5 Activities To Keep Things Fresh with your Partner

Like clockwork, every Thursday I start thinking about all the things I want to do during the upcoming weekend. With no travel plans (or any type of plans for that matter) for the past few months, our weekends have been wide open. I’ve actually started making lists of potential activities and presenting them to my fiancé for approval...not that they’re really up for discussion, but it’s the thought that counts, right? Don’t get me wrong, I love couch time and tv as much as the next girl, but there’s only so much I can handle before losing my mind. I also can’t bake another loaf of banana bread or complete another puzzle, so it’s time to get creative, get outside, and find some new activities to do with your significant other, friend, sibling - whoever! Here are my top picks:

Sometimes a new setting is all you need to jazz things up. In normal life, my fiancé and I try to do a date night out once a week but that obviously hasn’t been happening, and cooking together at home is getting kind of old. Cue a picnic outside with your favorite BBQ recipes (check out some STIK favorites here) or takeout from your local restaurant. A beach picnic is definitely on my agenda in the coming weeks!

I know I just said that I’m tired of cooking, but it’s partially because we make the same things over and over. Clearly I need some recipe inspiration! Now is the perfect time to whip out that Instant Pot that’s been sitting in your cabinet for over a year, or finally order the Sous Vide you’ve been eyeing since last Black Friday. Find a recipe to match the gadget and violà! You have yourself a new cooking adventure. An air fryer is currently at the top of my wishlist - I’m dying to make these buffalo cauliflower bites.

While Zoom is no replacement for the real life experience, there are some fun activities that can be done virtually. For example, participating in a wine or cheese tasting allows you to switch up your usual happy hour, and bond with your S.O. in a different way. My college girlfriends just gifted our friend a virtual cheese class from Murray’s Cheese in NYC for her birthday, and I’m very tempted to buy one myself - being able to try a variety of tasty cheeses (delivered straight to your doorstep) while learning the very essential skill of how to pair them seems quite ideal.

One of my absolute favorite things to do is sit down at a bar, pre-dinner, with a glass of good red wine, no phones, and just chat with my fiancé. It’s often during these times that we are really able to connect and talk about bigger picture plans, dreams, goals, etc - stuff that goes beyond surface level communication during the week, like whose turn it is to take out the trash or switch the laundry. It’s easy enough to recreate this at home, so I’m planning on using our next drink-and-no-technology time to discuss our next vacation. It feels like almost everyone has been forced to cancel one trip or another, and I know I’m not the only one daydreaming about where to travel once this is all over. Even though you likely won’t be booking anything anytime soon, now is a great time to start throwing out ideas for your post-quarantine trip and scouring Tripadvisor and your favorite travel blogs for inspiration, recommendations, and reviews.

This isn’t exactly groundbreaking, but my fiancé and I are loving our daily after-work walks around the neighborhood. It’s a great way to end our work days (all about that work-life balance), stretch out our legs, and chat about random things...though usually the conversation falls into one of two topics: what we’re having for dinner that night and/or wedding-related angst. One other benefit to our walks is that we see A LOT of dogs. We are both obsessed with dogs, particularly labs and golden retrievers, so it’s a treat on the days we see either of those two types. We’ve yet to go on a bike ride, but there is definitely some sort of biking escapade in our future. Some fresh air, light exercise, and good company = instant mood booster.

What are some activities you’ve been enjoying? Let us know in the comments!