Romance Your Lover

It seems like such a simple thing, very easy to accomplish, but for some reason, it’s not.

If you want to romance your spouse or lover, then you need to think back to how you treated your spouse when you were first dating. That bloom of romance inspired you to impress and go out of your way to win her or him over. It’s human nature. Eventually, we relax and allow the other person to see all sides of us, well, most of us do.

So what happens once you have that special someone? Life. It’s all about schedules, work and perhaps taking care of kids. And even beyond those daily demands, it’s also human nature to become a tad complacent, too comfortable with each other and unfortunately, often taking the most important person in your life for granted.

Infusing romance back into your relationship will take a little effort, but that’s all. Time, effort and energy all directed toward making that special someone happier. In turn, you will, too.

Little acts of kindness

Don’t save those little acts of kindness just for strangers. It’s the little things we do for each other that adds cement to our bonds with each other and endears us to each other. Loving someone naturally inspires but life’s demands can interfere with the all important follow-through. Don’t let that happen to you.

Make a list of some of the nice things you can do for your lover to make her or his day brighter. This doesn’t need to cost money, just time and effort.

Leave a love note in a lunch bag, business trip suitcase, coat pocket, or purse.
Call during the day just to say I love you
Touch your lover. It sounds so natural, but people often forget that special touch, squeeze of the hand, stroke of the face.

Block out the worries, fears and cares of the world and steal a moment, a fleeting second to feel that love and then express it. That’s really all it takes and you’ll soon be smiling more and more because one small act will bring an avalanche of romance back to you.

Music to romance by

Looking for the perfect romantic music for your candlelit dinner or to share a glass of wine at sunset? Try the Second Movement of Bach's Double Violin Concerto in D Minor.

Yes, it's a mouthful, but well worth the effort to locate this piece.

String orchestras are some of the most romantic musical instruments, especially violins when playing a movement like this one. The two violas compete with each other like two lovers desperate to let the other know, "I love you".

While most musicians will tell you the construction of this piece is an excellent example of a technical composition known as counterpoint, you don't have to know anything about music in order to appreciate its beauty. It'll carry you to emotional highs that are a perfect backdrop for a romantic evening.

Still, if you're curious, it might make good table conversation to know a little about the piece. The technique, counterpoint, focuses on two instruments or sections of the orchestra playing different melodies in a kind of duel - note against note. Each violin's melody is independent of the other yet when played together, they fit. The two harmonize and blend into a wonderful bigger sound that is exciting and breathless.

As you listen to the building of the melody, the strings wail with heartfelt emotion and rise almost to a crescendo only to fall back into the melancholic rhythm gradually rising once more.

So set your table, light those candles and enjoy this piece while dining, knowing you're setting the perfect romantic mood.

What I know about romance...

What I know about romance? Unlike my sistah, Sally, if you take everything I know, bundle it together ... well you might fill a thimble. Seriously, I am romantically challenged. A fact that became abundantly clear last week when I was on vacation.

My neighbors were in from across the pond (from Europe) and they were over having drinks. They were preparing for a 4 day cruise and were talking about how romantic it was going to be. Dressing up, dining, strolls on deck, drinking, dining, sitting on deck, etc.

Well, to be honest it all rounded rather boring to me. Dressing up? Ugh. Dining? Ding dong- hear the bell, I'm a vegetarian, we typically don't get jazzed by food. Strolls on deck, drinking, dining? Oh someone shoot me.

And naturally you know I expressed my opinion. (I'm nothing if not opinionated). But it a nice kind of way .. something along the lines of "I'd rather have a root canal."

That sparked conversation. What was wrong with me? Didn't I like romance? And just what DID I consider romanctic? Wellllll... yeah, I guess I am a little. Mu honey can take me whitewatering or rock climbing or hiking, or riding (horse or dirt bike)and at the end of the day build me a nice fire and let me sit or sleep under the stars and I'm completely swooned. He can rent me a bulldozer and let me dig up some earth and I'm really frisky. He can buy me a new chainsaw and he'll definitely get lucky. Or he can take me out for a day on the disc golf course and when we're getting cleaned up from our day, I'll be very affectionate.

Buy me flowers? Not unless I can plant them. Why kill a plant? Bring me candy? Oh yes, please. I already spend two hours a day at the gym... bring me something that will increase that and I'm more apt to growl than meow.

