Holiday Hugs!!!

Korean Q&A

A friend of mine and I put together a Q & A about our experiences while living abroad. If you have questions or want to know more, leave a comment below or on our videos. Thanks for watching!

Part 1
 

Dates in a Jar (DIY)

My husband and I enjoy our date nights and try to make it a priority to spend quality time with each other. Our dates  have been nothing but fun thus far because of our carefree nature and random ideas. 

                              

Food tasting date :-) 

(no worries, we do make purchases before we leave!)

I've been seeing these date night jar ideas circulating the web and thought this would be a great idea to heighten the spontaneity we already take on our current dates, also eliminate the few indecisive moments.  It was important for us to be realistic with the ideas we placed in the jar and not be too vague.

Here's our date night jar: Rema's Edition!

$$$$- Planning (planning required and dinner to follow)

  

• Couples massage

Live Shows

• Arabian Nights
• Medieval Times
• Blue Man Group
• Cirque Du Soleil
• Broadway
• NBA game

Weekend Away

• Bed and Breakfast
• Clearwater
• Hotel staycation

• Couples massage

$$$- $50 or more

• Dave & Busters
• Dine-in movie theater
• Pottery date night
• Dinner theme
• Thai
• Korean
• Italian
• Sushi
• Caribbean
• Vietnamese
• Mexican
• Any 
• Classic dine-in move theater (Enzian Theater)
• Day at Celebration Town Center

$$- $50 or less

• Bowling
• Arcade/ Go Kart
• Food truck
• Movies
• Biking 
• Season's 52 (flatbread & wine)
• Miniature golf
• Laser tag
• Coupon 

$- $20 or less

• Indoor rock climbing
• Park stroll (Cranes Roost Park)
• Dollar movie theater
• Picnic
• Dessert only date

At home

• Candle light dinner (5)

Themed dinner night (Mr/Mrs)

Two of each so we each get a chance 

to plan dinner.

• Thai night
• Caribbean
• Fiesta
• Chinese
• Any

• Cook together
• Bible trivia
• Living room camp out
• Technology/ electronic free day
• Netflix marathon
• Board games
• Bake together

Updates to come in a few weeks as to how we used the jar, changes or add ons made to the date night jar . We are not limited to only the ideas listed above; more ideas will be added to the jar!

This is definitely a great idea to do with your loved one(s). If you do create a date jar, I would love to see it along with all your date ideas. Happy dating and remember to be as ready as you can be!!

Fall Giveaway!

Happy Monday and it is time for another giveaway; I think I'm having too much fun with this! The most exciting part about this one is that I have teamed up with a few awesome fellow bloggers for a "Fall Favorites Giveaway". All you have to do is check them out, show some love and possibly win some goodies!

Sarah

Laurie

Makerbie

Renee 

Melissa

Thanks for hosting this Melissa!

Here is a sneak peek of our fall favorites!

                                             
We each have picked two of our favorite fall products and for one lucky winner you will be receiving all 10 items. We are from all different areas and came up with 10 completely different items. For one lucky winner they are going to be getting some awesome goodies.

Good luck to everyone and happy fall!!   

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Positivity!

At times it can be hard to remain positive or have a positive outlook on life. However, making small changes cam make all the difference. Here a few points that you can start with to stay focused and/or positive.

1) Tap into your talents

2) Volunteer 

3) Take a walk

4) Keep a gratitude journal

5) Take a class

6) Meditate 

7) Take care of yourself!

Long Term RAOK

I wrote several posts listing my random acts of kindness for my birthday month last year. I only posted 30 of them and stated I wanted to make sure 31 was long term. Yes, it is overdue but I wanted to make sure I was doing this for almost a year consistently before I posted about my long term act of kindness.

Well, I volunteer at Orlando Regional Medical Center once a week or depending every other week. Recently, some of the staff asked if my hours were almost up because they noticed volunteers I started with had already completed their assignments and were no longer volunteering. I replied "No, I'm just volunteering as a way to give back to my community". You should have seen their faces! Priceless, indeed!

My challenge to you, is even if you can't devote your time as often, always find a way to give back. I started with helping with community service through my church, we distributed food to those in need. I still volunteer with the church occasionally. Share your skills, visit the elderly, mentor a child/teenager, find the nearest food pantry and donate or more!!  A few minutes of your time can and will make a difference.

Until next time, be ready as you can be!!

http://www.foodpantries.org/ci/fl-orlando

http://www.mustardseedfla.org

http://www.orlando.va.gov

http://www.ocls.info/about/donate.asp

http://www.goodwillcfl.org

http://salvationarmyorlando.org

DIY Gift for Newlywed: Paper

It is said that the first year of marriage is traditionally symbolized by paper (modern: clock). 

About a year ago I was given the special role of "Maid of Honor" (MOH) for a close friend of mine. As a MOH, I wanted to not only fulfill all the responsibilities as the bride's right hand lady but make sure she had memorable moments beyond the day itself.

