Yeah We Match

Kris’ Take:  I’m a very devoted Fiancee, and because of that I’m what most guys called “whipped,” but that’s okay, because they’re whipped too, they just try to not admit it.  The guys I know that aren’t whipped are single, and they want to be in a relationship, so they have whipped envy.  With that said, I will proudly admit that sometimes Laura and I match things, like shirts.  I have this burgundy polo that she likes a lot and sometimes she’ll wear hers at the same time.  But this Christmas we took it one step further, I got her a watch that looks quite similar to mine, although it is much more feminine.  If my watch were to take a bunch of estrogen pills, it would turn into her watch.  That’s all.  Just figured I’d let you guys know.  Oh and men:  women really like this matching thing, they think it’s cute (most women, if I cause relationship problems because she doesn’t like you in pink that is your fault.).  Have a great day!

Date Idea: Leaving on a jet plane

Kris’ Take: Okay, so we’re not quite leaving, but today Laura and I will most likely be picnicking while airplanes fly over our heads. This is something we’ve wanted to do for a while. Kind of reminiscent of one of my favorite scenes from Wayne’s World where Wayne and Garth sit atop a gremlin and watch planes fly over. I figured this would be a fun spin on a picnic, at the very worst something different. We’ll see if it flops or not, but I think all in all it should be fun. It’ll also be nice because it’ll give us a chance to just enjoy each other’s company.

Laura’s Take: Well I think the airplane picnic was a fun idea… but it got a bit loud everytime a plane landed by us. Not trying to complain, I got so excited when I saw another plane coming in for a landing! It was definitely really exciting and gave us lots time and things to talk about, like what places we wanted to visit and such. It was a neat experience and I’m glad we did something other than the usual picnic at the park. Overall, I’d say the idea was a success.

Hot Tamales rates this idea:

3 out of 5 Hearts

Date Idea: Creme Brulee

Kris’ Take: Last night Laura and I decided that we would try out one of my Christmas gifts, so we made creme brulee. It was fantastic! This is a picture that I got of a really nice looking creme brulee from the website http://englishcountrywalks.com/blog/?p=37. I think the photographer’s name is David Wenk according to the website but I could be mistaken. I just want to make sure that I give proper credit. So no, our creme brulees didn’t look that nice, but they were close. Maybe if we put some ice cream on them we would’ve been a bit closer, but they were pretty darn good! Whoever made the creme brulee in that picture did an impressive job! This was a lot of fun to do and I would definitely suggest it. The man gets to play with a torch and the princess gets to decorate it all pretty. All in all it was a good experience (except the 1 hour chill time I’m impatient.). It’s an interesting idea and would be fun addition to your date night. That’s all I have to say on this subject, enjoy!

Laura’s Take: Mmmm, Creme Brulee. It was fun making those, mainly because we didn’t screw them up! Let’s not forget about the chocolate covered rice krispee bar incident. I’m never doing that again!

 Hot Tamales rates this idea:

2.5 out of 5 Hearts

Christmas reminds me…

Kris’ Take:  In America, where we are surrounded by advertising and glittering images, we are constantly pressured to buy, buy, buy and keep up with the neighbors.  It can sometimes become very easy to fall into this trap.  When people fall into this trap I call them an Uberconsumer.  That is a word that I completely made up on my own so I know it won’t pass spell check.  When you’re an uberconsumer, you completely lose sight of what is truly important.  People begin to covet their iphone and Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses.  Sometimes I find myself in this position where I am blindly driven to succeed and few times do I ever really sit down and define what the word succeed means.

 Sure, the world says that succeeding is acquiring large amounts of money, power, or a combination of the two.  I know for some people that is success, but I think to myself, what is truly important to me?  I would rather have loving children and a faithful wife rather than a million dollars.  I know money is necessary to properly supply the needs of the people that you love, but a line must be drawn.  I know there is some guy out there that is working tirelessly to shove millions in the bank for the family that he has at home.  What he doesn’t realize is while he is slaving away, the kids are growing up, the wife is developing new interests that she isn’t able to share with him because he isn’t around, and all this is doing is widening the gap between him and the family that he thinks he is doing this all for.  It’s really a catch 22.