My friends stared at me in horror. I apparently don't have a romantic bone in my body (According to them) - in fact, I apparently have quite "manish" taste. Hmmmmm... well I guess they're right. I've spent my life "hanging with the boys", getting dirty, playing, raising a little hell and having a whole lot of fun. BUT...

I have a man who tells me that life is nothing without me (what a smooth talker, eh?) and who backs it up every morning when he brings me coffee in bed and every night when he gives me that delicious back or foot massage. I get warm and fuzzy just snuggling up on the couch and watching television or piled up together in bed reading.

Does that count?

And where is it written that a woman HAS to like being wined and dined, taken on lavish trips and have a ton of money spent on her to qualify as romantic? Isn't that a rather materialistic attitude?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but money (and the things it buys) not only does not buy happiness, it also doesn't spell romance.

But hey, I could be wrong. Maybe romance isn't part of my vocabulary. Someone want to lend me a dictionary?

Hope you're having a great week!!

Hugs to all,
Ci

Music's Role In Romance

Music's role in romance is greater than most of us realize. How many times has a song burst through the air and brought joyous memories to you so powerful it's as though you're reliving them?

Music can set the mood of any moment or event. The wrong music can destroy that special moment while the perfect music can add to the ambiance of the evening.

==Music's role in romance ==

This new section of National Romance Examiner where I''ll be examining some of the most powerful pieces of music that carry their magic through the centuries. These concertos, symphonies and modern pieces remain just as impressive and emotional as the first time ever performed for the public.

==Adagio for Strings==

Chords filled with the melancholy of stringed instruments convey one of the most bittersweet pieces of music carrying the listener through a range of emotions from emptiness to bittersweet sadness. The harmonies seize you and send you on an emotional rollercoaster ride.

Granted, this isn't the kind of music you'd play to seduce, but it's still very romantic and of course is classified as belonging to that wonderful genre - Romantic Era. It's powerful and emotional. One to experience when in the right mood.

==Composer, Samuel Barber==

Written by the American composer, Samuel Barber, (1910-1981), during the Great Depression, it's no wonder this piece carries such a depth of emotion in its dramatic lifting and falling melody. The sorrowful yet bittersweet music was used in The Elephant Man and Platoon.

This is definitely the kind of music you'd play when needing a moment to relive some of those lost love memories. Barber's music was typically classified as belonging to the Romantic era genre, even though he was a contemporary composer. He also wrote two American operas, Vanessa (Pulitzer Prize winner of 1958) and Antony and Cleopatra (1966).

==Romance and Music==

Try to recall one of your most memorable moments of love and music's role in romance. You may be surprised to discover how often you associate a certain song or piece of music with a romantic moment.

Heart Symbol for Romance

The heart is probably the most recognized symbol for romance and love. It's been a long held ideology that our emotions come from our heart. We even have catch phrases using heart as a metaphor for how our emotions are conveyed:

♥ Speak from your heart

♥ Put your heart into it

♥ Heartfelt

♥ Heartless

♥ Breaking my heart

♥ Cold heart

♥ Heart of stone

♥ Heart on his sleeve

So just how did the symbol for the heart become something other than the actual shape of the human heart? There are several theories about this unique symbol.

==Magic==

During the time of alchemists, the heart symbol was used and accepted as the symbol for romance and love. These masters of chemistry and magic used heart symbols in their spells. Certain rituals also utilized this symbol in an effort to strength love relationships.

==Christianity==

The Sacred Heart of Christ is well documented and used within the Roman Catholic Church. The symbol is one of divine love, compassion and good will. Within this emblem of religion is also the message of divine truth. So the heart symbol becomes the purest form of expression for love. All kinds of love. It was cemented into the church’s symbolism sometime in the 1600s. This was when Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque received a vision. In this moment of enlightenment, the shape of a heart inside a crown of thorns was revealed to her.

==Ancient Egypt==

The heart is also symbolic of the soul. In ancient Egypt, the heart was removed from the dead and weighed on a scale in balance to the Feather of Ma’at, Maat, or Mayet, (pronounced, (Muh-aht) Egyptian goddess of truth, balance, justice, law, and mortality. This symbol represented the judging the dead and determining if the person's heart was lighter than the fabled feather. If it was, then the soul was deemed worthy enough to cross over into paradise. (No documentation exists about the results of this weighing in only that it was a death ritual.)

