Thursday, September 30, 2004

Watching a Movie

Of course, spending time watching a movie together can be romantic.
But it needs to be a good "couple watchable" movie. If its a pure
"chick flick" then he will be bored. On the other hand, violence,
gore and flying body parts don't set the proper mood either. The best
romantic movies portray the nobility of the human spirit.

A few most romantic movies to watch together are:

  • Casablanca
  • A Walk in the Clouds
  • The Mask of Zorro
  • First Knight

Wednesday, September 29, 2004

S'More

Most everyone loves s'mores. What's not to love with the ooey gooey
crunchy chocolatey delicacy? Mostly, s'mores are done over a camp
fire in the great outdoors. So the smell of the smoke and forest with
the sounds of the fire crackling add to the ever all enjoyment of
these treats. Even if you are not camping, there are several ways to
enjoy them at home.

Microware

Place a graham cracker on a flat micro-wave safe plate. Then place
the chocolate on top of it. Finally, place the marshmallow on the
chocolate. Place the plate in the microwave and nuke. WATCH IT
CAREFULLY!! It only takes 13 seconds in my microwave at home. The
marshmallow will expand like a balloon. Take it out, put the graham
cracker on top and share. For added ambience, get one of those
scented candles that smells outdoorsy and light it. Maybe even one of
those "sounds of wildlife" and a fireplace screen saver.

Charcoal

S'mores of charcoal briquettes can be a lot of fun. First, it takes
some time to get them going so it can be a great way to just sit,
relax and enjoy some time together. Then, with the controlled heat of
the briquettes, its easier to make the "perfect" marshmallow. Instead
of cooking your own marshmallow, cook one for each other and try to
make them "perfect". Then make a great show of enjoying it.

Tuesday, September 28, 2004

Take Time to Smile

Often, with the stress of work, we come home less than cheerful.
Also, with the stress of chores, kids, school, soccer, piano, etc.
etc. etc., our sweetie is also feeling run down by evening. With all
the demands on our time and so many things that need out attention,
the nightly greeting between sweethearts can lack warmth. Think about
it: You two have spent most of the day apart. With sleep, work,
school, sports, and all the other things that happen in a standard
day, its very easy to let the whole day pass without a single warm
smile or flirtatious touch.

Make the time that you and your sweetie meet after being apart all day
a time to smile. First, perpare yourself. If it has been a
stressful day, use the last few minutes before you see your sweetie,
to start thinking happy thoughts. Maybe remember a happy time you
spent with your sweetie.

Now, meeting your sweetheart. Let the first thing your sweethearts
sees is a big happy smile. If its been a while since you smiled, they
might wonder what you are up to. This is ok, just smile wider and
maybe even chuckle. Then say something silly like "I was just
thinking of how wonderful it is to be married to the most gorgeous
babe on the planet " or
"I was just thinking of how jealous all the other girls are that I
allowed you to catch me" or some other outragous flirt you can come up
with.

Ten seconds spent smiling and flirting can make the whole evening
less stressful and more enjoyable for the whole family.

Monday, September 27, 2004

Covered in warmth

Before your sweetie gets in the shower, start the dryer going with
some towels. Just as they are finishing, get 2 towels out of the
dryer and place them for your sweetie. A nice warm towel after
showering is a luxury they may not have experienced before.

Friday, September 24, 2004

You've Got Romance

Send your special someone a romantic email. Several web sites on the
internet allow you to send greetings cards via email. Send one just
because you are thinking of them.

Thursday, September 23, 2004

The Goal of Life

People like winners; they are fun to be around. We love to cheer for
the winning team. In movies, books and sports are examples of people
putting it on the line. They step outside the ordinary to do
something extrordinary. This sets them apart as someone special.

Today its time to get outside the comfort zone. Set yourself some
goals to improve yourself. Need to get in better shape? Set a goal.
Some skills you are lacking? Set a goal. Then share the goal with
that special someone. Make plans with them to help you reach that
goal. Then let them cheer you along the way. Share your successes
and your diffuculties. As you reach your goals, you can be a winner.
As mentioned before, everyone loves a winner.

Wednesday, September 22, 2004

Romantic Bible Verses

Take a card and write the person's name on it and a Bible reference.
The fun is in looking up the verses. I have included a few verses for
ideas. Looking them up is left as an exercise to the reader.


