By Steve McIlwain

Hubs here.

Recently Ash and I spent a long weekend in one of the most mesmerizing places in the world: Yosemite.  If you’ve never been, consider yourself un-lucky.  Growing up I had the extreme privilege of visiting Yosemite every year with my best bud’s family.  For 3 days in May, we would cruise the Yosemite valley floor on our bikes, repel off boulders, hike to the top of waterfalls, and use our binoculars to watch ant-sized climbers scale the granite monolith El Capitan.

Flash forward to present day: Ash and I finally planned an escape to Yosemite.  I hadn’t been in years, and it was Ash’s first visit.  We spent three action packed days hiking to the top of Vernal Falls, reveling in the captivating view from Glacier Point, and standing in awe at the base of the 210 foot tall Grizzly Giant sequoia.  It was three days of pure awesomeness … not the overused term of awesome.  Rather, jaw dropping AWE-SOME.

Despite all the Yosemite talk, this isn’t about Yosemite (although it easily could be J).  The best part of our excursion wasn’t hiking the Mist Trail, seeing the sun set on Half Dome, or reveling in campfires (man I love campfires).  The best part was experiencing this journey with my best friend, my partner in crime, the love of my life.  There is simply nothing like getting away and taking a trip with my sweet, sweet baby.

Something almost magical happens when you get away with your spouse.  It’s fun.  It’s exciting.  It’s adventurous.  It’s interesting.  It’s romantic.  It’s an opportunity to enjoy each other and build memories with the person you love most in this world.  These memories weave together an intricate tapestry of shared experiences, enjoyment, fun, and intimacy.  They strengthen your bond together and promote growth for you as a couple.

With an unlimited assortment of potential journeys to take, you have endless opportunities to get away with your spouse.  Your escape can be large or small, expensive or cheap, adventurous or low-key, local or international.  Tap into your own style and budget to create the right outing for you as a couple.  You do not have to use your passport or break the bank to get away.  In fact, sometimes local and inexpensive jaunts are the best.  I repeat, sometimes LOCAL excursions are better.  Don’t miss out on fun opportunities because you feel like it’s Paris or nothing.

Some couples have a difficult time agreeing on the destination.  For some the mere thought of planning a trip together is DEFCON 5 on the stress scale.  DON’T LET THIS STOP YOU FROM GETTING AWAY!!!  That’s a trap to hinder you from growing closer together through shared experiences.  You will likely need to make compromises.  You may even need to switch off trips entirely (for example: Trip 1 is a weekend long ballet marathon in San Francisco.  Trip 2 is a weekend trip to baseball spring training in Arizona).

Always keep this in mind: the goal isn’t just to see new places; the goal is to see new places together.  Men, if you hate spending a whole day at the spa but your wife would love for you to do that with her, do it.  Ladies, if you loathe sports and your husband is a sports freak, watch/go to a game with him.  Making these types of compromises let’s your spouse know that you care more about spending time with them than just doing the things you want to do.  It’s an opportunity for you to express love to your spouse.  And you never know, you may just find something new to like.  Then again, it may be a pure exercise in loving your spouse.  Both outcomes are 100% worthy of your time.

With summer quickly approaching, it’s the perfect opportunity to plan an excursion with your heartthrob.  Don’t go just because it’s summertime, and you’re always going somewhere in the summer.  Be presently aware that your intent is to enjoy each other and build memories together. Take advantage of the beautiful weather and long days that summertime brings.  Take a local, regional, national, or international trip.  Use your imagination.  Be creative.  Get out and see the world as a couple.  Seriously.  Go!!!

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