As a newlywed myself (well, 2 years now) it still brings me joy when I look at anything from our wedding day.  As a way to relive the same memories for my friend, as her 1 year anniversary approached I put together a simple yet meaningful gift.

I saved her wedding program, a copy of the speech I read (on card stock), printed a few her wedding photos along with photos we took over the yeas and created a frame. 

1. Pick a frame, I purchased a 16x20 with the mat but removed it.

2. Scissors

3. Glue ( I used the hot glue gun for the fabric and the liquid glue for the photos.)

4. Fabric (I chose a darker fabric because it wouldn't take away from the photos but gave it a nice touch.)

5. Glue the fabric to the board (make sure you are ready before you apply the hot glue, it dries fast.)

6. Turn the board and lay it flat to remove creases and cut the fabric along the edges.

7. Arrange the items and play around with them until you make good use of the space.

Once you have it arranged to your liking then apply the adhesive.

(more pictures were added)

Wish I had a photo of the final product to show, but I accidentally deleted off the iPad.

"Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are and the things you never want to lose" ~Unknown

GoodBye Korea (in Pictures)

Video created in 2009 for the friends I met and experiences while living in Korea. It was hard condensing 2 years and hundreds of pictures to a video. Though 12 mins long, it’s only a snippet of all the moments.

I began playing around and making videos/picture montages about 5 years ago. Most of them, I have only shared with family and close friends. I have decided to make them public (even the crappy ones) because I had fun putting them together, so why not show case them. Displaying my old work only encourage me to get back in to the fun of video composing and editing. Enjoy!

GoodBye Korea (in Pictures)

Five Times Over...

Set aside the Disney characters and fictional females for real women! As much as I love themes and role playing, I can see myself doing this when God blesses us with children one day. 

She is adorable!

Read more and check out Jaime's amazing work.

http://www.jaimemoorephotography.com/2013/05/09/not-just-a-girl/

Wedding Appreciation

I am finally going through wedding  photographs to pick out images for the coffee table books we are putting together for our parents. As I browse through, I am full of joy, tears and unexplainable feelings from so many unforgettable moments. One of them that I wanted to share was our appreciation ceremony. 

After God, if it weren't for our parents we wouldn't have been the individuals we are today. Therefore, it was fitting to acknowledge them on our special day. Our Pastor said a few words while we walked up to his grandmother, mother and my parents and thanked them with a small token of appreciation which was a rose. It was a special moment indeed because as they thought the Pastor was going to end the wedding ceremony, it was actually a moment for them.

Hope you enjoyed and as always remember to be as ready as you can be!

10 Signs You've Been In A Relationship Forever

Thank you BuzzFeed!

Marriage Advice from Gerald Rogers

Hello loves,

I came across this article from Gerald Rogers. which he discusses key points of what he wish he had known prior to going through his divorce. The points spoke volumes, so I felt the need to share. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 

MARRIAGE ADVICE I WISH I WOULD HAVE HAD:

Obviously, I’m not a relationship expert. But there’s something about going through divorce that gives you perspective of things you wish you would have done different… After losing a woman that I loved, and a marriage of almost 16 years, here’s the advice I wish I would have had…

1) Never stop courting. Never stop dating. NEVER EVER take that woman for granted. When you asked her to marry you, you promised to be that man that would OWN HER HEART and to fiercely protect it. This is the most important and sacred treasure you will ever be entrusted with. SHE CHOSE YOU. Never forget that, and NEVER GET LAZY in your love.

2) PROTECT YOUR OWN HEART. Just as you committed to being the protector of her heart, you must guard your own with the same vigilance. Love yourself fully, love the world openly, but there is a special place in your heart where no one must enter except for your wife. Keep that space always ready to receive her and invite her in, and refuse to let anyone or anything else enter there.

3) FALL IN LOVE OVER and OVER and OVER again. You will constantly change. You’re not the same people you were when you got married, and in five years you will not be the same person you are today. Change will come, and in that you have to re-choose each other everyday. SHE DOESN’T HAVE TO STAY WITH YOU, and if you don’t take care of her heart, she may give that heart to someone else. Always fight to win her love just as you did when you were courting her.

4) ALWAYS SEE THE BEST in her. Focus only on what you love. What you focus on will expand. If you focus on what bugs you, all you will see is reasons to be bugged. If you focus on what you love, you can’t help but be consumed by love. Focus to the point where you can no longer see anything but love.

5) IT’S NOT YOUR JOB TO CHANGE OR FIX HER… your job is to love her as she is with no expectation of her ever changing. And if she changes, love what she becomes, whether it’s what you wanted or not.

6) TAKE FULL ACCOUNTABILITY for your own emotions: It’s not your wife’s job to make you happy, and she CAN’T make you sad. You are responsible for finding your own happiness, and through that your joy will spill over into your relationship and your love.