  • Song of Solomon - Chapter 2:10-13
  • Song of Solomon - Chapter 1:15-16
  • Song of Solomon - Chapter 4:9-15
  • Proverbs - Chapter 5:18-19
  • Proverbs 31:10-11

Tuesday, September 21, 2004

Family Romance

Children and romance don't mix. Most people think that way. Yet, as
parents, we love our children very much. So why can't a romantic
gesture include the whole family? Well, the answer is it can.

A simple example of how this can be accomplished. Purchase a dozen
roses. Give one or two to each child. Then have each child deliver
their flowers and say somehting like "I know who mommy's boyfriend
is". Send each child individually and wait a few minutes in between.
Then lastly deliver the rest of the flowers yourself.

Monday, September 20, 2004

An Un-special Occasion Card

People usually think of greetings cards only for "special" occassions
like birthdays and Christmas. Special life events like births,
deaths, and graduations are also remembered with a greeting card. For
the rest of the year, we forget about these little beauties.

Next time you are at the store, look at the greetings cards. Note
only are there cards for every sort of specail occassion, there are
also a bunch of "friendship", "romance" and "thank you" cards.
Today's tip is to find one of these cards. If in doubt, a thank you
card can't go wrong. Wait until you have no reason whatsoever to send
it. Hand write a short message of love and gratitude. Hand address
the envelope then stamp it and mail it.

Thursday, September 16, 2004

Physical Evidence

"Talk is cheap" or so it has been said. In the area of romance, cheap
may be cheap, but it is also necessary. We all need to hear that we
are loved and appreciated. And a sincere expression of gratitude is
never wrong. However, hearing is just one of the senses. If you can
involve the other senses in the expressions of love and gratitude it
will be that much more effective and memorable.

The tip for today is to leave a short note of love and gratitude to be
found at a later time, preferably when you are not around. Write the
note on something other than just white paper. If possible, include
some small treat. This small act will involve 4 of the 5 senses: the
writing and the paper for the eyes, the feel of the paper and the act
of unfolding the note for the sense of touch, the treat for both the
taste and smell. When several of the senses are included, the message
seems more "real". That is, it seems more sincere and it is therefore
more enjoyable and memorable.

Wednesday, September 15, 2004

Make a note of it

Throughout the year that special someone in your life will make
comments like "oh, I've always wanted one of those", "I just know we
could never get that" or "maybe someday ...". You get the idea. This
is known as hint dropping. When a hint it dropped, make a note of it.

First, get yourself a notepad, or just a page in or day planner or
some spot in your PDA. Call it your "hint list". Next, whenever a
hint is dropped, log it in the hint list. Then, next time you feel
like doing something special, take one of the things off the hint list
and make it happen.

Monday, September 13, 2004

Look into my eyes

Hold both of her hands and look into her eyes. Hold her gaze until
she starts to wonder what you are up to. At that moment, smile and
mouth the words "I love you". Finish it off with a great big bear
hug.

Friday, September 10, 2004

Small, sweet surprises

Buy several small candies, the one's she really likes, and hide them
in various places so she will find them over the course of a week.

Until the last flower fades

Give you sweetheart a dozen real roses and one silk rose with a note
that says "I will love you until the last flower fades".

Thursday, September 09, 2004

S.H.M.I.L.Y.

The acronym S.H.M.I.L.Y. works wonderfully.... See How Much I Love You.
Using only the acronym, take turns leaving little reminders. Get
creative: Write it on the bathroom mirror with soap, or hide a small
piece of paper in a sock or shoe, or use oreos on the back window of
his/her car... See if you can do it without being too obvious, and try
to make it something they won't notice for a little while.

Travis

Valentine's Scavenger Hunt

Send your significant other on a scavenger hunt while you stay home and
prepare a candlelight dinner. On Valentine's Day, I gave my husband clue
cards of where to go and obtain things that I had left there. He had to
go to my sister-in-laws and drop off the children, from there he had to
go to my mother-in-laws to pick up chocolate covered strawberries, and
then over to my mom's to pick up apple cider disguised as a bottle of
wine. During that time I was able to get myself and dinner ready and
surprise him when he walked through the door. The great thing about this
is that it doesn't cost a lot of money and you get to be alone instead
of a crowded restaurant.

Thanks Aurelia


Ambush Getaway

Pack a few essentials, Include a bottle of sparkling cider with champagne flutes (Plastic of course), arrange for care of the children, Kidnap your spouse and drive to a hotel for a wonderful weekend getaway.

Thanks Doug