The Spicy Life
Valentine’s Day is Friday and you couldn’t get a bigger eye roll from me…
I love my husband but I don’t love a holiday filled with overpriced crap, crowded restaurants + obligatory romance. Now that I officially sound like a grump, I’d have to say that I still believe in keeping in spicy (but let’s keep it spicy every day)! I’m 26 years old and this June we’ll be celebrating our 5 year wedding anniversary. I’m happy to say that it gets better each year. And yes I’m talking about the romance, the love and the sex.
So while I might be a hypocrite for posting this the week of Valentine’s Day…here are a few ways we like to keep the romance alive as a married couple (who also work together full-time):
We got our first couples massage in Vegas a few years ago and we tend to do this often now! While we definitely get them on vacation (Jamaica’s massages were awesome…the ones in Hawaii were not!) we also like to get them here in town. We have the cutest little spa right behind our house. Their room is peaceful and they’re extremely attentive to what kind of massage you want. Adam usually wants it to hurt a bit and I’d rather it be relaxing. It’s a fabulous way to take an hour break. If you’re in Columbus – check out Open Sky Day Spa! I love Kacy!
This isn’t an original concept but we dig it. I remember an old episode of Modern Family where Claire meets Phil at the hotel bar on Valentine’s Day. It’s fabulous, watch it. Adam and I are always willing to rent a hotel room to mix things up! Even if we stay put in Columbus, it takes away all the distractions (work, computer, messy house, dog) and lets you just spend time together. Usually we browse Hotwire and pick a swanky hotel for half the price. We’ll usually enjoy the sites nearby and love walking to a restaurant for dinner. Plus, king sized beds rock.
This tip is a little abstract. But we’ve planned anniversaries around nostalgia before. A few years ago we visited our alma mater, ate at our (old) favorite restaurant + went to a concert (the same artist we had seen while we were dating). It’s fun to recall old memories, remember the days when you first held hands and talk about how far you’ve come. When you forget the whole journey, you stop seeing the whole picture.
Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day? If so, what are your plans? Not into the holiday? How do you keep the spicy life alive?
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Comments (16)
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It’s pretty fun! I have a horrible memory so “re-living” a memory is always nice for me. The couples massage is SO nice when you work like we do! I always have so much tension in my neck.
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THANK YOU. I sometimes feel like the only person I know that can’t stand Valentine’s Day. You described it perfectly: obligatory romance. I don’t want my boyfriend to feel like he HAS to do something romantic; where’s the fun in that?
We keep things spicy by scheduling date nights and trying new things together. It’s easy to fall into a routine where you don’t go out as much, so we try to avoid that. I also really like the idea of doing a stay-cation sometime in the future and checking into a hotel. :)
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I often feel alone in hating Valentine’s Day too. But it’s not because I’m anti-love or romance! Stay-cations are also fun – the hotel just helps in not getting distracted by lame daily duties.
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Susie
Love this post, my husband and I also work and run our own business together and its hard to get away from everything. Stay-cations are great, we live in Chicago, but rarely go downtown so its fun to get a hotel room and explore the parts of your city that you don’t normally see.
I am also not a fan of Valentines Day and how everything is overpriced from dinner to flowers on this ONE day. But my husband and I went out on our first date the day after Valentines Day, since it would have been weird going on a first date on Valentines Day. So I always get a little nostalgic around Valentines Day.
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Yes when you run a business together people tend to think, “well you’re with each other 24/7!” but it’s not quality time. We often say, “I need to be your spouse. Not just your co-worker.”
Adam and I have a font memory of one of our first Valentine’s Days too. It was a snow storm and we drove to a steakhouse. Totally nothing fancy but we were giggly and flirting.
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I love this so much. You two seem to have such an in-tune and solid marriage. Super inspiring for sure. <3
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Aw thanks Liz! It’s gotten better every year. sometimes I think back to our first year and am floored with just how immature I was. But that can be said for any relationship.
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I loved all of your ideas for how to keep it spicy. Andy and I are firm believers in weekends away, mostly so we can have quality, 1on1 time together without all the distractions you described. But one of my favorite things to do is to take a walk and hold hands. Ewww, I know, but it’s great exercise, good to be outdoors, and it’s a great time to focus on just the two of us :)
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Totally agree!! Adam always wants to go on a walk but I’m always a butt and never want to go. I need to be better about doing that.
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Great tips, all of which can be applied whether its Valentine’s week or not! I don’t know why, but over the 4 years we’ve been together, VDay is always super low key for me and the hubby. Sometimes spicing things up means being not to spicy, you know? It’s nice to get away from the chaos of Valentine’s day madness and ACTUALLY spend an intimate and relaxing night together. This year? We are planning to order in Thai food and binge-watch House of Cards. I couldn’t be more excited :)
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I totalllly agree. Adam and I love to just relax and catch up on shows. Enjoy House of Cards!! SO good.
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The only thing I love about Valentine’s Day is all the heart shaped candy & goodies on sale the day after. My man and I usually go out for supper around the 14th but not on the actual day. That way we don’t have to book way in advance or follow an expensive prix fixe menu. And then when we get home, we put on our pajamas and watch Netflix! What can I say, I’m easy!?
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Mmmm candy. Chocolate has been my weakness lately haha. I love jammies and Netflix! We’re alike that way :)
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Love this list. I tend to be pretty cynical around Valentine’s Day as well. Grumpz for dayz. But seriously. Thank you for providing some practical ways to keep all aspects of marriage spicy.
And please tell me that last pic is from Thai Smile. I shamelessly miss that place!
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Vanessa
I love the idea of planning around nostalgia! Recalling old memories is definitely a favorite that we enjoy. I’ll have to try getting a couples massage, we could definitely use it since we are sitting/working all day.