Ah Spring! For many it means days of warm sunshine, blooming flowers and moderate temperatures. It also means it's time to shake off Winter, grab your partner, and get out of the house! Spring provides a great opportunity for you and your partner to enjoy fun, exciting and romantic dates in the Great Outdoors! The following are just a few ideas to help you brainstorm: Vist your local parks Spring is a great time to take your special someone to see nature at its gorgeous best. Drink in stunning natural vistas. Observe wildlife. Admire the flora, etc. Plus, many parks offer various trails   read more

Jealousy, also known as the "green-eyed monster," has been the bane of many relationships. Most of us have experienced twinges of jealousy to varying degrees in our life. However, there are those whose feelings of jealousy are often taken to the irrational extreme, and it is often detrimental to their relationships. Personally, I cringe everytime I hear someone say something to the effect of "Oh, I wanted to make my partner jealous, so he/she will appreciate me." What they don't realize is that jealousy can open a Pandora's Box of misery and pain. Okay, jealousy can be very bad. Check. But what   read more

It happens to most of us. You have a solid, stable relatonship. You and your partner love each other. You complement each other well. Then you wake up one day and realize the passion in your relationship seems to have dimmed. You both still care for each other very deeply, but what was once very exciting, even electric about your bond (conversations, sex, etc.) has become, well, routine. Don't worry! This occurs with most couples who have been together for an extended period of time. The good news? You can begin to re-ignite your passion for one another with these two magic words: thank   read more

What exactly makes a relationship successful? What is the key to a healthy, happy union? Almost every one of us have asked ourselves those very questions at some point in our lives. I truly do not believe that the majority of people enter into a serious relationship thinking it will fail. So, why are so many of us unhappy in our relationships? Why is the divorce rate in America as high as it is? Why do so many couples fall so madly in love, then just as quickly fall out of it? Of course there are no simple answers to these questions, although Lord knows I wish there were. However, when I think   read more

Very few things in this life feel worse than discovering that your partner has been unfaithful to you. That is why cheating is an evergreen "go-to" topic for countless talk shows, books, videos, songs, etc. Due to the recent Tiger Woods scandal and the disintegration of the marriage of Elizabeth Edwards, infidelity has once again been in the forefront of the nation's zeitgeist. Consequently, countless relationship experts argue that infidelity does not have to mean the end of the relationship. These experts assert that cheating is a symptom of other underlying issues. I disagree. To be completely   read more

Let me start off by stating that Valentine's Day is not my favorite holiday. Why? My feeling is you should let that special someone in your life know you love them EVERY day, not just on one day designated to sell roses, cards, jewelry and candy. Also, what about the millions of others, who by choice or circumstance, are single? Are they supposed to be left out in the cold? To answer this question, a new, hilarious movement was begun a few years ago. A holiday was created by singles and for singles as their answer to Valentine's Day. This new holiday is called Single Awareness Day or S.A.D   read more

Making plans for a first date can be a nerve wracking experience, especially if you are on a budget. Don't worry! With a little thought and creativity, you can plan a fun, memorable (and inexpensive) date. The following are some great date ideas that are not only fun, but will also serve to break the ice - and not the bank! Attend a local festival. Most local communities have one. The price of admission is often free or very inexpensive. Additionally, these festivals have many fun and entertaining activities for attendees to enjoy. Go for a scenic drive. Plan a drive with just the two of   read more

If you follow this blog for any length of time, you will realize that I'm a huge cheerleader for couples improving their communication skills in order to better relate to each other. Subsequently, a KEY ingredient to better communication in relationships is discovering how women and men differ in the way they listen to each other. The following video does a great job of summing up the main differences in the listening styles between women and men: So, what are YOUR feelings on how women and men tend to listen? Please, comment and share your thoughts with us!   read more

Do you consider yourself a shy person? How often have you encountered someone you might be interested in, but did not approach them because of fear of being judged? Or if you did muster up enough courage to approach a woman, you found yourself tongue-tied and flustered? Many men cite shyness as one of the main causes for their lack of success in dating. Okay, here's the bad news. When you are shy about approaching a woman you might be interested in, she has no way of knowing that you are just being timid. The hard truth is that shyness is often misinterpreted as: being aloof arrogance being   read more

It happened very gradually. Over the last several months, I've become more aware of a new term being bandied about in popular media. "You know that guy was bagged by a cougar?" "Cougars are hot!" "Man, that bar was filled with cougars!" I thought, "what the hell are these people talking about?" Then this past fall, the ABC television network premiered a new Courtney Cox sitcom called, of all things, Cougartown. Well that was the last straw. Being the un-hipster that I am, I searched online to find out what this new, popular slang term meant. Wow, were my eyes opened! The definitions for   read more