 There needs to be a balance.  I’m a highly driven person, and that is probably one of my biggest blessings, and one of my biggest flaws.  I need to know how to balance my drive to provide and succeed financially, and also make ample amounts of room for attention and quality time.  I think of the plant analogy:  You buy a plant and put it in the window so that it is sure to have plenty of sunshine.  Then you go to the river to get it water.  But wait, a gallon is okay but you will need plenty of water to sustain it throughout its whole life.  So you hurry home and drip a couple of drops on the plant and you run back out to the river. 

You collect hundreds of gallons of water, every once in a while running back to drip a few drops onto your plant.  You’re too busy to notice that the plant is beginning to brown and wither.  It doesn’t matter how much water you gather, it won’t save that plant without the right amount of attention.  In this case the plant was only receiving a couple of drops a day at best.

 This Christmas I went to my mother’s house and it was nice spending time with her.  I don’t get to see her often and it reminded me of just how nice and important family is.  I see it everyday, celebrities that “have the world” but in all reality, they are unfulfilled.  Look at Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.  They will be going to Louisiana to help rebuild, I think that is fantastic, but examine that a little further.  All of the money, and sway that they have, they must be fulfilled, right?  They have the ability to live their lives completely for themselves and not lift a finger, yet they choose to do the opposite.  This shows me that no matter how much money a person has, there is far more to life.  I know this is an obvious conclusion, but look at how many people spend their lives, lose their lives, and lose their families because they love money more.

 Christmas reminds me that it’s okay to work for the money you need, but to remember to put everyone that you truly love before it.

Merry Christmas!

Kris:  Sorry about the lack of updates but we all know how this holiday season can get!  I had a very lovely time with Laura.  We did our gift exchange and talked quite a bit about the things we received.  She did the most amazing job of getting me a gift that I wanted… while I was there.  Worse yet, the gift was probably about a grand total of 4 feet away from me the whole ride home  WHOLE 45 minute ride home!  I had no clue either just because she is that crafty!  I was in complete disbelief when I opened it and she started telling me the story.  It’s like one of those movies where you don’t understand how everything happened.  Then, as it starts unraveling it shows you all of the obvious clues that were laid out before you!  Then you’re thinking “UUHhhhh, how did I not know!?”  Anywho, my Christmas was grand, if you’d like let us know how yours went!  If you guys did anything romantic and creative let us know too!  Until next time.

Trying to better express yourself

Kris’ Take: I like to think that I’m a pretty sensitive guy, so it was to my surprise when I found out that I may not express how I feel as well as I thought. Recently there was a medical emergency, and it was a pretty darn important moment in the involved parties’ lives. When it comes to medical emergencies I always thought that it wasn’t a good idea to be openly worried. I thought that you are supposed to be as positive as possible, and apparently I was wrong. I didn’t show that I was really worried, and this came off as I didn’t care. That couldn’t be further from the truth. So now I need to figure out what the best way to respond in a medical emergency is. I thought it was my job to be the strong positive person… I get surprises everyday.

Laura’s Take: I can see where both sides would come from. I think there must be a good even ground, where you are still positive about the situation while also letting them know how much they mean to you. Pillars are definitely good, but it’s nice to see that big burly man turn into a vulnerable pile of mush over the love of his life.

Consider your financial well being together

Kris’ Take: So, you’ve been spending a lot of time with your princess and you think it is turning into something serious? When dating turns serious, it’s time to sit down and think about your finances. If you want the relationship to grow, you can no longer spend your money like a bachelor. This means refining your spending, and saving! Yes, I said it… saving.

Saving doesn’t necessarily mean throwing everything into a savings account; it also means paying down those credit cards, paying off that car. The faster all of those bills are paid the more money you save, and the more money that goes to your future home. You can’t just stop everything tomorrow though. Sit down with your princess and talk to her, find out what she thinks of everything. If she thinks that it’s a good idea (which she will if she’s serious.) then start, and maybe she can even help you out.

I remember when I had this conversation with Laura she wanted to help out. She thought we should cut back on dates, and try to be a little more frugal. That makes a lot of sense! However badly you suffer now, you’ll probably benefit more than double in the future! Laura and I typically spend about $300.00 a month on dates. That’s a substantial amount of money over the course of a year.

