Journey to Surrender

Yes, it’s now seriously time to get your romance on!

Valentine’s Day is a week away, and some of you are still thinking, “I’m still not sure what I’m going to do.” You’ve got plenty of time to plan something special. This post will help!

Some of you are thinking, “We don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day, anyway.” Let me suggest that this year be the year you start!

And some of you are thinking (talking mostly to husbands here), “I’m not really the romantic type.” That’s a lousy excuse for not giving your lovely wife the romance she so craves and deserves!

Read on for some great resources for the romantically impaired!


We had a great response to our Romantic Dinner Giveaway Contest! In total there were 483 entries! Thanks to all of you who “liked” my new Facebook page, followed me on Twitter, joined our mailing list, tweeted the contest, or wrote about their romantic experiences on the contest post or on my FB page.

The winner of the random number drawing is number 199.
Number 199 turned out to be:
Lindsay, whose Twitter follow entry was selected, has been contacted to claim her prize of a $75 Amex gift card. Congratulations! Enjoy dinner on me this Valentine's Day.

Now, I am happy to also announce, as a special bonus, an unadvertised consolation prize. I have decided to present an award for most diligent contestant to Eunice B, who entered the contest every way possible, including tweeting about it every single day of the contest (my apologies to her Twitter followers!). Eunice and her husband will receive a $25 gift card as my way of saying thanks for trying so hard.


If you read the memorable romantic stories that readers shared, you’ll notice that many of them were not necessarily hugely involved or expensive. You really can see in these stories the old adage that it’s the thought that counts.

So as you peruse the romantic idea web links below, keep in mind that what you really want is to convey your heart of love for your spouse. Ask yourself this question: what is the most sincere way to say “I love you” to him or her. The answer is probably not the most expensive or most elaborate of all the possibilities. It’s the one that expresses your heart.

So without further ado, here are some resources I’ve searched out and compiled for your convenience:

14 Ways to Say I Love You - The CoupleThings Blog has a great list of 14 romantic ideas split up into three parts: Part 1, Part 2  and Part 3.

Write a Love Letter - Write her (or him) a letter or card that says how much you love her (or him). Here’s a link for husbands who need a little help with how to write a love letter: one from The Art of Manliness blog.)  and one from The Generous Husband.  Something you create using your own words has much more meaning than a five dollar store-bought card.

Take Note - If writing an entire love letter is too daunting for you, try communicating your love with little notes, either passing them to her (or him)  directly during the day or leaving them stuck around  for her (or him) find.  The posts on this idea come from Romantic Act of the Day.

How Do I Love Thee - Tell her how much you want to learn to love her/him well and ask her/him to take the 5 Love Languages Assessment  with you. Talk about the results and some ways to express love that would be most meaningful.

There's an App for That - If you have an iphone, go get the Romantic Vineyard iphone App  for one or both of you. It’s free and the marriage tips and romantic questions are great.

Breakfast in Bed - Here is a post from the Generous Husband on how to go about serving a romantic breakfast, and here is a “how to” video for those who need a little more explicit instruction. Here are some recipe ideas from Real Simple  and Recipe4Living. As for what you do after you are finished dining, that's up to you.

Of course, if you have a desire to do something a little more extravagant, check out my growing list of Romantic Ideas.

Finally, I’ll leave you with this post from Marriage Gems, entitled How to Have a Special Valentine’s Day – 


So now you have no excuse not to show your spouse a little love on Valentine's Day.  Have fun planning it and, most of all, enjoy pouring your love out on one another!



Did you know that Journey to Surrender now has a Facebook page! It’s got lots of extra  marriage-related stuff like videos, links, news stories, and conversations not found on my blog. Come on over and let’s meet up!