BellaOnline Forums Relationships Married No Kids free time question

what do y'all do in your freetime?

one of my students asked me what i was doing after school the other day, and i said that after i get done at the tutoring site (evening job), dh and i were going to the park to do a night run. she said, "all you ever do is work out or run. don't you get bored?" <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

so now i'm wondering what everyone else does with their time? we cook together and go shopping together, clean the house (not enough, lol), mess with the cats and the dog, practice our french and spanish (going to europe again for christmas), etc. but are we really boring in the eyes of others?

last night we did the most exciting thing in a few months, lol. we went to the kimbell art museum to see the hatshepsut exhibit. excellent exhibit btw. if you are ever in the area, it's a must-see. then we drove around for almost an hour trying to find a place for dinner (tried 5 places before finding one that suited us, grrrr).

just wondering. being nosy actually.

Alone, I surf the net, read, go to the gym (weights and cardio), stay home and row on my rowing machine (it's in front of the TV in the basement...it's rare that I watch TV unless I row a bit, since it's right there, guilt-tripping me!), walk, visit friends, do housework (we've worked it out that he empties the dishwasher and does the laundry; cleaning is my deal). I cook, and enjoy it, but I'm very modest (mostly wok and crock pot).

With Rob (our wedding is in three weeks! YIPES!), we work a lot outdoors together. I landscape and garden; he cuts and splits (the old-fashioned way!) our firewood (we heat primarily with wood). We're together, but not completely in each other's pockets, when we work outdoors; we're kind of working side by side, but not generally on the same project.

At home, the only real TV we watch is "The Daily Show", which we both love. Other than that, we'll occasionally catch some HGTV together, or Netflix movie.

We go into Boston or Cambridge (MA) or Keene or Manchester (NH) and see movies --- usually art films. We love to take "shun-piking" back-road no-deadline trips together, too (sometimes just for an afternoon, or sometimes all the way to the midwest or the Carolinas to see friends). We love asian food and simple, diner-type American food, and seek out the small mom'n'pop joints wherever we go.

Cool thread, Holly!

Elise

During my free time, I come here! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/devil.gif" alt="" />

I sleep (a lot) too.

I'm currently using all that other free time to:
*learn japanese,
*take a self-defense class,
*nurture my relationships with my family (my mother, sister, and husband),
*strengthen my relationships with my friends,
*shop,
*exercise (occasionally),
*draw anime (I'm pretty good at it too),
*learn to cook (lots of japanese, chinese, and italian food),
*volunteer work (this one is HUGE! I volunteer for a farmer's market in the summer and an organization that assists the homeless all year round),
*watch movies (mostly when friends come over),
*arts & crafts (crochet, woodburning, sewing, needlepoint, painting, making birthday & christmas gifts)
*DIY projects (home improvement, such as fixing things that break in our apartment; also fixing other things that need it, such as mending my clothing and shoes)
*talking on the phone (my mom and sister alone can talk for hours apiece!)
*outdoorsy stuff (when the weather permits it, I like walking, hiking, picnics, and fishing, provided we don't actually catch any!)
*games (video games, table-top and live-action role playing games, board games; I'm trying to learn more card games too, as the only one I really know right now is solitaire)
*botanical projects (herb garden; collecting seeds now to plant either bonsai or regular trees in the spring; pressing leaves, flowers, and four-leaf clovers; foraging for wild foods when possible)
*listening to music (I could list all the bands I listen to if you'd like)
*reading (currently on an Anne Rice novel & Japanese for Dummies, also like science fiction of all kinds, comic books & manga, and any book that teaches me something new)...


That's all I can come up with for now. But I do a lot of stuff with my free time. I'm always on one project or another...which is perhaps why I have a hard time getting enough sleep!

Great topic, by the way! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Free time. I didn't know I had any - LOL!!!

We work a little later than most people (I also go in a little later), so during the week we don't do much except normal stuff -- we eat out a lot, go grocery shopping, errands, check/answer email, etc. Sometimes we go out with friends for dinner/drinks.

