Ferocious Flirting: Making Marriage Wonderful

I ran across this list of cheap and free dates. Lots of good ideas. I have included a sample so you get the idea. Check all 31 out at A Month of Dates for Married Couples: "A Month of Dates for Married Couples
Stay up to date!
Get Out of the House!

These dates all require that the two of you get out of the house together. Staying home and baking cookies or watching a movie on television is NOT a date!

1. Drive to a nearby location that you don't visit very often.

3. Visit a museum.

4. Have a picnic in the park.

7. Discover something new in the city where you live."

As I mentioned before, we have season tickets to Rodgers Memorial Theatre The most recent play is 1776, which is one of my favorite musicals. We liked it so much we are going back with all the kids.

The website for the theater contains ticket information and a map to the theater.

From the website:

Rodgers Memorial Theatre is proud to present “1776” playing June 1st through June 30th. Performances are every night but Sundays at 7:30 PM. Prices for tickets range from $9-$16. To reserve tickets call the box office at 298-1302.

Also, see a review of the the play.

Carry a little honey as you go along life's way,
Bring a touch of sunshine into someone's life today.
There's good you can do for someone if you will stay alert,
Someone who may be discouraged, despondent or hurt.
It doesn't take a millionaire to bring somebody cheer,
Sometimes a friendly smile can take away a tear.
Show someone you love them, pat them on the back,
You'll find that it is easy once you get the knack.
Tell your friends you love them, let your appreciation show,
Your kind words may lift them more than you can ever know.
Let your family know they're special to you every day,
Show them kindness and affection in all you do or say.
Take time to thank others for the good things they do,
It will uplift them and also lift you.
It won't take much time and it won't cost much money,
Your life will be better if you carry a little honey.

Friedrich Nietzsche
There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.

D. H. Lawrence
I am in love - and, my God, it is the greatest thing that can happen to a
man. I tell you, find a woman you can fall in love with. Do it. Let yourself fall in love. If you have not done so already, you are wasting your life.

Antoine de Saint, Exupery
Perhaps love is the process of my gently leading you back to yourself.

Alice Walker
I have learned not to worry about love; But to honor its coming with all my heart.

Soren Kierkegaard
Don't forget to love yourself.

Fred Allen
It is probably not love that makes the world go around, but rather those mutually supportive alliances through which partners recognize their dependence on each other for the achievement of shared and private goals.

Anonymous
A good marriage is like a casserole, only those responsible for it really know what goes in it.

Reinhold Niebuhr
Forgiveness is the final form of love.

Peter Ustinov
Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit.

Marcus Aurelius
Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart.

Mickey Rooney
Women like me because I make them laugh.

Saul Bellow
The body, she says, is subject to the forces of gravity. But the soul is
ruled by pure levity.

Boris Pasternak
Love is not weakness. It is strong. Only the sacrament of marriage can contain it.

Leo Buscaglia
Love is always open arms. If you close your arms about love you will find that you are left holding only yourself.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery
For true love is inexhaustible; the more you give, the more you have. And if you go to draw at the true fountainhead, the more water you draw, the more abundant is its flow.

Here are a few of the 50 Ways to Be Romantic on the Cheap | zen habits: "

# Leave little love notes everywhere.
# Send a love email every day.
# Take a moonlit walk on the beach.
# Snuggle together while watching romantic movies (Casablanca, Audrey Hepburn are my favs)."

From the Press Release: http://sonicdrivein.com/pdfs/newsReleases/07_06_04_01.pdf

Summer is officially here and SONIC Drive-In is offering a great way
for its customers to cool off as the temperatures rise. This Thursday, June 7, SONIC Drive-Ins will offer customers free Root Beer Floats between 8 p.m. and midnight. SONIC Drive-Ins plan to serve up more than 3 million free Root Beer Floats to customers coast to coast during this special event.

Once upon a time there was a man who lived in a small village. Each time one of his neighbors offended him, hurt his feelings or made him angry he would place a brick into a wall to remind him of the hurt he suffered. Over time the wall grew to prodigious proportions. It was so high he could only see the sun at midday and it completely enclosed the man, preventing him from seeing anyone in the village.

"There", thought the man, " now no one can hurt me ever again. This will show them. "

Even then he continued to build his wall for, you see, each time he saw a brick that reminded him of a past hurt, he felt the hurt yet again and added a brick to remember this new hurt.

His fellow villagers grew concerned. Rarely had anyone intentionally offended, angered or hurt his feelings. Even his friends were kept outside this great wall. And still the wall grew.

Then one day the man heard through the wall the sounds of village life: people talking together, laughing together, working together and playing together. Life outside his wall went on without him. Now as he looked at the wall he had built, he did not see a barrier to keep others out but a prison keeping him in.

Then and there he started to tear his wall down, brick by brick. It was much harder work to remove the bricks than it had been to set them. Once day, his friends noticing the wall coming down, they stopped to help. With people helping, the wall was soon removed. Now that the reminders of past offenses were removed, the man had a hard time remembering what he was upset about in the first place. And they all lived happily ever after.

Offenses in an human relationship seem unavoidable: hurt feelings, unkind words, unmet expectations, inconsiderate acts, forgotten occasions. Many such offenses are unintentional. Factors like stress , pain, and being tired make it easier to commit and offense or to take offense when none is intended.

What do we do when we are offended, hurt and disappointed? Sometimes a person will hold a grudge. Grudges are like the brick in the story of the man who walled himself off from his village. Each grudge contributes a brick to a wall between spouses. If the grudges are allowed to remain, they will keep the partners apart.

Jesus was asked by Peter how often he should forgive an offense. In Matthew 18: 21 and 22 we read:

21 ¶ Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?

22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

How do we remove the wall of grudges? By forgiving the offender. How often do we forgive? Every time.

Our bodies are constantly in flux. Changes seem to take place over a long period of time. Consider a picture of yourslef taken a number of years ago compares with one taken recently. The external changes are obvious for most people.

Change also takes place at a much greater pace. The following I gather from across the Internet:
* White Blood Cells live only 8 hours
* Red Blood Cells live 90 days
* Skin Cells last 2 to 4 weeks - http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061003230445AAi2t09
* Hair grows ½” per month
* Fingernails as well

Our amazing bodies are continually rebuilding themselves. The face you see, the hand you hold and the lips you kiss have all been renewed over the course of a month.

Change does not just apply to our physical features. The person who we are also changes. Attitudes change over time. Experience begets wisdom and change.

The perfect romantic gift idea, come lock your love in Lovelock, Nevada.: "Welcome to the home of Lovers Lock, the perfect romantic gift idea. Locking your love is the ancient Chinese custom of symbolically locking one's love on a never-ending chain. You can forever lock your love with a soul mate, family member, friend or anyone else who is important in your life. This ultimate romantic gift idea takes place at Lovers Lock Plaza, in Lovelock Nevada. It's fun and easy, and there are several stores that sell locks right in Lovelock.

Need another romantic gift idea to enrich to your Lovers Lock Experience? Our loverslock web site has many, including:

Romantic Gift Idea Number 1 — After locking your love, share your story in our Love Story Registry where you can also upload a photo of you and your loved one.

Romantic Gift Idea Number 2 — Send your loved one a love letter to show just how much you care.

Romantic Gift Idea Number 3 — Send your loved one an anniversary e-card to celebrate your Lovers Lock experience."