Fun and Romance on a Budget

      Wishing for a little romance with that significant other, but can't think of anything than the typical going-to-the-movies-then-dinner date?  Having an even harder time thinking of a non-typical date and staying within a budget?  Look no further, as I found a neat website that lists 50 fun and cheap date ideas!

      I'm not saying that those dates (like the movie-then-dinner and vice versa, the grab-coffee/lunch/dinner, or the crazy-expensive-trips-to-amusement-parks, etc.) are not fun; most of them are a classic and it is the time spent together that makes it enjoyable.  But, a little variety in how to spend time together might just be as fun, if not more fun, as both parties stumble into a new (and fairly inexpensive) activity together.  Heck, it might feel like a first date.

Here's a few (untried, so not-yet-approved) ideas that I'd add to the list:

1. If you haven't done so, walk around the neighborhood and explore the little shops/parks.
2. Do chores together (like walking a pet, washing a pet, gardening, getting a haircut, washing the car, etc.)
3. Start a scrapbook storybook together.

      I hope the list inspires others to try a non-typical date activity. I'm eager to try some of them too.  Just remember, that for the date to work, both partners need to plan together to lessen the stress of having to plan everything by a lonesome self.  Good luck and may you all have fun :)

     Here's that link again:

"50 Best Fun (+ Cheap!) Date Ideas"

A Heart-Warming Birthday Gift From My Best Friend

      It's been 3 weeks since my birthday and my friend Jason showed up twice at my workplace looking for me, determined to present me with his gift.  Just before I clocked in for work, he handed me a large bag with lots of chocolates, Adventure Time gear, and a birthday card from his parents.

      8 hours of good and hard work later, it was time to go home for the night.  While I waited for Dad to pick me up, I rummaged through the goodies in the bag.  At the bottom I found a small, but thick, photo album.  It was a simple gift, but I found it to be the most sentimental one out of all of the things in the bag.

      The photo album contained notes and commentary from Jason complimenting the pictures of me, him, and others in different occasions.  His commentary were heart-felt.  Jason's creative gift is worth noting because most of us forget that it's not about the material things we receive, but the memories they capture.

      As human beings, we put sentimental value in objects because it reminds us of a special someone or occasion.  A gift like this photo album, filled with precious memories of ours, warms my heart because it wasn't a usual present.  He gave me a remembrance of how he and I felt during the moments captured in the photos he chose to include in the album.  That really is what I call crafty.

      Jason, if you're reading this, thank you very much for your present.  It is such a joy going through the album page by page.  I couldn't stop smiling and chuckling while going through the memory lane you put together.  Let's capture more pictures together as we go through life being the best a friend can ask for.
 As written on the cover of the photo album:

"We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart of which there is no duplicate.  The world is all gates, all opportunities." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

  I am glad that our paths intertwine in our respective private charts.  I hope it stays that way for a very long time.