In between working full time and raising two boys, Angelique writes for her blog, The Seafarer’s Wife and enjoys the special occasions when she gets to spend time with her husband, Nicholas who is out at sea for long periods of time. This time on ‘Your Stories,’ we get to discover a bit more about their relationship and what makes it work.

How long have you been together?

We have been together for 14 years and will be married for 10 years this December!

How many children do you have and what are their ages?

Yes, two boys. Cole is almost 8 and Maxx is 3.

How did having children change/affect your relationship?

I think having children definitely made us grow up at a much faster rate…lol. And obviously, we have less ‘alone time’. However, I must add that having children and seeing what a great dad Nicholas is really made me love him so much more.

How did you first meet?

He was the sporty boy who lived a street away from me and I had always had a crush on him. I made the ‘best mistake’ of telling a friend of mine I liked him. One day as my friend and I walked to the neighbourhood shop, he was walking past us and she went over to him and told him I liked him. I nearly died! But, that is where it all began. Thinking about it now still makes me blush.

What was it about your partner that you were first attracted to?

Definitely his looks but after getting to know him, it was definitely his quirky sense of humour and also the fact that he liked ‘Jamiroquai’ as much as I did.

What was the proposal like?

Our proposal was very ‘traditional’. He told his parents that he wants to marry me and then they came and ‘asked’ my parents. I thought it was very dull and so unromantic but in hindsight, I have old school parents and this proposal meant the world to them and he definitely gained a lot of respect from my dad (I am the youngest and the only girl, so my dad is hard core).

Do you do date nights? If so, what do you normally do?

Date nights are really tough for us. Because my husband works on a mining vessel, he is away from home for 28 days and then home for 28 days. This means that when he is home we always have a lot of things to cram into a short period of time. We do love watching our favourite old-school movies together and also enjoy pizza nights, and sometimes just an hour at a coffee shop alone without the kids.

What has been one of your most romantic moments together?

This may be strange but when my husband is home he does everything. Cooks, cleans, takes care of the boys and lets me sleep in (late) on weekends. I am also often spoilt with breakfast in bed! These things always make my heart skip a beat as it shows me how he appreciates the things I do when he is at work and I am alone with the kids.

What funny quirks does your partner have?

Nicholas loves to braai. I mean REALLY loves it. If he could, every one of our meals would be some version of a braai. Also, he does not like kissing people (family) on the lips… This was weird for me as in our family we hug and kiss one another when we greet. Side Note: as a lover, he is an excellent kisser and makes me weak in the knees every time we kiss.

What is your idea of the ‘perfect relationship’?

A perfect relationship does not exist. Loving your partner with all their imperfections is the real deal. Everyone will fight and disagree and want to kill each other at some stage but how you deal with things is what’s important. What saves me is that I can truly say that I am married to by best friend and would fight any war with Nicholas by my side!