Friday Fun - The Perfect Husband

Several men are standing around at a golf course. A cell phone on a bench rings and a man engages the hands-free speaker function and begins to talk. Everyone else stops to listen.

MAN: "Hello"

WOMAN: "Hi Honey, it's me. Are you at the club?"

MAN: "Yes."

WOMAN: "I'm at the shops now and found this beautiful leather coat. It's only $2,000; is it OK if I buy it?"

MAN: "Sure, go ahead if you like it that much."

WOMAN: "I also stopped by the Lexus dealership and saw the new models. I saw one I really liked."

MAN: "How much?"

WOMAN: "$90,000."

MAN: "OK, but for that price I want it with all the options."

WOMAN: Great! Oh, and one more thing... I was just talking to Janie and found out that the house I wanted last year is back on the market. They're asking $980,000 for it."

MAN: "Well, then go ahead and make an offer of $900,000. They'll probably take it. If not, we can go the extra eighty thousand if it's what you really want."

WOMAN: "OK. I'll see you later! I love you so much!"

MAN: "Bye! I love you, too."

The man hangs up. The other men are staring at him in astonishment, mouths wide open. He turns and asks, "Anyone know whose phone this is?"

Have a good weekend.

Stay in touch -

Mark

Relationship Killers: Abusive Behavior

Well before we get into this topic today - I hope you had a great Valentine's Day. I saw a lot of guys out and about yesterday picking up flowers, getting candy. But you can't let yesterday be a flash in the pan. Don't be a one hit wonder, where the only day you get romantic is February 14th.

Anyhow - On Tuesdays we talk about things that kill relationships, and today I want to focus on abusive behavior.

How many times have we heard the story of a wife who is abused, but refused to press charges on her husband? That's because there is an emotional element to the physical abuse. Abuse is something which is tolerated far too often. But in addition to the physical abuse, there is also emotional or financial abuse.

Emotional abuse can take the form of intimidation, manipulation, belittling, or outright hateful speech. Financial abuse comes in the form of either withholding finances that are necessary to live a reasonable life, or lavishly spending on yourself to the point of ignoring your partner - this would include other types of abuse, like alcohol, drugs or gambling.

Honestly, my advice to someone who is in an abusive relationship, is to get out. (And this is from the guy who is all about trying to work things out). If you are, in any way, abusive to your spouse (even once in a while), stop it now. Period.
Or, kiss your relationship goodbye.

Stay in touch -

Mark

Romantic Movie Lines

Happy Valentine's Day. At this point, I hope your plans are made and you are treating your partner to a great day. I thought that I'd share some famous romantic movie lines to help set the tone for the day. See if you can guess which movie each line is from. (scroll down to the bottom for the answers). Yes....it IS kind of Chick Flicky....deal with it.

1. “I would rather have had one breath of her hair, one kiss from her mouth, one touch of her hand, than eternity without it.”

2. “I’m scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I’m with you”

3. “I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone.”

4. “Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.”

5. “If I could ask God one thing, it would be to stop the moon. Stop the moon and make this night and your beauty last forever.”

6. “Well, it was a million tiny little things that, when you added them all up, they meant we were suppose to be together… and I knew it. I knew it the very first time I touched her. It was like coming home… only to no home I’d ever known… I was just taking her hand to help her out of a car and I knew. It was like… magic.”

7. “It doesn’t matter if the guy is perfect or the girl is perfect, as long as they are perfect for each other.”

8. “You should be kissed, and often, and by someone who knows how.”

9. "After all... I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her."

10. “You look at me and give me that 'come here baby' smile. And I know we can make it through anything.”

Stay in Touch -

Mark


Answers....
1. City of Angels
2. Dirty Dancing
3. Lord of the Rings
4. The Princess Bride
5. A Knight's Tale
6. Sleepless in Seattle
7. Good Will Hunting
8. Gone With the Wind
9. Notting Hill
10. You've Got Mail

Friday Fun - The Manslator

Confused about what she really means? That's no longer gonna be a problem:



Have a good weekend. Remember Monday is Valentine's Day. Do something nice!

Stay in touch -

Mark

Raising Some Flags: Valentine's Day Alert

HEY!

Yeah that's the biggest font I can put on here. Just wanted to remind you that Monday is Valentine's Day. What are you going to do? Let's start with the basics:

1. A Valentine's Day card is a must. Don't be afraid to get something nice. If you're just dating, keep it simple. If you're engaged or married, kick it up.
As a rule, the more serious cards work better than the funny ones.

2. A gift is almost always appropriate. When is a gift not appropriate? If she's dead or you're divorced.

But what gift? Here are some solid ideas:

1. Spa day. She'll love getting pampered.
2. Jewelery. Always a hit.
3. Chocolate. Kind of cliche', but it could work.
4. A night on the town. Arrange everything and take her out. Dancing, a show, the whole nine.

It's time to break out the romance. For romance tips, search for Romance, or Valentine's Day in the labels from this blog. (The search box is on the left of the screen, near the top). There are over 15 different posts in these categories to help you be ready.

Stay in touch -

Mark

Talking About Sex With Your Partner

Wednesday is sex day at the blog - and today we're talking about how to talk to your partner about sex, and sexual problems.

First, it's a good idea that you don't talk about these problems just before or after sex. (And certainly not DURING sex). In fact, I wouldn't talk about sexual problems in your bedroom or at bedtime. Have a chat in the living room or at the kitchen table. This avoids the "was it good for you?" awkwardness.

One exception would be if, while you're having sex, she does something that you really like, you should definitely respond and let her know.

Don't cast blame. If something isn't working for you, approach it from the perspective that both of you need to address something in the sack.

Be careful in your "research". If you buy sex advice books or toys to spice things up, be sure to talk to your partner first. If she isn't into something, you could make things worse.

Openly communicate what your expectations are, what you like and what you're not as fond of. If something troubles you or if you're afraid of something, open up and tell her.

Here's my philosophy, if you're close enough to be intimate, you should also be close enough to talk about what you like and what you don't like. If you can't talk about sex, you probably shouldn't be doing it.

Stay in touch -

Mark

Relationship Killers: Money

You've heard it said that money is the root of all evil. The actual quote (from the Bible by the way) is "the love of money is the root of all evil." (1 Timothy 6:10).

But how does this affect your relationship? Ironically, it can be a killer on both ends of the spending spectrum. If one of you is really frugal (pronounced cheap), to the point of not spending money on necessary items, or withholding funds as a manner of control - this will definitely kill a relationship. Conversely, if one person in the relationship has a spending problem, is constantly running up unmanageable debt, particularly if he or she hides or lies about big purchases, it can really impact the long term relationship, add stress and cause a lack of trust.

Money management in your relationship doesn't just happen. You need to communicate with each other, come to an understanding and work out the approach that makes the most sense.

Stay in touch -

Mark