==Playing cards==

In the 15th century, the suits for playing cards were created and the heart was used as one of the four suits, clubs, spades, diamonds, and hearts. The color red was used to symbolize blood.

==Human anatomy==

Others believe the shape depicts several female anatomical attributes. It’s further believed that the symbolism was created during a time when there was male dominance in the world. This gives the symbolism a very different meaning and removes it from love into lust.

==Silphium seed==

In Cyrene, located in ancient Greece (7th century BC) now present-day Lybia, the silphium plant was abundant and a big commodity for the city. While it was marketed as a spice and seasoning, it was also used as an herbal method of birth control. This enormous fennel type plant, which is now extinct, had seeds that were heart-shaped. It was so important to the Cyrene economy that the coins minted by the city depicted a heart-shaped seed of the silphium plant with a double outline around the heart.

==Swans==

The mating ritual of swans has long been depicted in various romantic symbolism. When their long necks arch so they can butt heads, the shape formed is that of a perfectly formed heart.

==Hearts are an expression of romance==
The heart symbol for romance seems to be ancient. The heart shape we use in so many everyday expressions of love and romance will no doubt remain an emblem to convey those emotions.

For more romance articles visit Sally at Romance Examiner.

Romance is more than flowers

Romance is more than just giving your lover flowers or a special gift. It’s the intimacy of sharing special moments just about the two of you.

Simply cuddling up on the couch to watch a movie can be highly romantic. Doing the tender things that convey ‘I love you’ and ‘you’re special to me’ will translate into romance if done with that special person.

Making time for each other is an act of romance. The greatest gifts you can give another person are your time… your attention… your care. To have an intimate relationship, you must be willing to be vulnerable. That’s the risk, but one that can bring great rewards in a satisfying loving relationship.

If you plan a perfect romantic evening complete with flowers, wine, dinner, and a romantic setting but don’t have intimacy then it is only window dressing. The driving force of romance is emotion. The feelings you share with your lover creates those special moments. It’s allowing your lover to see inside you and touch your soul.

That’s why watching a movie or shopping for groceries or taking a walk can be some of the most romantic moments in your relationship.

10 great Halloween dates

(Photo from Sally's trip to Banner Elk, NC)

1. Hayride. This is old-fashioned at its best. Many towns still have this event, especially farming communities. Snuggling in a bed of hay on a crisp fall night underneath a full moon is a great romantic Halloween date.

2. Fall street festivals. These are typically a weekend event so you can stretch that date out over several days. Most towns and cities block off a certain section of town or the entire main street. You can find all kinds of local artisans displaying their creations. Spend the first day just strolling hand in hand through all the street exhibits. Sample some of the food being served. Each of you order something different and then give each other a sample. Don’t be in a rush to see everything. Take your time and truly enjoy just being together. Make sure you take your camera and get some great shots of each other and especially of the two of you together.

3. Pumpkin farm. They do have them and if you are lucky enough to live in an area where they do, then you can make it into a fun date. If not, then try your local farmer’s market or look for a pumpkin stand on a corner. These are great photo opportunities so grab some shots and select your pumpkin. The two of you can carve it out together.

4. Go Halloween shopping. This can be a lot of fun. Read Halloween cards together. Try on costumes. Buy candy for the big night giveaways. Buy some Halloween decorations and then decorate your house together. Buy a corn shocks and a bale of hay and plop a pumpkin or two on it. Now have someone take a picture of the two of you in front of it or sitting on the bale of hay.

5. Pumpkin carving contests. These are often held as part of a weekend festival event or sponsored by a local charity organization. Go shopping and pick out your pumpkin together. Find a pattern you would like to carve or make one up. Most contests have you bring your pumpkin in the evening and light a candle so the jack-o-lantern will be ready for the judging portion of the contest.

6. Corn maze. This can be a lot of fun and very romantic, especially if the night you go is one with a full moon. Many farmers are extending the use of their crops by creating mazes in their corn fields. Refer to article for more details.

7. Haunted Houses. Not exactly a romantic evening, but one guaranteed to make your lover scream or yell. Being startled or scared together can be a lot of fun – later.

8. Movie Fest. If your local theater hosts a fright night movie feast, take advantage and get into the spirit of Halloween. If this is not available, then many TV channels run one on Halloween. You could customize your own fright night by renting videos of your favorite scream movies.

