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Five Fun Ways to Build Your Relationship

If you've caught on by now, I try to do at least one of these "Top 5" style posts each week, and I've focused a lot on important things to increase your business life. But equally as important is to ensure you have a good relationship with your significant other. Arguably, this is the most important top 5 I've written so far. Careers will morph and change over time, but, assumingly, you'll be with the same person the rest of your life, even well beyond the end of your career.

Plus, this isn't meant to be a chore. It's supposed to be fun!


1. Play board games or card games together. I think this has really become a lost art in the day and age of things like cable TV, Netflix, and video games. Don't get me wrong, I really like playing video games with my wife, but there's something different about tabletop games. Maybe it's the fact that you have to face each other instead of both facing a screen. I don't know. Anyway, some of our favorite games include Skip-Bo, Yahtzee, Mastermind, and more. All those can be found pretty dang cheap at places like Target or Toys R Us. Pop on some light, fun music in the background and get your poker face on.

2. Eat comfort food together. Fancy dinners are nice, but there's a time and place for everything. Instead of putting on your finest pearls, throw on your favorite hoodie and get some of your favorite chow. My wife and I have a soft spot for Monical's Pizza. Pleaser for two, 14" pizza with all pepperoni and half mushroom, and five breadsticks with cheddar and marinara dipping sauces. I could recite that in my sleep. It never gets old, and it's one of the things I look forward to doing most with my wife.

3. Small things can be the best things. A few weeks back at the gas station, I noticed that Reese's had a new product on their shelves: Reese's Peanut Butter Cups with Reese's Pieces in the middle. My wife and I thought it was a ridiculously hilarious idea, but there was no way we were going to spend the $3 it cost to try them. Flash forward to yesterday. Lo and behold, those same Reese's were Reese's Pieces were on clearance for $1. (Who could have seen that coming??) So I bought a pack for each of us to try these mysterious cups. We had a good laugh about it.

(If you're curious, they had the exact same taste and almost the same texture as the regular cups, except there were a few bits of candy shell in there. I want to meet the guy who pitched that idea...)

4. Get out of town for the day. Just like there's a time and place for fancy dinners, not all out-of-town trips have to have a major purpose in mind. My wife and I like to make the occasional trip up to the Chicago suburbs, specifically Bolingbrook, Naperville, and Oakbrook. Places we like to visit include downtown Naperville, the Oakbrook Mall, IKEA, and we would be remiss if we didn't get some Chicago-style pizza at Lou Malnati's. (Pizza is kind of a big deal in our home.)

5. Visit a pumpkin patch together. Obviously a fall-exclusive activity, this is totally relevant for the time in which this post is written. Cool air, warm hoodies, kettle corn, fun knick knacks, hay rides, corn mazes, and pumpkin spice lattes. I love the fall, and visiting the pumpkin patch is a staple in our household. If you live in Bloomington like we do, check out Rader Family Farms. Definitely worth the trip!
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