Surprise Kiss

Archive for March, 2010

When you go out of town do you try to buy something to remind you of your trip? For us I have a specific look in our house and there isn’t anything I would want to add to the room. Typically I don’t like to buy the tee shirts or the little small memorabilia with the name of the place you have been too. It just isn’t my style. Now if I see a piece of artwork or a unique piece you can only get in that specific area and it would look nice in our home, I may buy the item if it is in our price range.

There is another way to bring something special home and it won’t cost you a dime. I have a business card of a restaurant in San Francisco my husband and I enjoy going to. It is called Scomas and it is on Fisherman’s Warf. Usually the first night we arrive in San Francisco we will make it a point to eat there. Their food is fabulous. One year I grabbed a business card from them and put it in my wallet in a little side pocket. Every time I find the card it makes me smile and think of the wonderful times we have had in San Francisco.

Our daughter and her husband went to Boston last year to celebrate their 20th anniversary and she thru a Charley Card (subway ticket) into her wallet. Like me it brings her back to the fond memories they had on their 20th anniversary.

You could save your room key and do the same thing. Put it in a spot in your pocket or wallet you don’t go to through a lot. Every so often you will have a nice surprise and you will have the feelings you had during your romantic weekend away.

You don’t need to have something expensive to remind you of a special time together. All it takes is something as simple as a business card, room key or subway card. Use your imagination, what would fit in a pocket or wallet. Something you can hide and forget about but every so often you see it and it brings you back to your special weekend you had together.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

The Sheraton Hotels and Resorts have another special going on. They want to celebrate your birthday all year. When planning your anniversary weekend this year, you may want to see what kind of deal you can get at the Sheraton.

At participating Sheraton Hotels you may be able to get rates equal to the year you were born on the second and maybe the third night. You could use their birthday special when you are planning your next anniversary getaway.  Go on line to see if there is a participating hotel in the area you are planning on going to. Their promo code is NBR. Some select properties may allow this offer to be good towards a maximum of three nights.

• First night: rate varies by property
• Second (and third night if applicable): rates equal to your birth year.
• Rates for second night stays (and third night if applicable) will be confirmed at check-in upon presentation of valid ID. Some exceptions may apply. Length of stay requirements may vary by participating hotel. See participating hotel details.

I found it a little confusing determining what hotels were participating but finally figured it out. You will see a box that says “Find a Destination”. Decide where you want to go and then click on “Go”.   Once you have done that, you will need to scroll down and see if there are hotels in the area for your romantic rendezvous.

Check it out. Who knows you might be able to stay for 2 or 3 nights instead of 1 night for your romantic anniversary weekend!

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Do something new this week with your sweetheart and keep saving your $5 a week.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

It’s Friday and I promised I would reveal what to do with everything your needed for Easter! Did you purchase the items I told you to get on Tuesday for a Romantic Easter? If you haven’t gotten anything yet here is a reminder of everything you will need. You don’t want to miss this because your sweetheart will be hopping next to you all day!

• 2 Plastic Easter Eggs – that open in the middle
• 2 Sheets of Pastel Colored Paper (I found heart shaped post-it-notes at Wal-Mart)
• Something sexy to wear
• Candles

Once you have gotten your items you will want to be prepared ahead of time so you won’t have to worry about doing this at the last minute.

Ladies

• Give your sweetheart a plastic Easter egg in the morning with a folded note inside: Hay! Peter Rabbit why don’t you meet your Honey Bunny in the bedroom tonight and I will give you an Easter you won’t forget! You could hide this in his underwear drawer.
• In the evening after the kids are in bed get ready by putting something sexy on or your spouse’s favorite item they like to see you in for that romantic feeling.
• Before your Peter Rabbit hops into the shower put another note inside a plastic Easter egg and lay it on top of a clean towel that says: “Hay, Peter Rabbit your Honey Bunny is waiting to hop around in bed with you tonight. Hop! Hop! Hop!
• While your Peter Rabbit is showering light the candles.
• When Peter Rabbit walks into the bedroom there will be a soft glow of candle light and his Honey Bunny walking up to him and giving him a big kiss. Then hop into bed and have lots of laughter and fun together!

Men

• Do everything above but change everything that says Peter Rabbit to Honey Bunny and change everything that says Honey Bunny to Peter Rabbit.

You both will be singing “Oh, what an Easter night!”

