SurpriseKiss

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Can you believe Labor Day Weekend is here? My how time flies by!  I want to make sure you don’t let this weekend fly by without doing something romantic with your sweetheart. Everything you will need you should already have if you have tried any of my romantic ideas in the past.

Here are the things you will need for your “Romantic Work Evening”:

• Candles
• Message Lotion
• Favorite Romantic CD
• Something Sexy to wear
• Blank note card

In the morning hand your sweetheart an invitation to a “Romantic Work Evening” that you have written inside:

“Since it is Labor Day Weekend sweetheart let’s work on each other until we have worked up a sweat and we have that blissful feeling all over us.” 

That evening light the candles, play soft music in the background, have the message lotion on the nightstand and put something sexy on. Men of course you don’t have to worry about sexy lingerie but do put something on your sweetheart enjoys seeing you in. Whether it is a nice robe, boxer shorts or a thong, choose something that turns her on.

May all your nights be full of laughter and romance with the one you love.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, SurpriseKiss. All rights reserved.

We changed the look of our website! Hope you like it.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, SurpriseKiss. All rights reserved.

This week instead of heading to a smaller known community for your romantic getaway, we will be looking at going to a more metropolitan city known as the “Mile High City.” With the Rocky Mountains as its background Denver, Colorado is a wonderful place to visit if you want to have a romantic urban feel. I don’t know about you but there are times when we  like to go to quaint little towns and then there are times we want to enjoy the city and all it has to offer.

Denver, Colorado is a city where no matter what your interest is there is something for you to do. Here are just a few:

• The Molly Brown Museum – A Survivor on the Titanic. She was know at the “Unsinkable Molly Brown”
• J A Balistreri Vineyards – Yes there is a winery in Denver, Co
• Denver Microbrew Tour – 2 hour guided tour of Denver and it’s microbreweries for the beer connoisseurs
• The Seasoned Chef Cooking School – For those who enjoy cooking.
• Denver Inside and Out – The tour is based on 1922 robbery of Denver Mint
• Denver Center for the Performing Arts – For those who like to see professional theatre
• Lumber Baron Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre – Murder Mystery Play

Of course they have museums, a zoo, golfing, etc. What ever your interest I am sure you will be able to find it there.

For your romantic stay there is a four star bed and breakfast in the city and it was brought up on more than one website. It is called Queen Anne Bed and Breakfast. They serve a full breakfast and afternoon Colorado wines and cheeses. The most expensive room at this time was $215 which was in your price range if you saved $5 a week for a whole year.

Looking for romance in the “Mile High City” then Denver Colorado is for you and your sweetheart.

Check in on Friday, Sept 3 and I will have a very inexpensive romantic idea for you to do with your sweetheart.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

*Remember to always do your own research on where you want to stay and what you want to do. Service, reviews, cost, etc can change. Like I always say buyer beware.

© 2010, SurpriseKiss. All rights reserved.

There is a website that allows you to store your family memories on your own website for free! You and your family and friends can share photos, videos, messages, announcements. You can choose to keep it private or you can choose to make it public. It is up to you.

The website is called Genevine.com. You can send a message to your entire family, be reminded of a family member’s birthday or plan an event and see who is coming. It is an easy safe way to keep in touch with family and close friends everywhere.

You could setup the website with your family helping. This would be a fun thing to do on a rainy day or when it is too hot to go out and play. Everyone could sit around the computer and help decide what photos they want to put up on your family website. It is a fun and easy way to help your children feel connected and make them feel good about the family. They will be looking at pictures of themselves along with their siblings and see the smiling faces in those pictures.

Did you know when you look at snapshots from birthdays, weddings and vacations you are revisiting them again. All the fun and funny things that happened in the photos can mirror the same emotions you had while the picture was being taken. So bring the family closer together and have fun building your own website for just your family and close friends to view.

Genevine.com also has a premium website for a minimal monthly fee. It will allow you to have unlimited photos, videos, messages, links, events and more. You can cancel at anytime.

Bring your family closer by deciding to have your own private website where you can interface with other family members no matter where they live. You choose who you want to be able to see your website. All you need to do is sign up and invite loved ones to view your page and add their own messages and mementos.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, SurpriseKiss. All rights reserved.

Are you or your sweetheart going out of town for a few days on business and you are already lonely just thinking about it. Or are you looking forward to a few days of alone time but at night is when you miss having your arms around each other before you fall asleep?

Ladies whether you are heading out of town or staying home with the kids why not grab a well-worn pair of pajamas or old tee-shirt your husband wears and put it on when you go to bed. Did you know just the scent of him can boost your mood. You won’t feel so alone and you will be able to sleep because you will feel more relaxed.

Men the same goes for you. Whether your spouse is heading out of town or you are left home with the kids, grab that old tee-shirt she wears all the time and slip it on the pillowcase you sleep on until she gets home.

Feeling a little lonely because your sweetheart is gone? Grab that old tee shirt or pair of pajamas your sweetheart wears and you will feel better.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, SurpriseKiss. All rights reserved.

Love your sweetheart. Love them like they are the only one you will ever love. And they will be. Keep saving your $5 a week for your romantic rendezvous.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, SurpriseKiss. All rights reserved.

A few weeks ago I mentioned we were driving my husbands parents, who are in their late 80’s, to Los Angeles to visit their oldest son who is very sick. It is very sad and difficult for everyone but he knows he is surrounded by people who love him very much.

