There's No Place Like Home for Jim and Jodie Ellison

Royal Oak has its fair share of lovebirds, so we decided to check in with a few of them before Valentine's Day and ask them to share relationship and date night secrets.

Today we take a closer look at what makes Jim and Jodie Ellison so sweet.

How long have you been together?

Jim and Jodie met in 1995 at Stagecrafters. She was an actress and he was a set designer. The play was "Into the Woods." They were married on Christmas Eve, 1996.

What’s the secret to a successful and happy relationship?

Jodie: You need to be friends and you need to have a level of trust. There are things about him that drive me insane and it's the same way for him, but I don't think I have ever met anyone that has more integrity and who I trust to be honest and not to be out to hurt me.

Jim: She is my best friend. It's implicit trust. I put my faith in her and it works. We're able to communicate. We have no secrets. I have been in office for 10 years now and Jodie is my most effective sounding board. She's someone I can turn to. She keeps me grounded.

What famous couple do you emulate?

Jodie: We're kind of Lucy and Desi Arnaz. When we first met he was the conventional one and I was the the one who was willing to try anything. 

Jim: Yeah, she has the the red hair. And, I try to stay cool, calm and collected, while she's an extrovert. She has exposed me to a whole new life. There was a time if it wasn't round and on a bun, I didn't eat it. That's all changed now.

Why did you settle in Royal Oak, and how long have you lived here?

Jim has lived here his whole life and Jodie grew up on a dairy farm in Pennsylvania. She moved to Michigan in 1989 and moved to Royal when the couple got married.

Jodie: It's like the movie "It's a Wonderful Life." We have big dreams but we have stayed put. You know, it pays off in the end and one day you realize there is no place like home and this is the place you are meant to be. Royal Oak really does have that feeling of a safe small town, but with the energy of a big city.

Jim: I love this community and I have never seriously considered living anywhere else.

What’s your favorite romantic night out in Royal Oak and why?

Jodie: We like to go to the movies. We like to go to the Main and we like Emagine. We love Pizzeria Fellini and we like What Crepe for brunch, but our most romantic night is Sunday when we sit down and watch "Downton Abby."

Jim: A romantic night for me is any night where I don't have to be at a meeting and we can just sit on the couch and talk, maybe we watch a movie and play with the dogs. There is always so much going on, it's nice when there is no place we need to be and we can just spend time together. We value that.

RELATED:

• A Royal Oak Original: A Conversation with Mayor Jim Ellison (Part 1)
• A Royal Oak Original: A Conversation with Mayor Jim Ellison (Part 2)
• Queen of Hearts Tea at Royal Oak Woman's Club