I posted this question recently to Facebook and tagged all our married friends and family:
What is the craziest thing you've done as a couple that no one else seemed to understand, but that you and your spouse were hell-bent on doing?
I've been thinking about Jon's and my relationship and wondering if this bike trip is the craziest thing we've done together. It's definitely the most physically challenging, and probably the coldest. But I have to say that dating long-distance for almost four years was also crazy. Surprising him by flying to North Carolina over my fall break and then hiding under his desk while he was at lunch was also pretty crazy. Following me to South Dakota for a job on a reservation for two years in the middle of nowhere was crazy, too. I hope every day of our lives is a crazy adventure, whether it's learning how to cook meat (especially steak) or someday taking our kids on a tour.
Below are the comments from friends and family to our question.
Chris: Ours would be WHAMMO. PM Courtney for the details.
Destiny: Q: "Craziest thing you've done as a couple that no one else seemed to understand?" A: We started dating, then got engaged.
Nancy: We got married in Key West, and people came.
Jon: We had a fortune teller at our reception and one of our friends came in drag.
Tess: both working as hotshots in the summer and never seeing each other. strong apart, strong together!
Tammy: Going to your wedding and taking that vacation.
Elizabeth: Embarking on a whole house renovation of an old house 2 miles down the same street as the old house.
Jane: Camping for 2 weeks at Maho Bay in St. John, Virgin Islands for our honeymoon.
Kendra: Lived overseas in Istanbul, Turkey and now Vienna, Austria!
Jill: Got married on a working dairy farm! By the way, you guys are incredibly inspirational...I'm trying to convince Barrett that we should bike cross-country next summer. I'm hoping some of your adventures (and miss-adventures) will help convince him:)
Lily: we built a bench out of mud. in winter. it took 3 months. we got dirty!
Lynn: We decided to raise/grow all the food and flowers for our wedding on our homestead. We didn't get EVERYTHING done, but pretty darn close. It was our way of sharing our lifestyle with our friends and family.
Jacie: Started dating, got engaged, got married, moved, changed jobs, started grad school, sold a house, and bought a house all in just over a year!
Meghan: 3 kids in first 4 years of marriage. Best adventure ever!
Molly: We were married 5 days after we decided to do so, had my aunt ordained online, a beautiful little ceremony in her dining room... and have now had a year to celebrate this spontaneous adventure! Times will change, but for now, we live in a tiny shoebox apartment saving on rent because we value our time together and prefer to prioritize our adventures, vacations, and fun times! Keep enjoying yours... Love
Heather: Deciding to elope, three days into our Mexican diving vacation. Another one: Moving across the country in the depths of the recession, no guarantees but a big dream.
Luke: Staying up really late one night discussing, contemplating, realizing and deciding to move from on from a successful and profitable technology business to build a business together that supports us and cultivates a strong family. Good luck on your journey!
Ann: Windsurfing (successfully, but OMG) on our two Classics (the original clunky boards) from Woods Hole to Martha's Vineyard and back (10 miles) while still very inexperienced in the sport (before this we were afraid to go any further than the harbor!)