As of Monday, Seth and I have been married for two years. For two years, we’ve shared a home, shared a family, and sometimes, accidentally shared a toothbrush. It’s hard to believe it’s already been two years, but at the same time, I feel like we’ve been together our entire lives. I can’t imagine life without him.
I know, this sounds terribly cliche. But it’s true.
Anyway, I love celebrating our togetherness. Last year, I had an idea for how we could celebrate our wedding anniversary each year. We both love adventure, so why not visit a place we’ve never been before on our anniversary?
It doesn’t have to be expensive. Depending on the year or where we’re at in life, we can go to a new restaurant, or a new park, or a new town in the area we haven’t seen before. Or it can be a little more extravagant. Either way, I thought it would be fun to enjoy a new adventure together to celebrate the anniversary of our wedding.
Last year, when we were living in Ohio, we planned to go to Tennessee for our first anniversary. Then we ended up moving to PA the next month, so we decided to go smaller instead and save our money. We went to a national park in northwestern Ohio just for the day, and it was lovely.
This year, we decided to go a little bigger. We traveled up to the Finger Lakes region of New York for the weekend. We hiked together, laughed together, explored together, and simply enjoyed time with just the two of us.
It. Was. Wonderful.
I sincerely believe that sharing in adventures draws people, whether that’s a couple or a group of friends or a family, closer together—and closer to their Creator.
So this week’s blog post is my take on why you should adventure together. If you buy into this idea, I’d encourage you to make plans to share in an adventure—whether that’s across the state or in your backyard. You won’t regret it.
1. Adventure together to learn how to problem-solve as a team.
Many adventures, especially if you’re going somewhere or doing something new, are filled with the unexpected. There are often problems that require solving. For example, when Seth and I were in New York, we had to figure out how to see all we wanted to see within a limited amount of time. Seth didn’t devise a plan on his own—and neither did I. We worked together to find a solution we were both happy with.
2. Adventure together to create shared experiences and memories.
An important part of any relationship is shared experience. Inside jokes, favorite memories, stories you tell again and again because they’re just so funny… these all come from shared experiences. Shared experiences truly go into building the foundation of a strong relationship.
3. Adventure together to get outside of your comfort zone and your normal routine.
Along the same lines, your shared experiences are going to be stronger if they’re not all housed inside the comforts and restraints of your home and your everyday routine. Get outside! Try something new. Be willing to get uncomfortable once in a while. A shared experience where you’ve allowed yourselves to get uncomfortable will feel significantly more powerful and memorable.
4. Adventure together to learn more about each other.
When you adventure together, you inevitably learn more about each other—about your flaws, your fears, your weaknesses, your limitations.
I always think of Seth and I’s first fight after we got married. It was in the airport in Aruba, the first day of our honeymoon, our first full day as husband and wife. The line at customs was terribly long and wrapped around the baggage claim either. Quite a few people had started cutting to form their own line. I was hot and frustrated and tired and I wanted to just cut. Everyone else was. Seth refused. We got in an argument. The point is, through this argument, even though we both said some things we apologized for later, I saw Seth’s integrity. I learned about his character.
When you put yourselves in new situations, you’re going to learn new things about yourself and each other.
5. Adventure together to grow closer to your Creator, together.
Most importantly, as you adventure together I believe you will grow closer to your Creator, particularly if you are out in His beautiful creation. One of my favorite Bible verses is Romans 1:20, in which Paul writes this: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”
Spending time in creation is a chance to clearly see God’s invisible qualities. It’s a chance to see and experience God in a new way. And by doing this with someone you love, you’re able to see God’s eternal power and divine nature together.
That’s why we adventure together. That, and because it’s fun. We enjoy it. We encourage you to give it a try, too.
And by the way, friend, never forget… you are onederfully created.
Love,
Becca
