What is that you love about your special someone?  The way they make you smile.  The way they smell.  Their sense of humour.  Their cooking.  The way they are with your children.  Take some time and write a list, once you get started you are sure to find plenty of reasons (at least I hope so!). 

When your list is complete give some thought as to how you will share all that love with your special someone.  You could:  Write them out on post it notes and place them around the house.  Write them onto postcards and put one in the letter box each day for x days.  Send one each day via text message or email.  Get creative with pencils or paints on canvas to put up on the wall.  Write them up on the bathroom mirror.  Record your I love you’s onto a CD and put in their car.

Most importantly, as always, have fun and don’t just read this – do it!

Wishing you love and romance in abundance!
Jody – Chief Cupid

3/  Q:  In what three languages does the word TeAmo mean Love?
       A:  Latin, Italian and Spanish

2/  Q:  Who is the God of Love in Roman mythology?
      A:  Cupid – Venus is the Goddess

 1/    Q:  How did the X come to represent a kiss?
        A:  Those unable to sign a document with their name due to illiteracy did do with an X then kissed the document in front of two or more witnesses to show their sincerity.

Come back next week for another slice of Romance Trivia…

There are many things in life that we place a value on, and because we value them we accept the time, effort or expense required to hold on to them.  I value my business so I commit time, effort and money into making it a success.  I value my sanity so I make time to rest and replenish, often with a good book.  In our home we value keeping warm in winter, so we pay the power bill.  We value our family home so we pay the mortgage.  The list goes on as I have no doubt yours does.

The common theme to valuing what’s important is that it takes one, some or all of the following - Commitment, time, effort and money.  When it comes to love and romance I believe you always need the first three and occasionaly the fourth.  It’s all about commiting to make the effort and spend the time to love the one you’re with. 

So what could you commit to today?

Sending a text message of love once a day
Writing a love letter and putting it in the post
Taking care of dinner when it’s least expected
Emailing the picture attached to this blog with some words of encouragement
Putting aside a few dollars each week to save for a shared romantic experience
Taking a walk hand in hand through the forest
Turning off the T.V and taking the phone off the hook so you can talk without interuptions

Give it some thought and then, the most important thing.  Take action; because thoughts without actions are just excuses.

Wishing you Love and Romance
Jody
Chief Cupid

Your special someone may love basketball, where as you would prefer to watch paint dry!  Present him or her with tickets for you both to attend; your sacrifice will be as much of a delight as the tickets themselves.

Perhaps your special someone would love to attend a wine or beer festival while you hate the stuff!  Suggest a romantic getaway to attend a festival.  Explain that while you don’t enjoy wine/beer you do enjoy seeing the one you love having a great time.

Have fun and remember, romancing the one you love starts with putting their likes/desires before your own…

Love and Romance
Jody
Chief Cupid

I personally believe there are two categories of lying – one about something you have done, the other about something you feel.  I don’t lie to my husband about things I have done, firstly because honesty is so vital, secondly because it’s too hard walking around with “stuff” on your conscience! The only exception is if I need to hide things I’ve done due to a surprise, and I think we can all agree, that isn’t lying it’s being sneaky with great intentions.

I do however lie to my husband about things I feel from time to time.  For example:  I got home last night (Sunday) after a fabulous long weekend away with a group of girlfriends.  I was exhausted (as you can imagine) and looking forward to a couple of quiet days recovery.  As we headed home, said hubby told me he had taken my last Romance Tip about taking control when organising something special to heart and that I was in for a surprise tomorrow night.  My heart sank!!  Another night out after four days away, I could not think of anything worse.  I had a choice to make – tell him how I felt and ask to re-schedule, or smile and say “yay”!  For me the choice was easy, I lied and said “yay”. 

It’s times like this one that I believe a lie is acceptable, he had planned a surprise to make me happy, and to say oh no, would have undermined all his efforts.  As it turns out after a great night sleep last night I am now looking forward to tonight’s surprise, so my lie has actually become my truth.

Wishing you love and romance
Jody

Now what, I hear you ask, does any of this have to do with love and romance?  Well, it got me thinking about the benefits of “sleeping on it”, whether it’s making a purchase or within your relationship. 

How often in the past have you made an issue out of some little irritation caused by your special someone?  If you had slept on it, do you think in at least some cases, the irritation would hardly seem worth mentioning in the light of day? 

Don’t get me wrong – communication is the corner stone of a healthy, happy relationship and I’m not suggesting you bottle things up.  I am suggesting though that if it’s minor you adopt a resting period – are those “shoes” still on your mind in the morning?  If the issue is still there sit down and talk about it, if not, you have avoided turning a molehill into a mountain, and that can only be good for your relationship.  For as important as it is to communicate, it’s equally important to remember that “nic picking” is a sure-fire way to ruin the romance in a relationship.