9. Trick or Treat. This can be a wonderful way to spend the evening if you enjoy being around kids. Giving out candy to little costumed ghosts and cartoon characters can be fun, especially if you take turns posing with them for photos.

10. Throw a Halloween party. If you are not attending a party, then why not host one? These events are great fun. You can either host an adult only or a family one. The two of course will have different themes. Draw three templates and cut out bats from black construction paper. Tape thread or fishing line to one side and then tape them to the ceiling at different heights. Change out all of your light bulbs with blue ones. Buy color plastic sheets or clear ones and print out a skeleton face. Cut them out and rub against a chair or clothing to create static and then place on the walls. There are a lot of Halloween themed recipes you can make for your guests. Various games you can play. Take a bare tree branch, secure it in a bucket of sand and hang Halloween ornaments from it. Make trick or treat bags of goodies for party favors and place beneath the tree. Be creative and let your imagination roam.

However you decide to spend Halloween with your special someone, make sure it’s all about having time together and creating fun memories. Happy Halloween a couple of weeks early!

When Ahhhhh turns to Euuuuwwweeee!

Okay, there you are, Saturday night, alone with your man. It's a moonlit night. The floating pool lights cast a magical glow to the water. Stars twinkle overhead. The air is warm, but not as warm as the water, so you sink in, floating in that glowing warmth.

Your man swims over. Pulls you up against him. Oh yeah, that feels good. His hands move along your back. Nice. He walks you around the pool, your bodies touching, the water rippling around you.

You're caught up in the moment. Too caught up at first to notice. Why do you feel something on your shoulder if both his hands are otherwise occupied. Gulp! You turn your head to look.

A shriek cuts through the night. There's a freaking frog the size of Alabama on your freaking shoulder!

Euuuwwweeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Honey man to the rescue. Captures the beast and tosses it into a potted plant beside the pool then swims back over to you.

Too late. The mood is gone. Damn frogs. So much for moonlight swims. Where's the tequila?

Don’t send the wrong message!

Just as there are meanings behind the color of roses you send, there are also meanings behind the quantity you send.

As in all things related to romance, it's the little details that make it spectacular and to be remembered. So don't forget the little touches whenever sending roses because even the vase you select can add or subtract to the overall effect.

Ask about the card and if you have a choice of style. Take extra time to write your sentiments on the card. If a ribbon is to be used, see if you can select which one is used. Afterall, it's your bouquet, so make it extra special.To help you decide on the number of roses to send, here’s a brief guideline of the traditional messages they carry to your lover.

1. One Dozen - The traditional number of roses sent for any occasion
   


2. Two Dozen Conveys the message - I’m yours. It also means, I think about you every hour, 24 hours a day.
   


3. Several Dozen - Dozens and dozens of things I love about you or dozens and dozens of ways I love you.
   


4. Long stemmed - Means the person receiving the roses is in the sender’s heart forever.
   


5. Single long stem - Is good to send as a thank you or a simple I love you.
   


6. Six roses - I miss you.
   


7. Seven roses - I'm crazy about you.
   


8. 50 roses - Eternal unconditional love.
   


9. Miniature roses - Sweetheart. Says it all.
   


10. Roses and chocolate - You guessed it, the most romantic expression of love.

A single rose can touch the heart just as profoundly as a dozen roses when given with the right words. And if you have the thorns removed, it symoblizes how deeply you care.

Boldly Going...

Where I have never gone before. Namely, to futuristic romance. Up until now, most of my stories have been firmly grounded in the here and now. My heroines have been bank tellers and accountants and writers. My heroes have been counselors and musicians and business owners. In my September 24th release, Lia's Warrior, a Sapphire Jewel novella from Ellora's Cave, my characters don't even live on this planet. They live in a world where couples must be blessed by the sacred Sapphire Moon before they have sex - or suffer the tragic consequences.

See, that's one thing I discovered about venturing away from contemporary romance - I don't have to stick with the rules of planet Earth. I can come up with scenarios that force situations which wouldn't work in small town USA or a European city or anywhere else on Earth. And that's kinda cool.

