VOX POPULI
Things I love to do with you
Work, bills, children, and future plans are not the only ones that occupy the hearts and minds of married couples. It’s also talking with their husband or wife about what makes them happy and what things they want to do together not only on Valentine’s Day but every day.
Joe and Jamika Taijeron (Bea Cabrera)
For Salt & Barber Beauty Salon owners Joe and Jamika Taijeron, both find joy not only in being married but managing a business together as well. “I like to travel with Joe but since we cannot travel, the other thing I like to do with him is to run errands together. I appreciate the days where we have a list of things to do which I normally do by myself. When we do it together, I rest in the fact that I am doing these things with someone I enjoy being with,” Jamika said.
“As co-owners of a business, some of our errands include picking up supplies from the airport, mail for the post office, etc. Doing things together makes co-ownership much more fun. …I also like to go out on date night with my wife, just the two of us. Maybe a nice dinner with some peace and quiet. We don’t have to do anything else but just enjoy each other’s company,” Joe said.
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Misty and Marty McPadden (Contributed Photo)
For Marty and Misty McPadden of PodjamTV Productions, one of the things that make their bond strong is the encouragement they get from each other. “My wife and I will be married for nine years this coming August and I love that we both love to travel for work and leisure. …The one thing that I love most is how she encouraged me when we started our media production business. Her support and belief in me has been instrumental in helping us grow. …I love that she likes to explore and try new things and she always encourages me to always be adventurous, especially when it comes to food. I don’t think I would have visited or eaten exotic food without her cajoling me into it. Last but not least, I love that she listens and taught me to be open to speaking about anything under the sun and not worry about being judged.” Marty said.
“One of the best things is to be able to work alongside my husband, building a media production business. We have faced our share of challenges, but we always have fun because I know Marty is always by my side and always has my back. I love that he gives me my space when I work that he even built a small command center for my home office, which has allowed me to do work and paint. I love that he makes me laugh a lot. He listens and is always patient when I have my bad days. My favorite part of my day is before we sleep, we watch cat videos together. …The best thing that he does for me is taking time to speak with my family and best friend when I am on a call with them, even if he is busy,” Misty said.
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Derek and Tania Cutting (Contributed Photo)
For Derek and Tania Cutting of Cutting Solutions LLC, partnership is always a work in progress and loving the little details about life that many tend to take for granted. “I love traveling the world with you, hiking, exploring and going on adventures with you, sunrise motorcycle rides with you, random sunset beach picnics with you, date nights with you, binge watching Netflix with you, jeepin’ it with you, building our dreams with you and I love being a parent and loving our son Makai with you,” Tania said .
“I love raising our son together and watching him become a strong, independent little man. I love when we ride side by side on our Harleys cruising the streets together, going to the gym to train with you, watching a movie on the couch with you, pushing you past your comfort zone and sharing the fruits of your labor, bicycle rides in the park with Makai and you and talking about new ideas and business opportunities with you,” Derek said.
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Emily and Dustin Darr (Contributed Photo)
Emily and Dustin Darr of Papago moved to Saipan over a year ago and find common ground in hanging out at the beach with each other. “Currently, my favorite thing to do with him is to spend the day relaxing on the beach with good food and a little adventure. When the world opens back up, I love traveling together, experiencing new places and cultures. Being out of your comfort zone together forges a deeper and stronger bond!” Emily said.
“I enjoy her company as we relax at the beach or getting a couples massages. We love going out to lunch together and going on double dates with good friends. We also enjoy cooking fun and creative meals together,” Dustin said.
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Russ Wilcox and Madge Gai (Contributed Photo)
Newly married Russ Wilcox and Madge Gai of Dan Dan are into various adventures. Whether on land, under the sea, or above mountains they know how to get the most out of everything that each day presents to them. “I love talking about the different points in our cultures, seeing what is different and what is actually similar. I love spending time in the outdoors of our amazing island—hiking, diving, swimming, exploring, and watching sunsets. I love working out and encouraging one another. I love being grumpy about being social with her/for her when I actually kind of like it most of the time,” Russ said.
“I love to go scuba diving with you every weekend, hiking, driving around in your little truck, seeing you laugh, I love when you pet our cat even if he likes being ‘Mogui.’ I love watching movies after your work and trying out food that you cooked for me. I love you,” Madge said.
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Maria and Andrew Goethals (Contributed Photo)
Maria and Andrew Goethals are ideal for each other—Maria makes delicious desserts and publish them at amusingmaria.com and Andrew loves trying them out. They admit they are usually both couch potatoes but when they get out to travel, their adventurous hearts kicks in. “I would not have been able to explore so many ancient temples and learn their history if not for Andrew. I also love when we are able to take out our kayaks to the water and explore. Food! I love trying out new food and restaurants or eating our favorite home-cooked meals. For the most part. Just hanging out with you at home and watching our shows are also part of my favorites,” Maria said.
“The things that I love to do with you most is to explore. Whether it’s searching for the best tacos in town, or climbing to the top of a ruin in a far-off jungle or kayaking to the very end of the creek, we are most alive and most together when we are going somewhere new. We both have suffered from ‘wanderlust’ at different times in our lives and when we give into it together, we have amazing experiences. Our journeys have just begun,” Andrew said.