Recently I have been thinking a lot about how much I appreciate everything that Luke does for us. This past month, he has been working especially hard on house projects in the evenings after he gets home from work and I feel like I’m not always the best at showing him how much that means to me. Not only that but he has also been taking classes two nights a week which has made his schedule especially hectic.

Lately I have been working later than usual and with Luke’s crazy schedule, we have missed a lot of moments to just relax and connect together. In order to reset, I wanted to surprise Luke with a trip that we both would enjoy.

So, I had come up with a list of some of his favorite things and I planned to arrange them all together in a week long winter adventure. The best part is… he had no idea where we were going or what we would be doing. All he knew was that he was supposed to take off 5 days from work, that it would involve snowboarding and that he should trust me. 🙂 Check out a quick video that we put together below.

After doing some research and talking with some friends at work, I found exactly where I was going to take him.

The first few days of our trip were spent in Ottawa City, Canada during the last week of their Winterlude festivities. Winterlude is a fun-filled family festival that is characterized by beautiful ice and snow sculptures, outside evening concerts/music, great food, free bus transportation and fun competitions.

Also around this time, when the weather is cold enough, the Rideau Canal that runs through the city freezes over and becomes one of the world’s longest skateways (ice skating rinks). Luke absolutely loves to ice skate so this was perfect! Ice skating the ten mile skateway was by far our favorite way to see the city and to try some staple Canadian treats that were sold in quaint little stands on the ice.

After a few days in Ottawa, we headed two hours north to Mont Tremblant, a picturesque and French inspired ski town. While there, we spent some time at a local Spa relaxing together in the outdoor hot water baths. The spa was quietly tucked away in the Laurentian forest and stretched along the shore of the Diable River. Somehow, against my better judgement, Luke convinced me that it would be fun to jump into a small opening in the frozen river to complete the “pore cleansing” process. Brrrr… 34F never felt colder, at least it was warmer than that 20F day.

During the rest of the trip, we spent each day snowboarding together during the day and walking glove in glove through the snowy village in the evenings. It was so nice to take some time to really connect and to completely focus on some quality time together.

The trip helped me to realize how important it is to cherish every moment that I get with the ones that I love. There will never be a chance to relive exact moments and experience the same joy and laughter that passes during any specific point in time. It was great to be reminded that we need to slow down and really cherish the everyday moments that we have together, especially when we are at home working on projects together.

What are some of the best ways that you have found to reconnect with your spouse during busy seasons in your marriage?