Throw a Luau together.

Not everyone can go to Hawaii, but if you or your partner haven't been, you can bring Hawaii to your house in the form of a luau. You can get some island type of food to cook on the grill. Pick up some tiki torches at the local discount store. Figure out what type of island drinks you want and either pick up some real pineapples or coconuts and cut open to use as cups. Get totally into the luau find grass skirts, Hawaiian shirts and get some drum music to play in the back ground. Invite you friends and and tell them to bring things to complement your luau. Do a limbo, get a baby pool to soak your feet in and everyone pretend you are on the islands. Find some trivia about Hawaii to play with the guests. Make sure to have Laius to place on everyone and enjoy the night. Make sure you and your partner get to have a special dance during the luau and maybe you'll both get laid once the luau is over.

Cook up some Romance!

With the summer season upon us we need to put some romance on our grill. It's time to find a sexy dish that you can prepare on the grill to make your partner feel special. Do some research and find out some things that claim to be aphrodisiacs and that you can cook on the grill. Things that pop into my mind would be seafood, so you could go get some shrimp and marinate them in an unusual sauce for dinner tonight. Don't do your same old hamburger thing get creative. I will include a link to BBQ & Grilling recipes in the title of this post. Make sure you make something they like. Make sure you plan out the whole meal also. Baked potato's, corn on the cob, are a couple of suggestions that might help you out.

Here is the secret to making your grilled food a romantic meal. Don't let your partner help at all! That's it make them feel like you are doing this completely for them. They will be very honored and you might get a special kiss later for being you partners personal chef.

Comfort in time of Need

One of the most romantic things you can do for someone is just being there for them in a time of need. Everyone is different and some people want to be alone in a time of need. They will appreciate you for just holding your ground if that is what they need. Things like losing a parent or any family member are hard and a time when you need to put your partners feeling in front of everything else. Getting fired from a job is another time where you partner will need you to comfort them. It's is easy to feel rejected at a time like that, however a positive partner can change the situation around in a hurray.

Holding hands or just hugging make your arms a safe place to hide if only for a moment for you partner. When things like that happen you need to be the rock in the relationship. Put all your effort into helping any way you can. You be the one to go out and get dinner for the family at the funeral home. Help with the job search if your partner has just lost their job. Always be positive and show them you care. Most people find out just how romantic their partner is when times are tough. So don't be the person who runs away from the situation. Stand your ground and hold your partner up. After all you might need them sooner then you think.

Figure out Likes and Dislikes

One thing that is very important to a relationship, is getting to know each other. Start today, if you haven't already, a mental list of your partners likes and dislikes. When you got to a restaurant pay attention to what type of entree they order. Is it chicken, beef, pork, or vegetarian. Knowing their preference scores big points in the romance department. This doesn't just apply to food. Get to know their likes and dislikes in everything. Which team is their favorite, what type of alcohol do they like, what brand of clothes do they prefer, the list goes on and on. Now the only thing you need to understand is these preferences can change over time. For example, you partner might enjoy beef at one point in their life, then switch to being a vegetarian during another point. If you serve them beef after they become a vegetarian you might get a raised eyebrow.

One word of caution, if you have something you really enjoy don't assume that they will enjoy it as much as you.  You cannot make someone have the same passion for what you enjoy.  For example I enjoy going to baseball games and while my wife enjoys it also she doesn't have the same passion for it I do.  She will tolerate it but doesn't have to be there.  She could find many other things she would enjoy doing herself.  Once you figure out some of you partners likes and dislikes you now are faced with the challenge of making sure you both get to enjoy things you like.  As long as you share these feelings you will have no problems.  Just like anything in a relationship it is give and take.  I like to say it is sharing, that sounds a lot better.

Special Thanks to MarkPritchard for the photo from creative commons flickr

Tennis anyone!

A great romantic sport you can play together is Tennis. Tennis is step in tradition and a great game to watch as well as play. Together you can play a match or just hit the ball back and forth. Tennis allows you to get some exercise and also lets you enjoy each other and talk in between points. Tennis lets you build what I call sexy muscles. Watch a tennis match sometime and look at the players. They have sexy legs from running down balls and their arms are lean and muscular. Most of the players are tan from being outside a lot and they just look sexy.

Now you can get that same look and spend lots of romantic time with your partner. Learn and enjoy the game together. Even attend a professional match when they come to your area. There is a grand Aura around tennis and it is a rich setting. Tennis is not a cheap sport to get seriously into but if you are just a novice you can pick up a racket pretty cheap. Tennis shoes and some shorts and a t-shirt are all you need besides a can of balls. Most areas offer free courts to play on. Parks, school, universities are just a few of the great places to play. Tennis clubs are also available but usually charge a fee to use the courts.

My grandfather use to always tell me "I like tennis, there is a lot of loving going on in it!" So get our there and start loving.

Special thanks to yourFAVORITEmartian for this creative commons photo form flickr

Moving Day!

You know even when you are moving you can find things that are romantic. Finding old pictures or keepsakes you have forgotten about can bring back a lot of fond memories. So as you rush to get everything done make sure to set some time a side to look over these items. Include your partner in on this and maybe make a date of it after the moving is done.

Communication 101

Communication 101 We all hear that communication is one of the most important things in a relationship. I don't think anyone can debate that. However, what if you are not the best talker or you have to think your feelings out before you say them? You partner thinks you are just being silent. Yet, you are trying not to say the wrong thing. If one partner is used to speaking his/her mind, it is hard for the other to get his/her feelings out. Most often what happens is the easy speaking partner will jump into the conversation before the less assertive partner finishes his/her thought.

To communicate when this is the problem takes effort on both of the people in the relationship. The more timid speaker of the two has to get his/her courage up and his/her in order before speaking, and the more assertive speaker has to back off a little and let the other partner speak at his/her own speed. Still, even at best there will still be some communication problems. Some things I might suggest to help with communication are as follows. First, try sitting back to back when you need to have a heated discussion. Sit with your backs touching, this at least gives both of you some comfort as touch is another important part of a relationship. Some people will be able to speak more from the heart when not having someone staring at him/her waiting for a reply. If sitting back to back doesn't work, you might try to write your conversation out or since we live in modern times text each other or instant message each other from another room. Something about conversing over the Internet gives people freedom from their fears of speaking. But, also be cautious of texting or emailing as one’s tone cannot be understood via written words.

If neither one of these ideas work, you can as a last resort try a mediator. If you have a close mutual friend you feel comfortable with, let him/her sit in on your communication or you can even get a counselor that can referee your conversations. I only suggest counseling if you issues are threatening your relationship. In closing, remember that words can hurt just as much as physical pain – often times more. If you never have kind words to express to your partner, he/she will feel less of a person and it could spin your relationship towards trouble.

If you need more help or assistance finding communication help, get online and do some searching. I really like a gentleman that goes by the title "The Tower of Power". Joshua Uebergang is his real name, and you can find his web site at http://www.towerofpower.com.au/.

Image from flickr and Indrasensi