61.
Photo Album
As a wonderful keepsake, create a
photo album for your mate. Include the parents or siblings to come
up with some special childhood and teenage pictures. Include
family, friends, special occasions, and times of the two of you
together. Whenever the two of you feel as though you are drifting
apart or taking one another for granted, pull out the photo album as
a reminder of the incredible person in your life.
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62.
The Art of Gift Giving
Everyone loves to be given a gift,
especially as a surprise or “just because.” Just remember while
giving gifts is a beautiful thing to do for the person you love,
there are five key essentials for making your mate know that you are
giving just because you love them. First, put some thought into the
gift. Do not just pick up something at the last minute so you are
not empty handed. Second, make the effort. Even if you have a busy
schedule, be sure to schedule time to shop. Third, give with the
right attitude. You give because you appreciate and love, not
because you want something back. Fourth, plan what you are going to
give. Find something that is important for your mate and not
necessarily to you. Finally, add the element of surprise into the
gift giving. Using this equation is sure to impress your mate and
leave a lasting impression.
63.
Family History
Perform some extensive research on
your mate’s family history, which will involve some help from the
family, and create a website especially for your mate’s family where
they can share information, pictures, family recipes, and more!
This will take some time and planning but very little money.
Myfamily.com is a great site that is extremely reasonable. This
will not only touch your mate’s heart, but the hearts of the entire
family.
64.
A Day at the Spa
For couples where the
mother or father stays home and takes care of the children all day
long, show your appreciation for the hard work that takes.
Hire a babysitter for about four hours and give your mate a gift
certificate to a local spa where they can enjoy a relaxing massage,
mineral springs, sauna, mud wrap, or whatever special treatments are
available.
65.
Charity
Find a charity that you would both
like to contribute to and give something special in both names. For
example, if there is a synergy house near where you live for unwed
mothers, go in together and purchase a crib or baby clothes.
Another option would be if a local park needs donations, find out
what kind of trees they need and purchase a tree together. Make
this something special where you go shop together and then present
together. These types of kind acts are great for bringing couples
closer together and help both people love and appreciate each other
even more for their kindness.
66.
Thunderstorms
While some people find thunderstorms
to be scary, they can also be viewed as being romantic. If you have
having a thunderstorm in your area, without putting yourself in
harm’s way, sit out on your porch if the storm is still off in the
distance, or cuddled on the couch near a large window and just watch
the lightening together.
67.
Take Pride in Yourself
Every relationship
goes through down time. Just because the flame has become
a mild flicker, that does not mean you have lost the love for
each other, it just means you need to add a little fuel to the
fire. When couples have been together for a long time,
the makeup comes off, the nice clothes turn into oversized sweats
and tee shirts, and instead of cuddling on the sofa or floor,
one sits on the couch and the other in the recliner. Step
back in time and start getting dressed up more on the weekends,
invite your mate to sit with you on the couch, dance together
in your living room to some music, or take a walk, hand in hand.
It is important not to let yourself go, even when your relationship
reaches a “comfortable” state. By taking pride in yourself
means that you take pride in your relationship. You might also
want to get a new haircut perhaps an
emo hairstyle which are young and hip.
68.
No Jealousy Allowed
To have a healthy relationship,
caring and concern are fine but when those emotions change into
jealousy, this could be the beginning of trouble. Trust is probably
the number one element needed in order to have a strong
relationship. Without trust, things will quickly deteriorate. If
one of you masters something special, receives a promotion at work,
or achieves some great feat, there could be a small spark of
jealousy on the other person’s side. You need to talk about this
and ensure that any feelings of inadequacies are permanently put to
rest. Every person needs assurance at some time or another and as
long as you can communicate, things will be fine. However, if your
mate becomes withdrawn or irritated, these could be signs that more
is going on. Once jealousy enters a relationship, problems are soon
to follow.
69.
Keep in Touch
If you are in a relationship, where
your mate serves in the armed forces and is overseas or in another
state on duty, away in a foreign country for school, or separated
from you for one reason or another, it is important that you keep in
touch with each other often. There will be stress from the
separation but by keeping in touch and informing each other of the
things each person is dealing with, how they feel, etc., you will
not have any break in your communication. The goal is that when you
get back together, you can easily pick up where you left off. This
is a very important time to provide each other with confirmation of
your love and validation of your relationship. While this will
require some extra effort on both parts, keep in mind that the
separation is not forever.