Wishing you Love and Romance
Jody

My husband and I recently enjoyed a five day Romantic Getaway visiting Ashburton, Methven, Geraldine and Lake Tekapo.  Now, given that it’s my job to assess Romantic Getaway venues and promote those that are suitable, separating business and pleasure can be a challenge!  However, I’m happy to say that on this occasion, I managed to keep work to an absolute minimum, and really enjoy some quality one on one time with the man I love.

I would like to share a few things I learnt during our time together.  Firstly, being away on a Romantic Getaway brings the best out in both of us!  The first night we sat up talking until after 1am in the morning.  The comment “you didn’t tell me that” was made more than once, which truly surprised me.  The fact is that all though we talk every day, we are both so busy that the little details can get missed without even realising it.  And, while every effort is made to give our full attention to each other, let’s face it, life can make that difficult sometimes!  Away in our romantic setting together those distractions no longer existed and we were able to talk and listen freely, it felt great!!

Secondly, “winging” a Romantic Getaway is risky!  I’m a planner and research accommodation options to death but, I wanted to experience what it would be like to just go with the flow and see what little gem we could find – note this was for one night only, I could not have coped with leaving the whole five days to chance!  Let me tell you, it was a painful experience!  We looked at a room that smelt like a chemical factory, two with Duvet Covers that should have been turned into rags years ago and one where the bed wasn’t even made properly.  It was five room views and about three hours later before we found somewhere worthy of a Romantic Getaway.  Never again we have vowed!  Oh and rest assured, you won’t find the above mentioned venues on Romantic Gestures site!

Lastly, pack light and go casual.  Once we got to our Romantic Getaway destinations we wanted to relax and enjoy our surroundings.  We found long walks, lazy afternoons reading, poking in the local shops, enjoying a local café for lunch with a wine or coffee were all part of the experience, but big dinners out weren’t.  By the time evening came a takeaway, or platter of nibbles, curled up in front of the fire or out in the courtyard were all we wanted.  With that in mind I would take a much smaller suitcase away with me next time.

So all and all our Romantic Getaway was a success, yes it cost us money and we had to organise someone to look after my daughter, our dog, the house etc etc.  But, I’ve returned home feeling closer to my hubby than ever, so in my mind what we invested, in time, effort and money on our Romantic Getaway was an investment in each other and well worth it! 

I’m a bit of an old fashioned girl, so it still amazes me just what you can do with a cell phone!  My daughter recently taught me how to set up memos, I will be busy working away and “nek minute” there I am being beeped to deliver a picnic, confirm a booking etc etc.  The only down side is that a bit like the mail the reminders are all about the never ending to do list! 

Chances are it’s the same for your special someone.  So, I suggest you kidnap their phone and programme in (if you are like me ask a teenager for help) some messages of love.  Time them when you know they are likely to be sitting at their desk, getting ready to pick up kids or head to an appointment.  Your messages can be as short or long as your like, just make sure they are designed to put a smile on their face and a spring in their step.  I suggest around five messages spread over a month. 

Have fun and leave a comment if this is something you have already done or will do in the very near future.

Love and Romance
Jody

P.S  I would love you to share the love on Facebook too

I hear this all the time “we are too busy for romance!”.  As you would expect this is a statement I disagree with, it’s an excuse not a reason.  Don’t get me wrong, I know we are all busy, I’m simply saying that if romancing our relationships was a priority we would make the time.  In the same way we make time to eat, see the kids needs are met, maintain our appearance, our living conditions, our friendships, we too can make time for romance – if we make it a priority.

Why should romancing your relationship be a priority?  Because it’s the romance in a relationship that makes it that; a relationship.  Without that ingrediant you run the very real risk of falling into the rolls of flatmates who share a bed.  While that may seem acceptable for a while, over time, it simply isn’t enough.

Love is an action word, so take action and make a plan to create time to inject more romance into your relationship.  Tell friends and family about your plan and enlist their help.  Swap babysitting hours or better yet a full night off!  Start a saving plan that can only be spent on creating a romantic memory for you both.  Book time out in your diary’s and make a promise not to cancel out on each other.  Turn off the T.V and take the phone off the hook one evening a week, talk, laugh be silly, hold hands!

Enjoy your love, celebrate and cherish it.  Love is not a burden, it’s a privilege, nurture it as you would an award winning garden and you’ll have many years of romance to look forward to.

Love and Romance
Jody