Ok quite a soppy post for today, I’m going to be quick about it as I don’t intend to make you vomit.
Considering it’s my husbands birthday yesterday, he was the one who wanted to cheer me up and bought me these. I mean, you can’t really go wrong with flowers can you? Yep, it worked.
I know I complain about him a lot (and I do). After 5 years of marriage and 9 years of being together things aren’t always going to be rosy. But we get over it and I guess going through the rough patches makes us stronger. So I just want to say thank you for being YOU.
And on that note….
Image credit: starbuckie.tumbler.com
Happy Birthday MrB 
Ok, so Valentines Day has come and gone, and I didn’t burden my other half with too much mushiness. Being together for 8 years and married for 4, there’s only so much we can do for each other, but I’ve never been one of those peeps who constantly wonder what to get my other half on such occasions, 8 years is enough time to know what they like or don’t like, and as time go by you find out more things that interests them, hence widening the possibilities and knowing them as a person.
I remember on our anniversary when I made MrB a scrapbook of all the times that has been significant to our lives, from our first meeting, to what we had on our first date not just the nauseating romantic odes mind you, but things that we shared and found funny or momentous at the time.
About 3 years ago, 100 days before his birthday I also sent him notes, everyday for 100 days, telling him ALL the things that I love about him, things that made me laugh and also things that we have been through, good or bad. He used to look forward to it everyday though after the 50th note he was starting to complain that his drawer was getting full and it would have looked very unprofessional if he was ever in a meeting and all these little white strips of paper stared to fly off as soon as he opened his drawer. But I think secretly he loved it, and I know that he STILL have and treasure EVERY single note.
So this Valentines weekend, it was nothing too overly romantic, we go out for meals during the year, buy each other gifts when we can, so we feel that we do not have to make so much effort just for ONE DAY to show each other how much we care. Instead we went out for a meal on Saturday with my brother-in-law and his wife, which was great because we haven’t done that in a long time, or if I’m right, we haven’t done it EVER, and it’s always great spending time with them.
One thing that he got me though was this, I guess it’s better than the Star Trek Tee that he got me last week.
I <3 my geek. =)
I have been meaning to write this informative post for a while about non-UK Passport holders wishing to travel to Europe and are confused about visa policies if they are married or related to an EU citizen. After doing a little research I have found out that in some cases holders of non-British passports DO NOT need a visa in order to visit the following countries, if you meet the criteria listed below. Please note that this information is for people who are traveling to Schengen Countries from the United Kingdom ONLY.
- If you are a child (under 21) /spouse of an EU/EEA National (click here for list of EU Countries).
- You MUST be traveling together with your spouse/ family member who is an EU/EEA national.
- You must provide proof of marriage or birth (if a child of an EU/EEA National). These must be legalized and in English or translated into the official language of an EU member country.
- If you hold a “Residence Card of a Family Member of an EEA National”
- If you have been given ‘Leave to remain in the United Kingdom for an indefinite period’ stamped on your passport.
- If you are only planning a short stay in the chosen country.
List of EU countries that you do not need a visa for IF you meet the above criteria.
- Austria
- Bulgaria
- Cyprus
- Estonia
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Poland
These are the list of countries that REQUIRES visa on entry, but most of them waive the fee in accordance of producing the relevant supporting documents, proving the relationship to the EU / EEA national (spouses, descendants and dependent ascendants). Please check the official websites for detailed information, as some embassies charge an administration fee with each application. Remember that their policies also change in time so please use this a guide only.
- Belgium
- Denmark
- France
- Finland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Malta
- Norway
- Portugal
- Slovakia
- Spain
It seems like I have been inundated with tags on Facebook as well on my blog, but I don’t mind this one as it suits the occasion, being Valentines Day and all.
I was tagged by Bingkee and she’s asked me 14 reasons why I love my husband. It hasn’t been hard to find reasons why I appreciate my other half as I know for sure that he has hundreds of qualities that I love, and 14 of them I want to share with you.
I’m going to try not to be too ‘mushy’ about this, as I don’t normally like to embarrass him or myself. But it’s Valentines Day…. so what the heck!
- He is very talented, a great guitarist. I love to watch him play in his office especially when he thinks i’m not watching, he also plays songs to Sam and sings to him which makes my heart swell with pride.