We usually leave at 8:30 in the morning and stay for a couple of hours and get home between 5 and 6 depending on traffic. We will stay and visit Larry’s brother for a couple of hours and then stop to have a quick lunch someplace Larry’s parents enjoy eating. Once we get into town we know mom and dad are tired but we always make it a point to make sure they have something to eat at home. We know they are too tired to go out and eat.

Last weekend after we dropped his parents off we went home and freshened up a bit and then went out to dinner in Arroyo Grande, which is about fifteen minutes away from our home. We went to one of our favorite healthy fast food restaurants, Baja Fresh. The place is located up on a hill overlooking the Arroyo Grande hills and Pismo Beach. You couldn’t ask for a nicer view.

We ate outside because it was warm enough and it is the only way to have dinner with a view. We split a burrito and each had a beer. It was nice to enjoy the quiet beauty outside while enjoying the fresh air. After diving all day in an air conditioned car and sitting in an air conditioned condo we felt like we had been cooped up all day.

The reason I am telling you this is because when you are going through stressful times try to find a moment where you can be alone together and relax. That is exactly what we did. A simple dinner, one bottle of beer each and time to unwind and talk to each other while reconnecting. Just what the doctor would have ordered.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, SurpriseKiss. All rights reserved.

Yesterday I wrote about Santa Catalina Island which is 22 miles off the coast of California. The Inn at Mt Ada is such a beautiful inn perched on top of a hill overlooking Avalon and the bay. They have six rooms available. One of the smaller rooms called “The Windsor Room” is one of their most popular according to guest. Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Warren Harding and the Prince of Wales slept in this room. It has a queen size bed and full bath and views of the Avalon Bay, the Pacific Ocean and Long Beach on the mainland. It is quite a beautiful sight.

The prices for the “Windsor Room” are:

High Season – $640
Value Season – $550

There is a two night minimum stay for the weekends and holidays. Value Season is Monday through Thursday, from November 1 thru April 30. Remember these rates include breakfast and lunch along with snacks and appetizers and your own golf cart to ride around in Avalon.

Here is the breakdown if you wanted to spend the weekend in Catalina during “Value Season”

Room Rate for 1 night:            $550.00
Round Trip Boat Ride for 2:  $133.00
Total:                                            $816.00

$816.00 ÷ 52 weeks = $15.69

If you saved $20 a week that would give you $1040.

Please note I did not include tax on the hotel room so you will need to factor that in. I figure if you saved $20 a week you will have more than enough to spend one night in Catalina and have a very romantic evening in the “Windsor Room.”

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo
*Please note rates may change so always check before you start to save your money.

© 2010, SurpriseKiss. All rights reserved.

This week we are in my home state of California and because I like to sometimes take you to a unique place to visit we are not heading to the normal tourist destination. That is, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, etc. I am going to take you to a small island off the southern California coast. The place we are heading to is Santa Catalina Island and it is known as the perfect romantic getaway.

It is a small island only 22 miles long and 8 miles across. You can get there by boat or helicopter. The main town of Avalon overlooks southern California and has a unique Mediterranean charm. You can rent a bicycle for 2, go parasailing or kayaking, take a glass bottom boat or an undersea tour in a semi-submersible submarine and an inland motor tour. For the couple who likes extreme adventures there is a zip line you can take down a steep mountain overlooking the Catalina bay. Check out their Chamber of Commerce and see what kind of events are going on during your stay. When I got on their website there was something going on every month of the year.

We took the grandkids there a couple of years ago and said we would like to go back just the two of us. One of the things we did was rent a golf cart for an hour ridding allover the area. We all had so much fun laughing and following a map the rental place gives you.

There are two hotels that were highly recommended for people who are looking for romance. The Aurora Hotel is an older hotel, in downtown Avalon, which they took and completely redid into a hip modern boutique & spa.  The Inn on Mt Ada is on top of a high hill overlooking the Catalina bay and Southern California. Breakfast, lunch, snacks, beers, wines and appetizers are all included in the price of your room. They even have golf carts for your use while you are there. The home was originally owned by William Wrigley, Jr and Mt Ada was named after his wife.

Want to get away to a Mediterranean island but can’t afford to go to Europe. Then head to Santa Catalina the island of romance.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, SurpriseKiss. All rights reserved.

Want to go out to dinner and earn points toward another meal then OpenTable.com is for you. You make your reservation through their website and you can rack up points each time you use their site. You must show up to the restaurant and eat there before they will give you the points. Points are redeemed as cash at any OpenTable restaurant.

All you need to do is sign up for a free account and you will start to receive emails featuring new restaurants and local dining events. You can save your preferences and manage your reservations online. When you sign up you will also receive exclusive dining offers.

They even send you emails about hot local dinning events going on in your area. Make sure you check the box letting OpenTable know you want to get this type of information. Also, OpenTable members have identified the most romantic restaurants to go to in your area. There is no guess work for you. So the next time you want to go out for a special dinner with your sweetheart check their site first. Their reviews are written by people like me and you.

I haven’t tried them yet but I did sign up for their email and will be trying it out. It seems to be very user friendly and I will probably try them out when we travel too.

So go ahead make reservations on OpenTable.com and take that special someone out to dinner. Once you earn enough points you will both be going out to dinner for free! Once you have enough points you could use it when you are planning your romantic getaway!

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, SurpriseKiss. All rights reserved.