My marriage is probably the best it’s ever been. It’s so wonderful and although I’m struggling with depression some, it has NOTHING to do with my marriage. (In fact, I think it has more to do with a chemical imbalance…or something…because my present life is pretty great.)

Anyhow, Steven and I have been talking about how great it’d be to have one “date” a week. It’s not that we don’t spend time together as it is, but we wanted to step it up. Almost every night, we watch a show or two together in bed on the computer snuggled up after the girls have gone to bed. Every day, we talk to each other about the other’s day and we spend time with our kids. My parents are awesome about watching the girls so we can run to the bookstore and go to the mall or whatever we want. We can’t really complain.

But, just because it’s good, it doesn’t mean we can’t step it up a notch. So, we’re taking a challenge that I found on another website called Project 52. Basically, it’s one date a week for a year. The rules are simple:

1 day a week.
No kiddos (we already have lots of “family” dates)
We take turns planning the date each week
We will aim to not spend more than $100/month for expenses.

So, for week one, there was Valentine’s Day. I went to my mom’s house with the girls and spent time with them until Steven came to pick me up. He walked up to the door and then opened my door so I could get in. When we arrived back to our house, I waited for a moment until he came back to get me. Our living room was darkened, lit only by candles which spanned the entire room. The curtains were drawn tight and every door was closed, including a curtain to block the kitchen area. A small table for two was set up in the middle of the Living Room floor where the coffee table had been that morning. A pretty white tablecloth with cut-out designs and red rose petals covered the table for 2. The table was set, complete with silverware, plates, wine glasses and a rose for me. On our plates, he had prepared Chinese Food just for us! He even bought some fortune cookies! In an envelope, he gave me little coupons that I could redeem at a later time for various things.

We talked and had a wonderful quiet time, just enjoying each others presence and being able to completely relax.

Then, I gave him my gifts…

Welcome back!