- He’s a great chef, we both love cooking and I actually think that he is a better cook than me. When my family comes over he never fails to impress them with his dishes which actually makes me look pretty bad.
- He never fails to give me a hug at least once a day, and if I’m feeling down he has the time to ask what’s wrong and listens to my rantings and whining, which makes me feel that it’s ok to feel down once in a while.
- He has a wicked sense of humour, even though he acts like an idiot sometimes, he always make me and the kids roll around in laughter.
- He works very hard but his family is his priority and makes sure that he spends time with us when he can.
- He makes me feel good about myself, because he always make me feel attractive even though I have days when I just want to crawl under a rock and die.
- When we have an argument, he is not afraid to say sorry if he’s in the wrong and he makes sure that we’re OK and hates to let an argument go on for days.
- If he sees that I’m tired he helps around the house and tells me to relax while he takes over.
- He surprises me a lot, especially on birthdays, anniversaries… he never forgets a date.
- He puts up with my temper even though at times I know I’m the devil incarnated, he doesn’t make me feel bad about it.
- He brings out the best in me, and believes and encourages me in everything that I do, whether it’s any personal or career decisions that I have to make.
- I like the way he tells me nonsense and babbles on for ages at the end making no sense, but he knows that I’ll listen anyway!
- He’s a geek and a computer savvy and his knowledge for everything always impresses me.
- The fact that he is my true soul mate and how he looks forward in growing old with me… grey hairs, bad back and all!
Does your partner/husband shower you with flowers or whisper sweet nothings at every opportunity? Is he the type to take you on surprise weekends away and appreciates you as a wife or a girlfriend not just a person who picks up after his dirty drawers and someone who ‘serves’ him food on the table?
Well, if he is like anything the majority of men out there, then probably not. I guess men do have their romantic moments, and those moments would have probably been when you first got together. How the flowers and ‘I love yous’ kept coming and you would have been thinking you are the luckiest girl in the world. But as the years go on, and you become comfortable with each other, then the romance slowly fades away.
So, is romance really just about flowers, cards and weekend aways or is it just how we define it in a womans point of view? Many women I know have often complained that sometimes they just feel unappreciated. I guess this is the norm when couples have been together for a few years, daily life becomes monotonous thus making many women feeling that they have been taken for granted. We have to admit that we have been guilty of pressurizing our men to be a little more ‘romantic’. In the past I’ve made demands on my husband, and no wonder that some men resort to finding inspirational ideas just to keep us happy. But what got me is the kind of ‘advice’ that’s out there encouraging desperate men how to keep their head above water.
Here an example list that I came across which made me think maybe men shouldn’t really look on the internet for advice when it came to putting the sparkle back in your life.
- - Give her a flower for each month you have been together. Write a card (you fill in the time):”x seconds, y minutes, z months and counting. It’s been the greatest time of my life.”
- - Give her a romantic basket. Fill it with bubble bath, chocolates — whatever her favorite little treats might be. Then place notes all over the house like scavenger hunt to make her find it. At the end you can remind her, “You are my treasure.”
- - Take a Polaroid of yourself holding your breath. Stick it in her lunch or purse with a note that says, “I’m holding my breath till I see you again.”
- - Wake up early on a Saturday morning “just to cuddle.” Explain the night before: “I’m setting the alarm 20 minutes early because I’d really just like to hold you close tomorrow morning.”
- - Place a card on her steering wheel that says “You drive me crazy!”
- -Unplug the TV and leave a card on top that says “Turn me on instead.”
As I continued reading, I found myself cringing and sinking in to my chair. Who on earth thought that these things could be in anyway plausible and worst of all are there women out there who thinks these gestures can be considered romantic?
While many of us would savour the idea of our man being the next Don Juan, I would argue that constant gestures of love would leave me feeling uncomfortable and in some way smothered.
I’m not sure about you, but if my husband started to behave this way, I would certainly be very worried. Every individual interprets romance in their own way and I don’t think it can be summarized in a way that we could all agree on. From a womans point of view, I think that some of us can be too demanding, and we do expect a lot from our partners, I have spoken to many women who has constant gripes with their husbands/partners when it comes to not being romantic enough, but I can’t help but think that maybe men feel so pressurized that they really don’t know what to do or where to start. If he buys her flowers, she would suspect that he has done something wrong, and if he doesn’t then she would constantly remind him that he should, so what is a man to do? Damned if he does and damned if he don’t.
