AJ and I attended the 50th or golden wedding anniversary celebration of my Tita Baby and Tito Eldie last Saturday in Paranaque.
It was a very fun event and one that is filled with live music (a mix of Beatles (mostly!), Elvis and Bee Gees) and games! I especially enjoyed their version of "Pinoy Henyo" – a word game popularized on "Eat Bulaga" – because the topic is all about weddings.
For the give-aways, the couple gave each guest a message bottle with a scrolled out message. When I opened it, I was pleasantly happy to read "50 Ways of Saying "I Love You" ". I shared it with AJ and soon enough, we were smiling and giggling at some of the lines written there.
Here’s how it reads:
50 Ways of Saying "I Love You"
- Write down 50 favorite memories of your life spent together so far. Invite your partner to add to the list, as well as to share special ideas for the future.
- Leave a message on her voicemail with a silly, romantic poem. (I better request for a voicemail at the office, hehe)
- Make a CD featuring the songs that have been important in your relationship. Slip it into the CD player of her car (not applicable to me, I don’t have a car but AJ does hehe)
- Bring homemade cookies or brownies to his office with a simple love note. (uh-oh, AJ works in the evening, I hope I can pull this off)
- Spoon. (???)
- Surprise her with some bath salts and her favorite magazine. Then take the kids out of the house for the evening so she can enjoy some time alone.
- Stash a love note in his shoe.
- Spend some time talking about all the goals you have been able to accomplish during your time as a couple. Reflecting on the things that you have been able to do with the strength of the other, including the challenges, can really help you to remember and to celebrate the depth of your relationship and how you have supported one another through it all. ( I really like this!)
- Serve her breakfast in bed.
- Give him some time one Saturday to do something he enjoys but rarely takes the time for.
- Buy her luxurious new silk pajamas that will make her feel treasured and cherished each time she puts them on.
- Create a special sign (such as a specific hand gesture) that means I Love You, just between the two of you.
- Listen without interrupting.
- Give her a few minutes of time alone when she first gets home from work. Sometimes, we each need a bit of time to process the transition from work life to family life.
- Watch a sporting event together. (Does watching a Manny Pacquiao fight on TV counts?)
- Place a singe daisy on her windshield. (Ba’t kaya daisy and not some other flower?)
- Kiss.
- Surprise him by purchasing his favorite DVD or the latest CD of his favorite vocal artist.
- Talk lovingly about your partner to others, and avoid criticizing your mate to your friends or family. Even if your words never make it back to your partner, the tension and negative energy will eventually wedge its way between you.
- Talk a walk together.
- Rub his back.
- Dance to your favorite song.
- Re-create your first date.
- Light candles at dinnertime.
- Write a love note and slip it under his pillow.
- Send a romantic text message.
- Send flowers, just because. (can it be shoes or bag? Hehe!)
- Keep a scrapbook of your love, from first meeting through courtship, through marriage. Write a few journal entries about how your love for one another has evolved as you have grown together, and the new kinds of energy each new phase of your relationship has created.
- Take him to lunch.
- Make her coffee so it is ready when she gets up.
- Jot down 20 things you love about him and slip it under his dinner plate.
- Cook her favorite breakfast.
- Choose a book you both will enjoy, and read it aloud together (this line made me laugh because we love reading non-fiction, heavy books so reading it aloud may not exactly be a cool idea hehe. Perhaps we could read our favorite books, side-by-side. I think that’s romantic na rin)
- Rent a romantic movie. (aww…romantic movies are not exactly my cup of tea. AJ and I love films that will make us think and analyze. Nerdy, noh?)
- Slip a Hershey’s Kiss and a Hershey’s Hug into her coat pocket.
- Write about the feelings you felt when you first met your mate. Write about the first time you knew you were in love.
- Celebrate special days in your relationship with unique traditions and rituals (We like, like this!)
- Have you been holding a grudge against your partner? Today, forgive it and move on. Witness how much power the act of forgiveness injects into your relationship.
- Rub her feet.
- Find creative places to write I Love You: in whipped cream on a slice of pie, carved into the side of an apple, in the steam on the bathroom mirror.
- Bring flowers to her in the middle of the day.
- Spend a few minutes together in bed each morning (we only get to do this during weekends but it’s priceless, nonetheless).
- Call his mother and father and thank them for creating such a wonderful son. (err, this is not so-Pinoy)
- Do a chore that is typically reserved for him. (have done this already! won’t do it again haha!)
- Tell her she looks amazing.
- Write her a love letter and mail it.
- If she has had a rough day at work, bring home her favorite take out and bottle of wine.
- Create a marquis on your screen saver that declares your love.
- Choose your favorite photo of the two of you as a couple and frame two copies: one for each of you to take to work.
- Play a board game or a game of cards (Margaritas optional).
Whew. What a long list! Some are not applicable to us but maybe we can improvise hehe!
Did it miss any?