Corinne's Blog

I was on 43 Things.com and there was this question: *how do you know when you’re ready for a relationship, or whether you just want to be with someone to avoid being alone?*

I was in what I thought were “relationships” in the past and I found myself categorizing what kind of relationship it was going to be.
For example: The High School relationship when you think that you are going to be together for High school and you expect that you are going to try to remain together during college but you know that you are eventually going to ‘drift apart’.(aka the Strawberry Wine relationship)

Or the Summer sweetheart relationship when you know that at the end of the summer you will break up and go on your own separate ways (aka what my friend’s call the Grease Summer Lovin’ relationship).

or sadly the one night stand w/ emotional attachment where you think you’ll give the physical part of your body satisfaction with the knowledge that you may or may not have feelings for the person you are with.

It’s interesting how a person like me could see an end to my “love situations” with the opposite sex.

There was a time in my life when I believed it was normal for two people to be together for a few weeks as a couple for the benefits of being together. But that changed when I realized that i’d met someone who made it possible for me to not give our ‘loving situation’ a title.

I could see no end to what I call our relationship and I found I had no reason to move onto someone else.

Instead of making plans to accommodate the man in my life was already expected to be a part of it all. I planned to keep him in that position for as long as I could think of because he was the only man for the job.

I didn’t compare him to the people I’d been with in the past with hopes of moving on in the future to “something better” because I didn’t consider the relationship a fling or a temporary thing, it was all I knew and all I wanted to know.

I think a person knows that they want to be with someone truly in a real relationship when: even through the bad times you can see yourself being with that person or even in life transitions you know that you will surely take that person with you. When you can’t give your relationship a temporary title.

My best friend and boyfriend are one and the same and I’ve known him for almost seven years now, he’s the person in my life that I’ve had with me the longest and that I hope to keep with me longer. I have trouble determining when I fell in love with him unlike other relationships where I thought ‘I knew it right then that they were going to be mine’ there was no crazy infatuation stage before…it simply started. It did end my long time loneliness but it wasn’t because I needed that support it was because the relationship was right, true, and real.

[1:50:31 PM] Corinne Salone: are you a romantic?
[1:50:44 PM] Craig Scott McCreath: I’d like to think that i try to be at times.
[1:50:49 PM] Corinne Salone: or more realistic
[1:51:12 PM] Corinne Salone: where do you see yourself if you had to give yourself a name
[1:52:09 PM] Corinne Salone: I’d have to say that I’m a hopeless romantic
[1:52:48 PM] Craig Scott McCreath: haha, in the sims 3 I had to pick a few traits for you… that was one of them.
[1:52:55 PM] Craig Scott McCreath: I’m not too sure about myself.
[1:53:05 PM] Corinne Salone: *hopeless romantic*: This person is in love with love.They believe in fairy tales and love.They’re not to be confused as stalkers or creepy because that’s not what a hopeless romantic is. All hopeless romantics are idealists,the sentimental dreamers,the imaginative and the fanciful when you get to know them.They often live with rose colored glasses on.They make lovelook like an art form with all the romantic things they do for their special someone.
[1:53:28 PM] Corinne Salone: I want to see my sims Character
[1:53:42 PM] Corinne Salone: what have your Character and my character been doing? hmm?
[1:54:36 PM] Craig Scott McCreath: a few things ;)
[1:54:37 PM] Corinne Salone: I fail at the romantic special someone thing, I should do more romantic things to you
[1:55:41 PM] Corinne Salone: http://www.queendom.com/tests/access_page/index.htm?idRegTest=715
[1:56:59 PM] Corinne Salone: are you going to take it? I think it’s good.
[1:57:12 PM] Craig Scott McCreath: not right now, I’m with my sis. :P
[1:57:24 PM] Corinne Salone: why not? So what if Claire is there, I think you should still take it, it doesn’t make you less macho
[1:59:52 PM] Craig Scott McCreath: I’ll take it later, but I don’t have the ability to take it right now since firefox is full screen and we’re needing it to watch the show. :)
[2:00:11 PM] Craig Scott McCreath: I’ll do it later. I’m writing a note to remind me…
[2:00:32 PM] Corinne Salone: what show?
[2:00:47 PM] Craig Scott McCreath: Skins
[2:02:32 PM] Corinne Salone: wha? Since you are not taking the quiz now I decided since you’re busy I would, but there was one question that I couldn’t answer…how long have you been with your partner?…I couldn’t figure it out because I can’t decide if I want to pick as friends or as a couple? help!
[2:09:06 PM] Craig Scott McCreath: Since it’s a romance quiz i would probably guess they are referring to being together as more than friends.

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” You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love. ”
Henry Drummond

” Romance is about the little things. ”
Gregory J. Godeck

” Romance, like the rabbit at the dog track, is the elusive, fake, and never attained reward which, for the benefit and amusement of our masters, keeps us running and thinking in safe circles. ”
Beverly Jones

” When one is in love, one always begins by deceiving oneself, and one always ends by deceiving others. That is what the world calls a romance. ”
Oscar Wilde

To bask in the delights of idealized love is, in essence, to be a romantic. Hollywood, it seems, has personified romance as candlelit dinners in fancy French restaurants or giggly chases in slow-motion through daisy-filled meadows. The truth is that expressions of love and affection don’t have to be expensive or overwhelming. Holding hands, casual walks, or a simple “I love you” are those little things which can really go a long way. If you aren’t comfortable with the traditional romantic protocol, you can come up with your own ways of letting someone know how much you care. The truth is that there are no rules.

