Missing “Us”.

Raw and honest. Marriage. Here I go. I was thinking about the difficulties of marriage and how much I took for granted the moments we did get to have pre-pandemic and how much I miss them now. Going to the beach, going to a local happy hour, taking naps together in the middle of the day before Hanalei got home from preschool, unnecessarily long kisses and snuggles when the kids are being watched for the day by friends/family. Before the covid universe, these were all fairly regular occurrences and now, we’re lucky to catch a TV show together without being interrupted 15x let alone sleep at the same time. I dunno… maybe people don’t struggle with having “alone” time these days, but we sure do. We struggle with having time for just us and I really miss “us”.

I feel like after hearing about @msrachelhollis and @mrdavehollis divorce (if you don’t know who they are don’t worry about it, if you do, I was just as shocked and gutted as you were), couples are feeling like if THEY can’t make it, then how can any of us in a stress inducing pandemic fight to stay together in our own marriages?! Well, I say this because I need to believe it too. You and your spouse are not Rachel & Dave. Keep fighting for the “us”. Keep reaching for the “us”. Keep believing in the “us”. Grab any moments of “us” you can and hold on tight to them. That’s what I’m doing. I’m not letting go of fighting for “us” in this mess. I refuse to believe that we can’t work through what Covid is trying to destroy. Because with God there’s always hope in the fight.

AJ and I need your help. And maybe this will help one of you in your marriages too. I need some creative ideas, not necessarily date ideas, but thoughtful ideas that can bring a couple close. Maybe it’s a board game you play with your spouse. Or an outside picnic you plan in your backyard. Or maybe a special wine you ordered and enjoyed together. Or just a sweet gesture you do every morning. What are some thoughtful ideas you’ve tried to really help focus on the “us” in the mess of our current world?