70.
Host a Halloween Party
Instead of just passing out candy
for Halloween, organize a masquerade party together where everyone
is required to come dressed up. Include in your party food, drinks,
door prizes, and games. Have a few friends help you plan this
and then go all out. Choose costumes the two of you can wear
to enhance each other. A few suggestions would be Adam and Eve
(wearing skin-toned clothing – no nudity), Batman and Batgirl,
Cleopatra and Marc Anthony, Romeo and Juliet, Robin Hood and Maid
Marian, or Sonny and Cher. You will have a blast with the planning
and searching out your costumes. This type of party is great for
good laughs and fond memories of each other, which are important for
a good relationship.
71.
Special Music
Select numerous songs that your mate
would enjoy and have them either recorded on a cassette or burned on
a CD that can be enjoyed while driving to and from work. To add a
little spice, record a few secret messages every few songs just
reminding them how much you love and appreciate them.
72.
New Adventures
Arrange for the two of you to try
something new together. If you are both the athletic type,
enter yourselves into some type of physical competition, like a
triathlon. If the two
of you like the fine arts, audition for roles in a local community
theater. Perhaps you like to travel. If so, arrange for a short
trip to some place exotic that you have never been before.
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73.
Adopt a Family
When the Christmas holiday starts
getting closer, locate a family together from your church or local
charity services that needs to be adopted for Christmas. Together,
shop for the gifts, and have the family over for the most
scrumptious holiday dinner. You will both appreciate what you have
even more as well as your own special relationship.
74.
Getting Married
If your relationship has moved to a
set wedding date and the countdown has started, do something unique
and fun. Visit a candy store and have 30-miniature candy hearts
made, each with a special message of love. Each day, present your
mate with the appropriate candy heart. As you get down to the final
days before the wedding, they might read something like, “Only two
more days”, “Tomorrow: The Big Day”, “I love you, your wife (or
husband).”
75.
Motivate Each Other
Find a mutual incentive that will
motivate both of you to being the best you can be. Find something
that you can both be excited about and then attach some type of
reward to the motivation. If one of you has had a dream of writing
a screenplay, make that your goal and take that on together. The
motivation is that when finished, the two of you will take a
beautiful, romantic weekend vacation to some exotic place. The goal
could be anything that is important to one person or both and that
can be worked toward completion together. Another example would be
if your mate has always dreamed of buying an old model car and
restoring it do it together and then take a special trip to the Indy
500 as your reward. Yet another example might be to restore a
home. Make this a joint project and then as a reward, add a Jacuzzi
into your plans. Use your imagination and enjoy the venture
together.
76.
Embrace Change
There is no relationship on the face
of the planet that goes for years and years without change. People
change as they mature and view life differently, therefore reacting
differently. Rather than get upset with each other over change,
embrace change. You may not always like the changes that happen,
but do not throw away a perfectly good relationship just because the
trail starts to wind. Be patient and encourage new directions while
being honest about concerns that might arise.
77.
Reap What You Sow
This is an old saying that goes back
a very long way but it still holds true today. If you sow love,
forgiveness, faithfulness, encouragement, honesty, and acceptance,
then that is what you will reap. It is definitely true that what
you put into a relationship is what you get back.
78.
Board Games
Pick a night, perhaps on a cold
winter night, and just enjoy playing board games. This can be with
just the two of you, or with several close friends. Bring out the
snacks, beverages, and just have some fun. Laughter and fun are
important factors in any relationship, for any age. Laugh and enjoy
having a good time with good honest fun! You will truly be amazed
at what this can do for your relationship.
79.
No
Interference
Do not allow other people to
interfere with your relationship. If family members try to get in
the middle of fights or debates, that is definite trouble. You
might have friends with well-meant intentions trying to help you and
your mate solve problems. Although getting another person’s
perspective is not a bad thing, make sure it is when you ask for
it. It is very important to keep integrity in your relationship and
not allow people to interfere.
80.
Adore your Mate
Beyond telling your mate that you
love them, that they are special, and having passion in your
relationship, you should adore your mate and what they bring into
the relationship. What that means is to appreciate and love them
for the person they are, faults and all. This is true devotion to
your mate and demonstration that you do not take them for granted.
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