7) NEVER BLAME your wife If you get frustrated or angry, it is only because it is triggering something inside of YOU. When you feel those feelings take time to get present and to look within and understand what it is inside of YOU that is asking to be healed. You were attracted to this woman because she was the person best suited to trigger all of your childhood wounds in the most painful way so that you could heal them… when you heal yourself, you will no longer be triggered by her, and you will wonder why you ever were.

8) Allow your woman to JUST BE. When she’s sad or upset, it’s not your job to fix it, it’s your job to HOLD HER and let her know it’s ok. Let her know that you hear her, and that she’s important and that you are that pillar on which she can always lean. The feminine spirit is about change and emotion and like a storm her emotions will roll in and out, and as you remain strong and unjudging she will trust you and open her soul to you… DON’T RUN-AWAY WHEN SHE’S UPSET. Stand present and strong and let her know you aren’t going anywhere. Listen to what she is really saying behind the words and emotion.

9) BE SILLY… don’t take yourself so damn seriously. Laugh. And make her laugh. Laughter makes everything else easier.

10) FILL HER SOUL EVERYDAY… learn her love languages and the specific ways that she feels important and validated and CHERISHED. Ask her to create a list of 10 THINGS that make her feel loved and memorize those things and make it a priority everyday to make her feel loved.

11) BE PRESENT. Give her not only your time, but your focus, your attention and your soul. Do whatever it takes to clear your head so that when you are with her you are fully WITH HER. Treat her as you would your most valuable client. She is.

12) BE WILLING TO TAKE HER SEXUALLY, to carry her away in the power of your masculine presence, to consume her and devour her with your strength, and to penetrate her to the deepest levels of her soul. Let her melt into her feminine softness as she knows she can trust you fully.

13) DON’T BE AN IDIOT…. And don’t be afraid of being one either. You will make mistakes and so will she. Try not to make too big of mistakes, and learn from the ones you do make. You’re not supposed to be perfect, just try to not be too stupid.

14) GIVE HER SPACE… The woman is so good at giving and giving, and sometimes she will need to be reminded to take time to nurture herself. Sometimes she will need to fly from your branches to go and find what feeds her soul, and if you give her that space she will come back with new songs to sing…. (okay, getting a little too poetic here, but you get the point. Tell her to take time for herself, ESPECIALLY after you have kids. She needs that space to renew and get re-centered.)

15) BE VULNERABLE… you don’t have to have it all together. Be willing to share your fear and feelings, and quick to acknowledge your mistakes.

16) BE FULLY TRANSPARENT. If you want to have trust you must be willing to share EVERYTHING… Especially those things you don’t want to share. It takes courage to fully love, and part of that courage is allowing her to love your darkness as well as your light. DROP THE MASK… If you feel like you need to wear a mask around her, and show up perfect all the time, you will never experience the full dimension of what love can be.

17) NEVER STOP GROWING TOGETHER… The stagnant pond breeds malaria, the flowing stream is always fresh and cool. Atrophy is the natural process when you stop working a muscle, just as it is for a relationship that isn’t focused on growing. Find common goals, dreams and visions to work towards.

18) DON’T WORRY ABOUT MONEY. Money is a game, find ways to work together as a team to win it. It never helps when teammates fight. Figure out ways to leverage both persons strength to win.

19) FORGIVE IMMEDIATELY and focus on the future rather than carrying weight from the past. Don’t let your history hold you hostage. Holding onto past mistakes that either you or she makes, is like a heavy anchor to your marriage and will hold you back. Forgiveness is freedom. Cut the anchor loose and always choose love.

20) ALWAYS CHOOSE LOVE. ALWAYS CHOOSE LOVE. ALWAYS CHOOSE LOVE. In the end, this is the only advice you need. If this is the guiding principle through which all your choices is governed, there is nothing that will threaten the happiness of your marriage. Love will always endure.

In the end MARRIAGE isn’t about Happily ever after. It’s about work. And a commitment to grow together and a willingness to continually invest in creating something that can endure eternity. Through that work, the happiness will come.

These are lessons I learned the hard way. These are lessons I learned too late.

But these are lessons I am learning and committed in carrying forward. Truth is, I LOVED being married, and in time, I will get married again, and when I do, I will build it with a foundation that will endure any storm and any amount of time.

MEN- THIS IS YOUR CHARGE : Commit to being an EPIC LOVER. There is no greater challenge, and no greater prize. Your woman deserves that from you.

Be the type of husband your wife can’t help but brag about.

Hello from the Caribbean!

Hello loves, I will get back to the scheduled events as soon as I get back from St. Martin. Can't wait to share and as I type this I remember that I need to share more pictures from Bora Bora. Well I am going to run back to the ocean and enjoy the remaining days of living care free. 

Unfortunately, my photos can't capture the sound of the waves or the taste of goodness but hopefully a treat on the eye. Enjoy and remember to be as ready as you can be!

All personal images!