If we could even cut that amount in half it would save us $1,800.00 a year. On a mortgage of $200,000.00 financed at 7% for 30 years you would take 7 years off of the mortgage.This means that if each year you contributed an extra $1800.00, you would pay the house off in 23 years rather than 30! This effectively saves you $81,143.48 over the life of that loan. Consider your future together and what you could do with an extra $81,143.48.

What do you want for Christmas?

Laura’s Take: Don’t know what to get your lovely wife or girlfriend for Christmas? Jewelry is always a hit, which unfortunately makes it very predictable. Think, what has she mentioned earlier in the year? Buying something she wanted a while ago, is always a great way to show you listen to her and you care enough to remember. Can’t think of anything? Think about what things she likes to do, such as baking, painting, or gardening and buy her something she could use for such. Still perplexed? Just ask her mom. Mother knows best!

By the way, If she specifically says she wants something, don’t be daring and buy her something else. Women know what they want, they can spend hours shopping to find that perfect dress, necklace, or watch. So if she says, I want this dress, don’t try buying a different one. No, the element of surprise isn’t there, but she’ll be much happier getting what she really wants. She knows what she wants, and it’s a black and teal sequin cowl neck cocktail dress!

 Kris’ Take:  Wow!  I better read carefully here, I hope there’s nothing I’m forgetting :-/  But I must agree, it’s kind of obvious, once the princess puts her foot down, it’s best to abide.  But I must also say the same thing for men.  We will drop hints constantly, just short of holding up signs neon signs.  Men like lots of things such as: TVs, Video Games, Some like jewelry, lots of practical things like tools, and for those married couples I’ve never heard of guys complaining about Lingerie, but not for the guy…  Short of all of those ideas each man is unique, they have hobbies, buy something that will enhance that for them.

When push comes to shove, if someone absolutely wants something, I think it’s better to get that.  You can always save the element of surprise for a different day.  It never hurts to bring home a surprise boquet of flowers when she’s had a bad day.

Avoiding Arguements

Laura’s Take: When problems come along, some people decide it’s safer to just ignore them. Never a good decision! Please please please don’t do this. Unresolved issues can just build up causing even more problems between the two. There have been times where Kris wants to get off the phone when things get a little heated. Honestly, it just makes me more upset. Yes Sweety, it’s true. Having open communications is one of the most important factors to a strong, happy relationship. Don’t worry about what the other will say, you need to tell them how you feel, otherwise nothing is going to be fixed. How will he know to stop watching ESPN when you’re eating dinner unless you tell him? Serious couples need to take the time to listen to each other, find out what’s bothering them, and sit down and discuss a solution to the problem. What do you think Kris?

Kris’ Take: I couldn’t agree more. Sometimes it’s hard to admit when you’re in the wrong. I think all men struggle with this issue, but being right isn’t what makes a man, it’s being man enough to admit it when you’re wrong. And sometimes it seems easier to just let the problem go away on its own, but what it really does is leave behind a little bad memory that builds and builds. Discussing these things is the best way to prevent that sudden surprise of emotion. There’s no use in letting something as beautiful as a great relationship get wrecked over something that could’ve just been talked out.

Men, I must say, apologize to your princess and talk things out. How important is it to be right? Because if it’s worth your relationship, why are you wasting each other’s time?

Date Idea: Creative Dipping

Kris’ Take: This date idea will most likely work for established couples more than a first date idea; just letting you know. The other day I was trying to think of what would be a fun date for Laura and I. I didn’t want to do the typical movie and dinner. I wanted something that required us to do something rather than just sit back; something more interactive. I remembered that we have a local chocolatier that I could buy bulk chocolate from.

I thought it would be a lot of fun to buy various things that her and I could cover in chocolate such as pretzels, strawberries, peanuts, and just about anything else we wanted. You could get kind of creative too like buying white chocolate to drizzle on top of it, and any other ideas you can think of. While this won’t be an action packed night, with the right kind of music and some candles, it can be a lovely romantic night that breaks the dating norm. I like this idea, and I think Laura does too. We’ll just have to see what she thinks.

Hot Tamales rates this idea:

3.5 out of 5 Hearts