Last week I talked about grocery shopping. And, kind of, meal planning (or my decided lack thereof). In light of that blog post, this blog post might seem a little strange, especially if my slightly disgruntled attitude towards groceries gave you the impression that the kitchen is not my favorite place in the world.

Because today I’m writing about the wonder and joyfulness that is having things in common with your spouse. And one of our things in common is that we both love to cook. I figured, in light of the upcoming holiday (Happy Thanksgiving, Delightfully Engaged!), cooking was just about the perfect subject – although we won’t even be thinking about the bundle of stress that is roasting a turkey.

We’re not experts by any means, and most of our kitchen adventures end up being labeled “experiments,” but when we have the time we’ve discovered that there’s not much in the world that’s better than an afternoon in the kitchen, trying out a new recipe or making an old favorite for dinner. We get to relax, talk, have a glass of wine, great food and a lot of fun just hanging out with each other and enjoying each other’s company.

It’s fun having that overlap in our interests. And it’s good having overlaps in our interests in general – we’re by no means identical in terms of what we find most enjoyable and I think we’d soon be bored if we were (for example, football will alwaysmean more to Shayne than it does to me, no matter how loudly I yell at the TV on Saturday afternoon) – but I’m beginning to think that the important part is nurturing those overlaps.

See, Shayne’s my best friend. In a real, “tell-him-everything, he-tells-me-everything-back, let’s go hang out and make a romantic dinner or be cheesy goofballs or play James Bond on the Wii” kind of way. But finding things that fit us in particular and make us feel particularly loved and encouraging and supporting those things is beyond important, no matter how many of our interests do or don’t line up.

So, today, in the midst of the holiday season and wedding planning, I’d like to encourage you to go find your spouse, or soon-to-be spouse, and make the time to enjoy something on your common ground together. In the meantime, I will be Googling “how to roast a turkey.” Because someday there is a very good chance that I will be the one doing the basting. And even if Shayne’s right there in the kitchen with me, I want to be prepared.