It is important to note that romance is not a component of love that appeals to everyone; nor is it necessary to keep passion alive. Passion can be stirred by simply being respectful and honest with the one you love. Whether you’re a romantic at heart or a more pragmatic lover, as long as you’re willing to put your heart and soul into a relationship there is no amount of roses, candlelit dinners or four-string quartets than can measure up or compare to that.

Romance index
83

According to your score, you are romance typified! Rose petals, poignant poetry, tall glasses of wine, touching moments, and sweet words are all loving gestures that you love to receive as well as offer. Romance is very important to you, and quite likely an aspect that you consider fundamental in relationships. Keep in mind however, that problems may arise if you are with someone who really isn’t the romantic type. If you look forward to Valentine’s Day to express your love and your partner doesn’t even acknowledge it as a special day, you might end up feeling neglected or your efforts unappreciated. Nevertheless, even if your partner isn’t as romantically inclined as you are, try to be appreciative of his/her efforts when she/he does try to woo you. Some people aren’t comfortable displaying their affection in screamingly obvious ways, but this doesn’t mean that they don’t care – they simply prefer to be more subtle. Whether it’s you or your partner who is doing the romancing, check out the ideas in the Advice section for some simple and sweet romantic gestures that aren’t tough on the wallet or too overwhelming.

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ADVICE

Romance doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive – just from the heart. Remember – it’s the little things that matter the most. Whether it’s you or your partner who is more of the romancer, check out the ideas below for some simple and sweet romantic gestures.

• Show up at your lover’s workplace and whisk her/him away for lunch or a walk.

• Put a note on the bathroom mirror promising to share an afternoon delight.

• When you are not together, call or send a message just to let your partner know that you miss him/her.

• Ride your bike or walk the distance to your significant other’s house just to see him/her for a few hours.

• Dress and/or undress each other.

• Kiss every part of your partner’s body.

• Hold hands.

• Surprise your partner with plans for a fun day-trip together.

• Go to a toy store and play like children.

• Bring your partner a treat when you pay him/her a visit.

• Get up early and make him/her breakfast in bed.

• Compliment him/her. A simple “You’re adorable” or “You’re so much fun to be with” is perfect – just make sure you mean it of course!

• Find out what your partner’s favorite dish is and surprise him/her with a home cooked meal one night.

• Find out what his/her favorite song is and request it on the radio as a dedication to him/her.

• Put together a journal of romantic quotes, poems and songs.

1. DON’T LEAVE HIM GUESSING
Guessing is fun when it comes to game shows, but Howie Mandel can’t help him when he’s trying to figure out which movie you’d like to see or what you want for your birthday. I know you girls all wish we’d just get you enough to figure it out on our own, but the truth is, guys aren’t great at reading subtle hints. So just tell your guy what you want — it will make your life easier, and he will be a lot less confused. If all you give him to go on is, “I’ll watch anything,” your guy will end up spending more time talking to Mr. Moviefone than he will hanging out with you!

2.KNOW WHEN IT’S OKAY TO LIE
Guys want you to be honest when it comes to important things, like whether you’re dating him exclusively or how far you want to go physically. But when it comes to personal things that could be sore spots, like thinking his best friend is hot or hating his mom’s cooking, he’d prefer that you tell a little white lie. You don’t have to pretend to love his hideous new shirt, but you can just say something neutral, like, “It’s okay. I like your green one better.” Guys appreciate when girls have the heart not to needlessly hurt our feelings — because yes, we do have them!

3. PICK YOUR BATTLES
No relationship is perfect, and no two people are going to agree on everything. A great girlfriend doesn’t let her pride stand in the way of letting her guy walk away from a silly argument at least thinking he got his point across (even if you still secretly disagree with him). If you’re arguing about something important to you, like your religious beliefs, then stick to your guns. But little disagreements can snowball into big fights. And nothing is sadder than having a huge fight and breaking up because he doesn’t think Grey’s Anatomy rocks and you think it’s awesome. McDreamy’s just not worth it.

4. HUMOR HIM
Stupid as it may seem, guys get worked up about things like video games and sports. The best girlfriends realize that these things really mean something to guys and affect us on an emotional level. Think about how psyched you get when you score a great bag at a killer sale. It makes your day, right? That’s how we feel when our team sinks a half-court buzzer beater. And it’s nice to have a girl who’ll cheer right along with us, whether or not she really cares what just happened.

5. GIVE HIM A BREAK
Girls will always be our main focus, but sometimes we just want to hang out with our friends. Guys are so used to being told what to do by our moms that we have it in our head that we’ll need to beg our girlfriend’s permission to see our buddies. So if your guy says, “I might hang out with the guys on Saturday night,” and you reply, “Okay, have fun!” he’ll think you’re cool. And it’ll make him want to hang out with you that much more next Saturday night!