DH and I have been married 7.5 years, no human children, but we do have two beagle children - they are a handful! During the week, I leave for work around 7am and am home around 5 or 5:30pm. During the school year (he has summers off) DH leaves around 9:30am and isn't home until 7pm at the earliest, more likely 9pm or later. We take turns going to the gym in the evenings. We are very conscientious about making sure one or the other of us will be home with the dogs in the evenings since they are in their crate during the time we are both at work.

On weekends, I ride on Saturday and Sunday mornings. DH has various and sundry activities as well, depending on the season - flag football, basketball, softball. We go to church together on Saturday night (love that Saturday night service so I can ride on Sunday mornings - tee hee!). DH works with the jr. high youth group on Sunday evenings.

Wow, when I look at that, I realize we don't spend a whole lot of time together during the school year. We usually do something or other together on weekends though. Weekend after next we're going on a church retreat together for a full weekend. He's coming to cheer me on at the US Half Marathon on November 4 - we're staying in a hotel in SF the night before.

Summertime is when we really spend time together. It's great when he's not working 'cause then he can do stuff during the day that usually keeps him out after work (like going to the gym, meeting with guys he mentors, etc.) and he can spend lots of time with the dogs so they are not stuck in their crate all day - this means we can go out together after I get home from work rather than one of us having to stay with the dogs. Or, we can take the dogs for fun outings because it stays light later.

I know couples who are joined at the hip and I don't know how they do it. I'm sure they look at us and wonder how we survive when we do so much apart. But, I think for us it comes down to communication and quality of time we do spend together.