Going Out

To begin, a combination of staying in and going out are both vital to sustaining a healthy relationship today. Most times, people get to know each other personally in private, but going out with them is important to develop beyond the friendship-stage of a relationship.

Most people aren’t complete homebodies or adventurers, but realizing where you fit between the two is important. Understanding where your partner lands on the sliding scale is just as crucial.

It’s valuable to know who someone is behind closed doors, but sometimes even more important to know who they are in public. How they act and what they say might differ greatly from the person you think you know in close quarters. Whether that’s meeting your family for lunch or landing at a local watering hole for a night out with friends.

That is why going out is important for the sake of a relationship, but there are so many fun reasons to leave your pad and dive head-first into the outside world with your favorite person.

Going out provides the opportunity to show off your partner and enjoy whatever your town has to offer. I’ll stick to what I know best: Eau Claire.

Head over to Micon Cinemas’ downtown theatre and catch a flick with your main squeeze. Stop by one of the many downtown restaurants and grab a bite to eat. Or even take on Water Street and own the night with your partner in crime!

Enjoy the moments you two share when you go out because those moments might become more than just memories. A relationship cannot be sustained if the connection outside of the house does not match the connection inside.

— Austin Mai, Editor in Chief
Staying In

I can’t think of a better way to spend time with a guy I’m interested in than to just stay in and hang out with him and not worry about how uncomfortable my dress is on our date.

While I wouldn’t necessarily turn down an opportunity to get dressed up and go out to a nice dinner, I’d rather stay in almost every single time.

There’s so many pros to staying in. You can wear whatever you want, for starters. If I wanted to wear a dress to my guy’s house, I could. But I could also wear what makes me feel most comfortable, which is typically jeans and a t-shirt.

Also, I can lounge around and watch movies or Netflix. Sure, some would say you could go to the movies, which is the same as watching movies at someone’s house, but it’s definitely not. There’s nothing comfortable about snuggling up to your pal in public; either you’re uncomfortable yourself or you’re making someone else uncomfortable.

Some of the best memories I’ve had in past relationships have been laying around on the couch and watching series like How I Met Your Mother or New Girl.  I was especially grateful for that in the beginning of those relationships, because it took the pressure off of having a constant conversation.

There’s absolutely no way to escape a conversation at dinner if you find it dwindling and you don’t know where to take it next. And trust me, I’ve been in situations before where I’ve resorted to looking at artwork on the walls because I was at a loss for what to say next.

Overall, hanging out with someone who you care about is awesome. Personally, I’d just prefer to do so in environments where I’m most comfortable, since it’ll bring out the best in me.

— Meghan Hosely, Online Editor