How We Keep Our Relationship 'Spicy' and Romantic

I believe in LOVE! Brian and I have been married for 18 years, and we love to keep it ‘spicy’ and romantic; it is never a dull moment… our relationship is very flavorful. Communication is key in any relationship. And we are constantly working on putting the energy into or marriage, friendship, and family. It’s easy to lose sight of what’s important but even with all of the moving parts, making “us” a priority is my #1 goal...every day for the rest of our lives! One key piece of advice for any relationship is to never stop dating each other! Get dressed up and go out to dinner, get a sitter, and have a few uninterrupted hours together to remind yourself why you married each other! “Winning” to me is at the end of all of this hard work we have put into this life we have built together, is just that...we did THIS together. We moved cities, raised three beautiful children, traveled the world, all together. We will never stop celebrating together, laughing together, watching our family thrive forever together. There is never a dull moment with Brian; we are both passionate, creative, and loving! I wouldn’t change what we have for the world. xo, Chantelle!

Some Things We Do To Stay Connected:

Yoga and Meditation: When we redid our garage, we added a space to do yoga and meditation. We light candles, turn the lights off and take an hour or so to be still and reflect on what’s important in life. We especially love doing this after a hectic day when life gets the best of us, and we need something to ground us; this is a perfect way. We recently began “Ignite Training for collective Evolution,” by This Gentle Way led by Tori G. Newburn. It is a guided yoga and meditation training split into sessions to help us connect on a deeper level. I love finding new ways to keep our relationships firey!

Lunch Dates: We love to do mid-day dates! It’s a nice little break from the day to be together. We will hop on our bikes and head down to one of our favorite local spots and sit for a few hours and enjoy each other’s company before getting back to the rest of our day! It’s an excellent way for us to catch up and talk about what’s going on in our lives and get connected.

Boat Rides: We love going on boat rides on the weekend, especially during sunset! We pack up the boat with snacks and drinks, and the kids love jumping off the boat! It is such a fun time to relax and have fun together. Recently Brian has been teaching me how to drive the boat, and it is so fun for him to teach me something that he loves to do.

Cooking Together: We LOVE taco Tuesday and getting the family together for a homecooked meal! Brian usually does the cooking around the house, so I like to be the one to cook dinner for him every once in and while. He always appreciates when I cook for him!

Sexy Time: I love lingerie and playing dress-up: candlelight, Sexy music, just the two of us. My new favorite store to get pretty lacey things is Honey Birdette. Gorgeous outfits and beautiful pieces. Fun toys too.

Some Things We Could Work On:

Communication and Mindfulness: It can be easy to focus on negative things in a relationship. Something we have been working on more is focusing on the positive in our relationship and what we LOVE about each other. Being more mindful of each other’s feelings and needs has been a priority of ours recently; choose HAPPY!

Getting the Kids to Bed: We love family movie night! All of the kids snuggled in our bed, popcorn, blankets, and the dogs! Our kids love snuggling up, so something we’ve tried to work on is getting the kids all to sleep in their own beds and at a decent hour so we can have some alone time at the end of the night.