easy to belt out some lines and fill our living room with music. We're not particularly gifted singers, but I think that communal singing is a great way to bond with those you love, and even harken back to a time in life when communal singing was a more popular activity. Tradition. Tradition. Tradition.
4. Road trip
This could be a country drive, or any kind of road trip, but I love taking a nice long drive with my husband. We sometimes like to take the long way around just to spend more time in the car around the beautiful scenery. The car is an amazing way for couples to connect because it can be nice for people who are not so extraverted, as it allows them to look at something else while still talking to the other person. Also, you're trapped in a car for a certain amount of time, and it's a good time to bring things up and have longer conversations!
5. Clean and organize
We emptied out a cupboard together once and rearranged everything and I was LOVING every moment of it. It's so nice to again, collaborate and connect over small house projects. I love getting his perspective and thoughts on how we can improve the efficiency of a space in our house, and I also love the feeling that we worked on something together, instead of just me taking care of it. It's fun to discover his interesting quirks and individualities, learning why he likes to do something a certain way. Cleaning and organizing is a fantastic way to bond.
6. Difficult jobs
This kind of goes with the above point, and I might be strange for this, but for some reason I have always LOVED doing ridiculous and difficult jobs with my husband or my close friends. Landscaping, housework, or complicated jobs are incredible ways to bond in the thick of difficulties, while strategizing together.
Need us to move an awkwardly shaped couch together? I'm on it! Need us to paint a room or rearrange a heavy table? Sign me up! Moving a couch down a flight of stairs never fails to make me burst into a fit of giggles and honestly.. I cannot explain it. There is just something so absurd and hilarious to me about humans having to come together over these difficult tasks, and the levels of emotions it can sometimes reveal. Coming up with strategies and working together to accomplish some absurd job is so fun to me.
7. Watch films and movies
Now, I'm not talking the kind of movie watching where we sit on our phones and don't pay attention. I'm talking about interactive film viewing where we complain if the other person isn't paying attention, and we discuss and chat about the movie afterwards. It's basically a film school type of interactivity. I love to research the films we watch afterwards and inform him of all the movie trivia possible! When we watch a comedy show, we frequently make eye contact and pause it to laugh and discuss about what the funniest parts or quotes were.
8. Business things
We run two businesses together and it has honestly brought us closer! We have a rental property that we run as an investment, and we have this blog. We don't have to do too much for the blog, but he helps me field sponsorships, figure out analytics, and he manages all the comment sections and emails so that I don't have to deal with antagonistic people. He is extremely business-minded and has been so helpful while dealing with this exponential blog growth. Running our rental property has also been great because it has caused us to spend more time together cleaning it, working on it, and discussing business options. Doing a business can be really bad for some couples, but I think it brings out our best qualities and highlights the fact that we are very complimentary.
9. Bible studies
I love leading Bible study with husband. He takes a long time to really look into the passages and think through the interpretations of Scripture, and never fails to ask the difficult questions to the group. His leadership qualities come out, and I'm able to work on my hostessing, filling up coffee mug, preparing a dessert, and fostering small talk before we get into the Scriptural studies. It's truly a team effort! Feminine and masculine coming together.
10. Rituals
Coffee together, breakfast together, our morning cuddle routine, or even the little moments we do with our dog: I love our rituals. Rituals can be classified as small things you do in life that are routine, constant, and mutual. You don't exactly discuss these things, you just DO them together! Brushing your teeth together or sitting a certain way in church, it's all rituals. Every married couple comes up with their own rituals as they live life together, and ours will forever remain special in my heart.
After writing this list I think I've concluded that my love language isn't quality time... it's COLLABORATING! Lol!! Because I don't care about just sitting in a room with someone; I want to talk to them and discuss, strategize and work together. It's so fun to me to work on projects together and get to know him better through these little moments.
I hope this list was inspiring to you, and if anything, I hope it reminds you that long lasting love isn't just lingerie and red roses; it's moving a couch together down a flight of stairs, or chasing your dog around the house at 10pm together.
Life is silly, and so is love.
xoxo,
Cait