Date night helps couples keep spark alive

Erica and Sean Kerchner find it hard to spend quality time together at the moment. Mr. Kerchner has been training with the U.S. Navy in Norfolk, Va., for four months while his wife of three years stays with her parents in Silver Spring.

Mrs. Kerchner said when her husband visits on the weekends, it is important for them to find time for themselves in between visiting friends and family. They try to set aside one night to go out to dinner or a movie, “nothing really fancy,” she said.

Mrs. Kerchner said if they can’t have a full night together, they will make sure to set a few hours aside to go to a local pizza place or just talk.

“I think it’s important to go on dates together because you get tired of doing day-to-day activities,” said Mrs. Kerchner, 24. “It’s nice to go out and have fun just being together.”

When the couple lived in Jacksonville, Fla., they would make special dinners at home for just the two of them. Mrs. Kerchner said a date doesn’t necessarily have to be a big deal; it could be as simple as an hour-long drive of talking and being with each other.

“If you only have two hours, just spend that time together and recognize it,” said Mrs. Kerchner, who attends St. John the Baptist in Silver Spring. “It’s easier to fit it in that way instead of trying to schedule everything.”

Kristen and Pete Daub have been married for four months, but they have such busy lifestyles that they find it important to have a date night.

“We try and open up our home to others, or we will go over a friend’s house,” said Mrs. Daub, a parishioner of St. Louis, Clarksville. “We have one day during the week where we don’t hang out with anyone.”

Like Mr. and Mrs. Kerchner, the Daubs like to go to dinner or a movie, but they also like to relax in their own home with a good movie.

“I think it’s important that we remember that our marriage is a ministry to others, but we have to remember to focus on each other,” said Mrs. Daub. “You really need to enjoy each other.”

Mrs. Daub agreed with Mrs. Kerchner that couples don’t have to go out; sometimes it’s just nice to stay in and relax. Ms. Daub said she and her husband like to pray together to keep Christ in the center of their relationship. She said they also sit around and play card games.

“It’s not about going out, we go out a lot. It’s about just being the two of us that is important,” said Mrs. Daub.

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