Remember when you were dating how you liked to have fun with each other? Doing something silly like this helps you keep your romance alive!

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

On Thursday, March 18th we celebrated our anniversary but we waited to go out of town until Sunday, March 21st. Our granddaughter’s 18th birthday was on March 17th and instead of having a party she wanted to go skydiving. Of course we couldn’t miss this, so on Saturday we went to see her and her father skydive. They were both a little nervous but after the jump they both agreed they would do it again if given the opportunity. We had fun watching them jump out of the plane and landing on the ground. Then we all went out to dinner, ate burgers and celebrated.

Because we didn’t want to miss watching our granddaughter and son-in-law jumping out of a plane we waited until Sunday to celebrate our anniversary. We made reservations at our new favorite place to getaway, which is the Su Nido Inn in Ojai, CA. If you remember the owner had invited us to come down and experience the inn in January and after staying there we both agreed we would go back again.

We decided to save some money and get a one room suite this time. We stayed in the beautiful Sparrow Suite on the second floor. This room could be part of the Eagle Suite but we choose not to rent that room too. Here is the breakdown for our charming Sparrow Suite:

Room Rate:             $159.00
Tax:                                  15.90
Total:                         $174.90

We saved $260.00 and the room cost us $174.90 which left us with $85.10.

Lunch:                          $20.00
Dinner:                            60.00
Breakfast:                       10.00
Total:                            $90.00

We spent $4.90 over what we had saved, which we of course we could afford to pay for without using the credit cards.

We had a lovely romantic little getaway. The Su Nido Inn and it surroundings exudes romance with art stores and wonderful restaurants in the small quaint community. A few days before we went to Ojai the Su Nido Inn sent us a letter recommending we go on their website to find out what activities were going on in the area. In addition, they provided other local websites to help you know the area better before you arrived in Ojai. This is a very thoughtful touch that most hotels or inns never think of doing. I know we will be back again and again. It was the perfect little getaway to celebrate our 43 years of romance together!

Don’t forget to get the items I told you to gather on Tuesday for a romantic Easter evening with your sweetheart.

• 2 Plastic Easter Eggs – that open in the middle
• 2 Sheets of Pastel Colored Paper
• Something sexy to wear
• Candles

The big reveal on what to do with your Easter goodies will be on Friday, March 26th.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Do you have a special anniversary coming up in a couple years or more? Do you know were you would like to celebrate it? Do you want to go someplace special but haven’t got a clue on where to go? Well recently I was watching the Fine Living TV station and they had an hour program called “15 Bodacious Beach Resorts”. WOW! These places are amazing! Here is the list of places to go to.

Aitukaki Lagoon Resort & Spa, Motu Akitua, Cook Island
Goldeneye, Oracabessa, Jamaica
Turtle Island, Fiji
Pangkor Laut, Malaysia
The One and Only Palmilla, Los Cabos, Mexico
Bacara Resort & Spa, Santa Barbara, CA
Los Ventanas al Paraiso, Los Cabos, Mexico
Castle Hill Inn, Newport, RI
Secret Beach Hideaway, Kilauea, HI
Wickaninnish Inn, Tofino, Canada
Bedarra Island, Australia
The Inn Above Tide, Sausalito, CA
Half Moon Resort, Montego Bay, Jamaica
Casa Morada, Islamorada, Fl
El Careyes Beach Resort, Costa Careyes, Mexico

If you have a 20th, 25th, 30th, 40th or 50th anniversary coming up why not plan something really special. You and your spouse could go through the list and decide where you want to go to and then figure how much money you will need, flight, hotel, etc. Then figure out how much money you will need to put aside every payday in a savings account to be able to pay cash for everything.
When you plan things ahead your dreams can come true. You will be able to go someplace most people would never consider going because it is too cost prohibited. You will be the envy of all your friends.

Don’t forget to get the items I told you to gather yesterday for a romantic Easter evening with your sweetheart.

• 2 Plastic Easter Eggs – that open in the middle
• 2 Sheets of Pastel Colored Paper
• Something sexy to wear
• Candles

The big reveal on what to do with your Easter goodies will be on Friday, March 26th.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Easter this year is on Sunday, April 4th. Are you looking to have a little romance during your Easter celebrations? Then you have come to the right place! Gather the items listed below and you will have your sweetheart hopping next to you all day!

