We started listening to audiobooks together. That way we don’t have to talk, I can knit and he can paint, and we can just be. It ends up that we pause sometimes to have long conversations about what is going on or just thoughts that cross our mind while listening. It’s been a night saver!
My parents have always made certain to make time to go out together, either just as a couple or with friends. It helped that my grandparents are all in town, and also that their friends almost all have friends our age so they could have a night out by sending all of us to the basement at one house and having dinner and a movie or games. My dad loves to travel and loves fall foliage so he often takes my mom for a weekend in the fall up at a B&B in Wisconsin. Mom. Sometimes he comes home from work (particularly as my bro and I got older and worked through the ages of staying home alone and going out alone), and just picks her up and takes her to dinner. We do all of this as a family, too, but the important thing is that they make time to do things themselves, and my dad doesn’t let my mom (who is a little to worried about the dusty furniture, or things being a bit disorderly) protest until they just stay home so she can clean house.
The great thing is, you don’t even have to leave the house to “go out together.” The date night idea sounds like a wonderful plan.
Also make time to do things seperately. Have girls night/guys night, take a class in something (this is something you can do together, too, if you share interests), and then when you finish, you can tell each other about it (or not).
One thing we do is talk about current events. I read strange news stories, tell him about them, and we discuss them. It keeps us up on news, lets us see each others opinions (even if they are different), and gives us a way to keep having conversations that we had back when we were in college. Sometimes it hard to go out when money is tight or you’re both tired from working long hours. So this is an easy way to stay connected.
LoAnnie
Have you tried cooking together? My DH started cooking about a year ago and loves it. He is more throw-things-in-a-pan and I am more go-by-the-recipe but our style really complement each other. Food stimulates so many senses and can be a terrific shared experience.
We are also big fans of date night. It sounds like you are on the right track with the hockey games. Good luck!