25 Ways to Keep Your Relationship Fresh

Guess what? This relationship is officially my longest one yet! Sure, we've had our bumpy moments, but I can honestly say that things are so much better this time around. It just feels...easier, healthier. Even the rough bits where we really have to sit and figure things through eventually evolves into progress. Luckily, we're not always dealing with the Debbie Downer stuff and have our own little ways of keeping each other enamored:

1. We play fight, tickle and tease each other A LOT. We've just grown sillier the closer we've become.
2. Even when I'm incredibly tired, I've learned to greet A. with nuzzles and a smile when he wakes up.
3. I have this secret fear of running out of "I love you" minutes, but I say it incessantly nonetheless. He does, too.
4. Random adventures - even if it's a mile-long scavenger hunt at 11 p.m. and stopping into eight stores in search of a particular chocolate biscuit.
5. We don't let "I'm not in the mood" become a habit. There are many ways to get over the hurdle.
6. Spontaneous singing and dancing in the apartment, on the street, in the shower, on the bed, etc.
7. Alone time. At the risk of sounding cheesy (too late for that!), we also have "study buddy time" and "cuddle buddy time."
8. We've shared things with each other we've never told anyone else.
9. When I ask him all about science he actually makes it interesting for me.
10. We give each other room to grow and push each other through our self-defeating tendencies.

Well a couple months ago, I was given a fun assignment for Latina to brainstorm a list of creative ways to keep the spark alive in a relationship. A. gladly contributed a few ideas (some were used, some were most definitely NOT for anyone else to know) and my friends chipped in unique tips of their own for what turned out to be a fun collection of 25 ways to keep your relationship fresh.

But this list is far from complete, so I'd love to know: how do you keep your relationship exciting?

Image: Mikie Ericson