by Texas Homesteader ~ 

Relationships require tender loving care to stay strong. RancherMan & I are 25+ years in love, y’all. It makes us smile that so many people (including complete strangers) comment that we must be newlyweds.

But like any relationship, it doesn’t just grow on its own. We take steps to keep it strong, we make sure to find time for each other. 

Do Relationships Have To Fade Over Time?

We all know couples who were blissfully in love at the beginning of their relationship but just drift apart over time. There are any number of reasons this might happen, and frankly not all of them are even within our control.

But for RancherMan and me, an important part of keeping our relationship strong is making sure to make time for each other, even with such a busy Homesteading lifestyle.

All Work & No Play…

Living on a Texas Homestead means RancherMan and I live and work right here at home. So we’re together all day, every day. For some relationships that’s too much time together.

But for RancherMan & me it’s just the way we like it. However there’s a potential problem…

As any ‘self employed’ person can tell you, running your own business is significantly more time intensive. There are no paid holidays or sick time.

It’s true that being self employed offers all kinds of stresses, especially during these troubling times. The rules are simple – if you don’t work, you don’t receive the benefit. That typically means much more time spent working than the traditional 9 to 5.

But for us, living and working here on our Homestead is a life we love, a life like no other. RancherMan & I are able to live out our dream here and we love it.

Relationships Require Work & Care Too

Yes, our Homestead is important, but our relationship is MORE important. And like our beloved Homestead, our relationship takes work and care too.

I’ve written before about how RancherMan & I Keep The Spark In Our Marriage. It’s an important daily relationship mindset that assures both of us feel loved, valued and heard every day. 

I encourage you to read those thoughts. They’ve been instrumental in keeping our marriage strong over the years.

Keeping Relationships Strong: Finding Time For Each Other

But even though running a Homestead is lots of work, sometimes in a busy lifestyle you have to purposely find time to focus on nurturing your relationship too.

It’s important to prioritize time with each other. There are several ways RancherMan & I do that.

We feel it’s healthy to reconnect as a couple by pushing work aside every few weeks to get away together somewhere. During that time we just focus on each other, enjoying each other’s company and doing something inexpensive yet fun.

Scheduled Date Nights For A Married Couple

Firstly, about once a month we find somewhere semi-close to turn into a day-date. Nowhere far, but somewhere outside our typical stompin’ grounds. The beauty of this is it can be pretty spontaneous.

These day dates are almost never held during a weekend. Going on a day-date during a weekday when many people are committed to being at the office means fewer crowds. And we like that. A lot!

But whatever random event we see that we’d enjoy, we’re on it. There’s a carnival in a nearby town? Let’s check it out! A new movie comes out that we’d like to see? Let’s do it!

These trips are inexpensive and short in duration – we’re typically only gone a few hours. Things such as:

• • • Seeing a recently-released movie
    • Attending a live production at a theater
    • Going to the county fair
    • Enjoying a special meal at a nice restaurant

So although not much time has been spent away from our responsibilities here on the Homestead, we’ve enjoyed some fun time and each other’s company. You know, like we did when we were first dating.

Day-Date – Visiting A Nearby Town

Sometimes we push our fun destination out a little further and spend the whole day there. Nothing fancy mind you, just somewhere in a town maybe about a 3-hour’s drive away. But we’ll be gone all day from early morning until late night.

While in that town we’d do all the touristy stuff. Maybe have lunch at a local eatery, check out a few local shops, stop by the farmer’s market & perhaps enjoy a museum, etc.

Or sometimes a single all-day affair like First Monday in Canton, Texas is lots of fun too. It’s a huge outdoor shopping experience. And walking through it takes all day! 

Wherever our destination is, we take time to spend the entire day together. Work can wait until tomorrow, today we’re just focusing on US. 

Romantic Overnight Stays

A couple of times a year we’ll push our time away from the Homestead just a little longer. We’ll travel a bit further away & enjoy an overnight stay somewhere.

We still keep the distance to an easy drive maximum of just a few hours. But that gives us two whole days and one night to explore a new area.

This is always a well thought-out trip, and often includes a stay at a romantic bed & breakfast.

One of our favorite areas we visited was our Trip To Granbury. We enjoyed the beautiful B&B home, the delicious food and walking through the historic town square. There were wineries, eateries and any number of shops to enjoy. 

We also enjoy going to other Texas towns such as Fredericksburg, Paris and Jefferson. All are close enough for a short drive and an overnight stay. All have historic districts that we enjoy.

Focus On Your Relationship

Going on these short trips is just one important way RancherMan & I solidify our relationship on an ongoing basis.

Work will always be here, and to be honest it’ll never quite be done. It would be so easy to just trudge through working – day in and day out to try to stay on top of it all, forsaking almost everything else.

But doing that just puts your relationship on cruise control. We want to be more active in keeping our marriage strong. And by golly it’s worked well for us! 

Spending this time together allows us to relax and enjoy each other’s company. It also creates some fun memories. 

~TxH~

Tagged in         

Fun Trips

• Broken Bow, OK Sibling Vacation
• Ft. Worth, Texas – Big Fun In Cow Town
• Austin, Texas Visit
• Fun trip To Minneapolis, Minnesota
• New Branfels, Texas
• Laughlin, Nevada Fun
• Heading To Amarillo, Texas
• Fun Trip To Red River, New Mexico
• Romantic Stay In Granbury, Texas
• Beach Vacation: Surfside Beach, Texas

Travel-Related Posts

• Peace Of Mind Before A Trip
• Handy Suitcase Organization Tip
• Using My Hand Basket When Traveling
• Lower-Waste Hotel Stays – Easy Tips
• Less Landfill-Bound TRASH When Dining Out
• Working On The Road: My Rolling Office

All Travel Posts

Other Inspiring Posts

Perceptions

• But… Don’t We All Want To Look Younger??
• The Ripple Effect: How You Affect Others
• Many Flowers Make A More Beautiful Bouquet
• A Comforting Tradition When Times Are Tough
• Snap Judgement: All Is Not Always As It Appears

Family/Relationships

• How RancherMan & I Keep The Spark In Our Marriage
• Finding Time For Each Other In Busy Days
• The Importance Of The Family Supper Table

Grief / Healing

• NO Balloon Release! Better Way To Honor A Loved One
• How To Show Love In A Time Of Sorrow
• Sweet Remembrance Idea: Seeds At Memorial
• Important Numbers To Document NOW For Estate Planning

Lifestyle

• My Journey May Not Be YOUR Journey: And That’s OK!
• Pursuit of… HAPPINESS
• Living Life With NO Regrets

Community

• Meal Ideas When Bringing Food To A Family
• Generosity Shouldn’t Be Judgmental: Just Show Love
• The Power Of Love: Helping Neighbors In Need
• Paying It Forward, In REAL Life
• The Garden That ‘LOVE’ Planted

…and MANY MORE!

See Our Inspirational Posts

C’mon by & sit a spell! Come hang out at our Facebook Page. It’s like sitting in a front porch rocker with a glass of cold iced tea. There are lots of good folks sharing!

You can also follow along on Pinterest, on Twitter or on Instagram.

If you’d like to receive an email each time a new blog post goes live it’s EASY to subscribe to our blog! 

• 
• 
• 
•