My heroine isn't something as common as a school teacher. She's the Guardian of the Sapphire Moon, a crystal globe with a sacred sapphire embedded in the center. Lia must personally witness couples mating after they receive the Moon’s blessing. But she can never enjoy the pleasures of the flesh herself. And when her true love, Roark, returns from the war on a distant planet, he's told it's forbidden to mate with the Guardian! But, of course, the Warrior doesn't take no for an answer.

This was a fun story to write. There's forbidden love. A little voyeurism. A strong, sexy hero. A lot of hot sex. And a story that couldn't take place in the town down the road.

So do you have a favorite sub-genre? Do you like contemporary romances, where you feel as if the love story could happen to you today? Do you like futuristics, where the possibilities are endless? Or paranormals, where the characters might not even be human? Or historicals, where societal restraints can be a great source of conflict? Or, like me, do you love them all? I hope you do, because I plan to be boldly going wherever the stories takes me.

And sharing them with you.

Natasha
Romance with more...sizzle
Website
Blog
MySpace

Bring The Fun Back

Bring the Fun Back
By N.J. Walters

Sex is emotional and serious and earth shattering and…fun!

That’s right. Fun!

It doesn’t always have to be a momentous and important moment in the bedroom. It can be lighthearted and playful. People can bond over shared laughter just as well as they can over a deep, thoughtful experience.

That applies in books just as it does in life. I explored that theme in my latest Ellora’s Cave release, Lily Blossoms. Lily is a divorced woman whose son is now in college. She’s a conservative woman who owns and operates a local flower shop, Lily’s Blossoms. But she has a secret. She’s also writes erotic romance under a pseudonym. Problem is, Lily rarely dates and hasn’t had all that much experience with men.

Enter Carson Granger, a man who’s lusted after Lily for the past five years. When he stumbles onto her secret, he seizes the opportunity to get closer to her. Lily has a list of erotic fantasies she wants to research including sex in public, roses, whipped cream and a striptease. Carson has a few ideas of his own and he’s determined to be the man she experiences each and every item with.

As Lily explores her sexuality, with the help and encouragement of Carson, she begins to blossom as a woman. She soon learns that even shopping for lingerie can be a highly erotic exercise if shared with the right person. She tosses aside her sexual inhibitions and indulges in phone sex. Lily even plans to surprise Carson with a striptease that neither of them will ever forget.

But Lily has more than sexual hang-ups to overcome. She has to get past the fact that Carson is much younger than she is. Like most women, Lily has insecurities that may end up costing her what she’s always wanted. It’s a choice she’ll have to make.

You don’t have to go as far as Lily does in the book, but there are ways to spice up your sex life. Take little steps. Leave your honey notes where he’ll find them during the day. Maybe you might allow yourself to be blindfolded in the bedroom. Your sense of touch and smell and hearing will be heightened and the experience will be exciting for both of you.

Remember, laughter is sexy. Sex isn’t always perfect like it is in the movies and most books. After all, we’re only human. Allow yourself the opportunity to explore and be willing to laugh if it doesn’t work out quite the way you planned. You’ll be glad you did.

Emotional~Sensual~Satisfying Reads!
http://www.njwalters.com/
http://www.njwalters.blogspot.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/awakeningdesires/ (newsletter group)
Lily Blossoms—Ellora’s Cave—Now Available
Jackson’s Jewel—Ellora’s Cave—Now Available
A Legal Affair—Samhain Publishing—Now Available
By The Book—Coming November 25th!

Romance is alive

Fads come and go, fashions change, society takes on new attitudes...but one thing that remains constant is our thirst for romance. Inside the heart of every woman is a yearning to be romanced, swept off her feet or wooed slowly. We read about it, think about it and dream about it.

Make no mistake, it isn't just sex we're after. We want that emotional punch, that feeling in our belly that flutters when we think of that man, the way we can't get him out of our mind and yes, even the way it can make us crazy trying to figure out how to fix our hair or what to wear for that next meeting.

And what is it we want from that special man? Why everything of course. We want to be his ruling passion, to know that we're in his heart and mind with every breath he takes. Or, as it goes in one of my favorite songs ... we want it to be All for Love.



Okay, gotta pause to fan myself. I have such a case of the hots for Sting and Bryan Adams. Either one of those fellas could be a fire in my night:) But that's a bit off topic so...

This is Ciana, wishing you a safe and happy weekend and hoping you're making time for some romance in your life. Like the song says "all for love".