Date Night

["Date Night" 16x20, available] Just dropped off a bunch of new paintings to David Ericson Gallery today (including this one)! One of the best pieces of advice we got when we were first married was to set aside a weekly date night. It doesn't matter if you go out or stay in, it matters that you set aside time to connect with each other and do something to feed your marriage. We have been doing it now for over ten years, every week of our marriage. I can't tell you how many weeks--busy weeks, weeks where we are passing ships and barely get a hello in as we hand off kids and run to what's next-- that the promise of a date night has kept me going. We have fed our friendship, which feeds our romance, which feeds our ability to work as partners during all the rest of life. My parents are celebrating 38 years of marriage today and are out on a day-long date as we speak. I am grateful for the example they've set of prioritizing each other and how much that has strengthened my marriage.