• 2 Plastic Easter Eggs – that open in the middle
• 2 Sheets of Pastel Colored Paper
• Something sexy to wear
• Candles

The big reveal on what to do with your Easter goodies will be on Friday, March 26th.

Romance doesn’t have to be expensive; it just takes a little creativity and willingness to be playful. Remember when you were dating how you liked to have fun with each other? You were willing to take chances and surprise your special someone with something unexpected. Planning a romantic Easter could be just what the Easter rabbit ordered for the two of you!

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Laugh and have fun with your sweetheart because laughter is priceless! Keep saving your $5 a week!

Keep those sparks flying
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Are you still having trouble finding time for each other? Life is just too crazy and you both feel like you are neglecting your marriage? The kids are too little to leave alone. So what does a couple do? How can you stay focused on your marriage when there are children involved?

Here are some creative ideas you may not have thought about:

• The children have activities to go to and you don’t need to be there. Do they belong to Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts or 4-H? Or maybe you need to drop them off for their church youth group or singing lessons? Hop in the car with your partner and drop off the kids then go out for a bite to eat or a cup of coffee.
• Have a set time for the kids to go to bed, eight or eight-thirty every night. No exceptions no matter what their ages are. They don’t have to go to sleep but they need to be in their bed reading, writing or drawing. You are not only teaching them the importance of being quite before they fall asleep but how to entertain themselves.
• Got chores to do? After the kids are in bed each night help each other with picking up the house, folding clothes, making lunches or preparing dinner for the next night. Do it together! You can still talk and accomplish so much and there will be no haggling about who does more around the house. There will be a sense of accomplishment and working as a team.

You didn’t think you had time to connect, thing again. What are the activities you could do while the kids are busy doing something else? Be creative and you will find the connection your marriage so desperately needs.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Today is our anniversary! We have been married for 43 years and they said it wouldn’t work. He was 19 and I was 18 years old. Two young people who thought they knew everything and could handle it all. For us the first 6 years were rather rocky. We were still trying to figure out who we were as individuals and as a couple.

How did we stay together? Did we separate for a while? Yes, for a short time. We had to come back together because we couldn’t make it on our own. Did we consider divorce? Big time YES! During this time what we discovered is we wanted to stay married. We knew we needed to grow up and respect the other’s individuality. We decided to be who we were as individuals and respect the other for their differences. Were there lots of arguments? Of course! During the arguments we set the ground rules on what we expected from each other in our marriage and what we were willing to overlook.

One thing we learned is it takes two to make a marriage work. We were both willing to set aside our differences and work as a team to have a good relationship. Years 6 through 8 we worked together to make a better marriage.  Years 9 through 14 was a real struggle for us. I had been diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. We had no medical insurance and lots of medical bills. The doctors wouldn’t let me go back to work because they were very aggressive with my treatment (Chemo). So my husband worked 2 jobs, 6 days a week. Five of those days he worked from 8 O’clock in the morning until midnight to help pay for all the medical bills that were accumulating daily. What we learned during this time was invaluable. We learned neither of us would runaway from difficult times. Most arguments weren’t worth arguing and holding on to. Most importantly, was that we loved each other and our daughter very much. We learned we had love and respect of each other and we were the richest people in the world.

Having gone through cancer at such a young age we found out what was important in life and it wasn’t things, it was people. There is not a day we don’t feel blessed to be alive and have each other there beside us. Once we hit year 15 we knew this marriage would last forever and it has gotten better and better every year there after. Have we had difficult times since? Yes, but not like the first 6 years. We know we just need to work through the issues. We have far more good times that we do bad times now.

Without the hard times our marriage wouldn’t be as strong as it is now. If you are going through a difficult time with your spouse, as long as they are not abusing you either verbally or physically, know you can work through things if you are BOTH willing to work together.

What are we doing for our anniversary? We are staying home and grilling a couple pieces of salmon and we will serve a small salad along with it. The weather is beautiful, very spring like, so we will go for a walk along the beach and maybe stop at a local restaurant  overlooking the ocean and order a glass of wine. We will toast to our marriage and the love we have together.

Don’t worry we will be getting away for our anniversary but it will be at a later date. I will tell you all about it when we get back. Our granddaughter turned 18 yesterday on St Patrick’s Day and there are lots of celebrations going on over the weekend. Of course, we can’t miss our granddaughter’s special day.

After all these years we still take time to keep the romance going through the good, bad and busy times. What about you?

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.