We're involved in a rabbit rescue group, so some of our time goes into that - caring for the bunnies but I also help run the group, do the newsletter, events, campaigns, etc. I also volunteer at the animal shelter at least a couple times a month.

I wish I could say we don't watch much tv, but that seems to have changed over the past year or so (I blame LOST).

If we stay in town, weekends are usually yard work and general housekeeping (I also have a cleaning lady every 2 wks for light cleaning) unless it's summer and then we're out on the boat! (I love our boat -- it's old and beat up, but it floats!)

Since we help care for his disabled brother, many of our weekends involve DH or both of us going up to check on him (3 hrs away), take him grocery shopping, pay bills, etc.

We each have interests that the other isn't into - I like to go to art exhibits (with my niece who's in art school). DH likes to tinker with computers, so he's rebuilt and given one to several family members and is always on the lookout for ways to upgrade. He also likes history and science stuff far more than I do, and likes to watch history channel/discovery channel/learning channel programs.

No doubt, we do a lot of things together. I think it makes us stronger to have separate interests, that our whole lives aren't wrapped around each other.

When were together we
do movies
clean house (never ending)
do yard work (also never ending)
walk dog
play ball with cat or dog
call parents (long distance)
work on the computer
plan outings
do day trips
take the odd course
play cards once a month with friends

I'm sure we do lots of other things but that's all that comes to mind right now. I'm sure it would seem boring to someone but we like our life. We're always open to something new.

Wow....I'd love to have MORE free time to do all of the things I love to do! That's one of the main reasons I don't want kids...our lives are so full as it is, that I have no idea how I'd manage it all. DH and I both work full-time (typically more than a regular 40 hour week), and up until recently, I was going to school part-time. Now that I graduated, I do have a little more free time, but I always find ways to fill it!

*Hiking
*Biking
*Working out
*Enjoying time in the forests near our home
*READING....and lots of it!!!
*Sitting out on the deck (and reading!)
*Cleaning house
*Landscaping work (we built our house last year and we are working on landscaping this year)
*Home decorating
*Playing with our kitty
*Watching movies (sometimes at the theatre, sometimes on our home theatre)
*Visting with family and friends
*TRAVEL!!! We love taking trips!
*Surfing the internet....we love to sit side by side with our laptops and surf away
*Planning out our lower level (we are going to finish our basement to include a bedroom, living room/library, den, gym, bathroom and storage room)...it will probably take us a year or so to get it done
*Baking (me)
*Cooking (him)
*Enjoying the whirlpool together <img src="/images/graemlins/lovers.gif" alt="" />
*Cuddling up in front of the fireplace, making smores, and playing Scrabble

Hmmm....life is soooo "boring" without kids! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

In our free time we like to
- eat at restaurants
- surf the internet
- play video games
- work in our yard
- go driving in our 2 seat convertible
- go to amusement parks and ride rollercoasters
- exercise
- go to the movies
- listen to music
- go shopping
- go on sightseeing trips
- go for walks
- go to rock concerts, plays & dance events
- play with our cat
- read books
etc.

If we had kids we would be changing dirty diapers, cooking & cleaning, acting as chauffer to kids sports & school activities and not going on vacations because we would have no money.

Which do you think would be more "boring"??

We do aaaaaaaallllll those things the childed tell us they dream of doing when they're 65, retired and their offspring are [hopefully] on their own!

AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH, the freedoms we have are so richly enjoyed, respected and appreciated by the both of us. Life is great and I thank all the veterans for their selfless sacrifices.

Oh my goodness, my Mastiff wants some attention...gotta go ;-)

Fire

Great answer Fire!
I forgot to mention... because we don't have kids, we also have enough funds to hire a maid service which allows us to have even MORE time to do fun stuff that we enjoy.

Oh, and many of those parents who are dreaming of doing some fun stuff when they are retired and their kids are on their own... they won't have any money to do fun stuff because they insisted on paying for their kids' college education and neglected their own retirement savings. STUPID.