Life tugs you in many directions. Work, school, extra-curricular activities, church, friends, and extended family vie for your time, and often your marriage gets the leftovers. When our children were younger, it sometimes felt like weeks before we could have an uninterrupted conversation.

Even now that our children are teenagers, we still have to work hard to protect quality time together. The prime communication time for teens seems to always be late at night. Now, we love hanging out with our children, but this can obviously put a damper on intimacy and communication as a couple. Periodically, you just have to get away!

When we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary, believe it or not, it was difficult to decide to take an extended week-long trip without the kiddos, but we are so glad we did! We went to the Smoky Mountains to watch the autumn leaves change. It was an amazing week of beauty, quality time, and focus!

Here are some ideas that we find helpful to ensure we make an annual getaway top priority in our marriage.

1. Schedule it! Get your calendars out, write it down, and book it! This makes it permanent and gives you something to dream about and look forward to.
2. Budget for it! Decide if it will be a weekend trip or a week-long trip this year. We usually do a weekend trip except for milestone anniversaries. Every 5 years we try to take a trip that lasts a whole glorious week. Bev’s sister gets bonuses at her job and she will use her bonus money to pay for special trips.
3. Talk about it! Sometimes when you are in the grind of everyday life, the words, “Two weeks until we are all alone!” can infuse excitement in your weary relationship.

Years after some of our most memorable trips, we often reflect and talk about the incredible time we had connecting and enjoying each other fully. Today, make the decision for your marriage to take some time to get away. Consider the immense value it adds. It builds unity and keeps the home fires burning.

Taking the time to rekindle your love and laughter keeps your marriage strong. It takes planning and prioritizing. It certainly won’t just happen, but with some creative budgeting and planning, you can make it happen more regularly than you think.

Do have a memory of an annual getaway that is forever etched in your mind?