This week started off perfectly. My friend Natalie who I wrote about here is staying with us for a week or so until she moves.  On Sunday night, we called some friends in China for the “Moon Festival” and I got to talk to my dear friend Doris. Nothing like starting off the week with a little Mandarin.

My husband is learning Greek and loving his seminary classes. He’s learned to drive slower and I’ve almost mastered the art of squeezing the toothpaste correctly. Michael remembers 1/2 the time will put the seat down; I remember 1/2 the time  to put away the groceries without shoving (or tossing) them on any shelf in the pantry or fridge that looks inviting. Sundays is our ‘clean the house day’ and my wonderful husband volunteers to do all the chores I don’t like (toilet, trash, vacuuming, dishes).  Marriage is such a beautiful gift and I cannot express how much joy living with my best friend brings every day. I want to savor these moments-because it seems like so many people forget.

I am usually devouring at least 3 books simultaneously (currently: The Homemade Life, Sunrise on the Battery, and There You’ll Find Me and I just finished Real Marriage). And I listen to sermons by Perry Noble and Andy Stanley on a weekly basis. A common thread across several marriage books and coming from those two pastors is couples need a date night. It doesn’t have to be a ‘night’ or the couple doesn’t have to have a huge budget-the point is to set aside a time for just the two of us to be together uninterrupted. You mean without my dinging/beeping/gonging iPhone?

Last Sunday, Michael and I went to Starbucks (thanks to our wonderful photographer Seth Snider) and then to Percy Warner Park to enjoy the sunshine. We walked all over the park and talked about snow cones (there was a man selling them there), tattoos, kids, life together, jobs, seminary, et cetera. We didn’t bring our phones. It was our time to just be. Together.

My iPhone is usually attached to my hand (I even email while running). Several times Michael will be in the middle of a riveting story, I will hear a ‘ding’ and cannot help but to check just who thinks I am oh-so-important. It’s really rude, I know, but also really addicting. While I am grateful to be able to reply to emails with ease and efficiency, sometimes I just need to put it out of sight and let the emails, calls, texts, Facebook messages, twitter messages, blog comments, blog subscribers go unanswered. (That’s a lot of ways someone can contact me.)  I’ve started leaving my iPhone at home when I am going somewhere with Michael because sometimes I feel like I have no self-control. Freedom.

Sunday afternoons are now set aside for dates-”Michael and Ruthie time”. We plan to explore coffee shops around Nashville-together-without phones or computers. Every Sunday we will explore Nashville and land at a new coffee shop. And afterwards go to a park (we both love the outdoors) and stroll and laugh and enjoy or, when the weather gets cooler, stay huddled inside the shop under a blanket. Nashvillians: what are your favorite coffee shops here?

My grandmother once said, “I can’t email that today. It’s Sunday” as she mistakenly thought the world-wide web hung their hats on Sundays like the postal service. I think she was on to something.

If you liked this post, you may also like:

• But First, Coffee | On Growing a Marriage
• This Momentary Marriage
• Calling all Nashville Singles!
• Singleness, Settling, and Waiting for “The One”