Thursday, July 28, 2005

Camping

Before we talked about making S'Mores and how you don't need to be camping to enjoy these tasty treats. Of course, s'mores and camping go hand in hand. Everything seems to taste better cooked in the great outdoors, even marshmallows.

Camping is a great way to bring some fire into a relationship. As much as I love the campfire and smelling like smoke, I'm talking about the other kind of fire, the romantic one. Going camping is a nice trip outside the comfort zone. Everything about life is changed. Even the most common and everyday tasks become a an adventure. This includes everything from sleeping, to cooking and even the outhouse. For a short while, nothing is boring because everything is different.

Also, you end up with a lot of free time on your hands. Everything seems to take longer so you have more time to spend together doing tasks like cooking. Besides, there is no TV to interrupt your conversations.

Even if you can't go camping, try sleeping outside a night or two, maybe even under the stars. Or just pull out the sleeping bags and camp out in the living room.

Monday, July 11, 2005

Loose Lips Sink Ships

Every so often we hear the phrase that loose lips sink ships. The phrase was used as the name of a poster campaign during World War II to emphasize national security. The message was that idle talk could endanger the soldiers fighting in the war. Of course, both sides were trying to gather information in order the defeat the other. Since you never really know who might hear a conversation, it was safer not to talk about anything to do with the military.

Of course, the basic problem was one of trust. Maybe you trust your friend, but not the person overhearing the conversation. Besides, some people just don't know how to keep secrets either. They mean no harm but don't stop to look at the consequences of their idle talk.

In a marriage, trust is so important. We need to feel that we can share deeply personal feelings, ideas and problems with our sweetheart. Likewise, your sweetie should trust you to listen as well. It is so important to hold these confidences between just the two of you. Just as loose talk can sink a ship, so can loose talk strain a marriage.

It can be very hurtful to have a confidence betrayed. Let your sweetheart know how much they mean to you by not sharing the intimate details of your life together.

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Publicize Kindness

The newspaper insert American Profile is having their fifth annual Acts of Kindness edition to celebrate the unsung heroes in the community. If someone you know has performed an unexpected act of kindness, compassion, generosity or humanity for no apparent reason in the past year, they want to hear about it. Send a brief description of the person and their good deed along with your full name, address and telephone number to
Acts of Kindness
c/o American Profile
341 Cool Springs Blvd. Suite 400
Franklin TN 37067

Deadline is August 1, 2005.

What a great way to honor your sweetie! You can either submit your sweetheart or maybe a member of your sweetie's family, like a father or mother. We often do not get the opportunity to honor our sweetie's parents, this would be a great opportunity to do so.

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Date Idea: Fireworks

Fireworks are great fun and can make for a cheap or even free date. Most cities have fireworks for free. Take some drinks and munchies, go early and find your spot, lay out a blanket or lawn chairs and wait for the show to start.

Another fun idea is to make a double header of it. Go to a baseball game where they are having fireworks afterwards. It is a lot of fun to cheer on the home team and then share the fireworks with 20,000 of your closet friends.

Of course the kids will like the fireworks as well.

Friday, July 01, 2005

A Travel Reminder

Do your sweetie really like your cologne or perfume? Did you know that the sense of smell is strongly associated with memories? Sometimes I am walking down the street and out of the blue a certain smell will trigger some long forgotten memories and their associated emotions. It is a very powerful trigger.

If you are traveling without your sweetheart, take along your cologne or perfume. Send a love letter and put a few drops on the papers. Be sure to include SWAK on the outside of the envelope. The familiar fragrance will be a nice surprise.

If your sweetie is traveling without you, sneak a small hankie or stuffed animal into your sweetheart's luggage. Put a few drops of perfume or cologne on it. Make sure it is sealed in a baggie or something so their entire luggage doesn't smell. It will make a nice surprise when they are missing you.