TONIGHT, I GIVE YOU...
When my sweetie and I were celebrating his birthday for the first time together as an actual couple. We had been friends for sometime. This being a new relationship I wanted to use this as an opportunity to show how much I cared about him. I was disappointed when, while shopping, he mentioned he really wanted a pair of shoes he had been admiring. This was not the romantic present I hoped to give...plus I am a firm believer that presents should be a surprise. I decided to get the shoes and something extra that was more heartfelt. I found the perfect present. The night of his birthday I wrapped both presents. I gave him the expected present first. Then handed him a small box. Inside was a note that read:

"I searched far and wide for a present worthy of you. A present that would help you to understand how much you mean to me. I didn't find anything...so tonight I give you the only thing I own worthy of our love....tonight I give you my heart."

Beneath the note was a small green stone that had been polished in the shape of a heart. He was touched and it brought him to tears.  Years later, my sweetie still carries that heart in his pocket.
TOP SECRET LIMO RIDE
We were watching a group of teens get out of a limo on prom night and my wife mentioned she had never ridden in a limo.  So for our 18th anniversary, I sent out invitations marked TOP SECRET to several of my wife's friends who we had not seen in a while as well as some close family.  They were to meet at my brother in laws house to be picked up in a limo.  The limo would then come get my wife and I and take us to my wife's favorite restaurant.   All I told her was to be dressed and ready to go at 6:30.  Imagine her surprise when the chauffeur knocked on the door!  She thought that the limo was the surprise until he opened the door for her and friends and family were in the limo.  After dinner, we dropped off the friends and went for a romantic limo ride through downtown and along the river.  Quite a night.  She loved it!
 
And to think, all I had to do was listen to her to get ideas about what she might like to do.
ROMANCE X 2
I am writing from The Netherlands and have been thoroughly enjoying your weekly tips in your newsletters! I wish to share with you the two most romantic things that has ever been done for me. 
 
1. My boyfriend took me on a long train ride for my birthday, purposely not telling me where we were going.  We ended up in a small town and he led me to some nearby woods. As we walked, I got more and more curious and began to ask what my 'present' was. he replied, "there it is!" and I looked up to see a horse drawn carriage! There were two people dressed in long coats and capes who were driving and the hostess stepped out of the beautiful black glossy carriage with red velvet lining. She explained that we had a picnic basket for on the way and that she would await us at the castle for dinner!

We rode around for a while and when we got back at the castle, dinner had been set up with a bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice.

The idea was so original and it definitely catered to my hopeless romantic personality.

 
2. Me and my boyfriend were on holiday in Turkey and I was feeling down one night.  I told him to go down to the bar if he wanted, but I was not going to go. He left and was gone for quite some time and by the time I heard him come in, I was feeling quite angry that he had left me for so long.  I turned around to see him and he walked right up to the bed, kneeled down and recited a poem right there!  He had been away for so long, writing a poem in his mind and trying to remember it so he could recite it to me! All the anger faded and I burst into tears with happiness!
WEEK OF LOVE
Last year for Valentine's Day was also my fiancé's and my anniversary.  So, I decided to make the celebration week long, designating it the "Week of Love".  Each day, I presented her with a manila envelope.  Inside the envelope was a homemade card with subtle clues about what we were going to do that day.

Day 1: I took her to see her Stomp, a production that she had been dying to see.

Day 2: I took her to get a massage.

Day 3: I gave her directions over the phone to go get a manicure

Day 4: I gave her three boxes, each with a pair of earrings in them.  I like to buy earrings for her, and it has become something special for both of us.

Day 5: My fiancé absolutely loves to take baths.  I had her come over to a friend's apartment.  When she got there, there was a note telling her to come in.   She then followed a trail of candles to the bathroom.  There were instructions there telling her to enjoy a nice, long bath, and that I would be waiting for her afterwards in the living room to snuggle up to a good movie.

Day 6: National Celebrate Sara Day.  I contacted about 70 of my fiancé's close friends and families and had them all write her an encouraging note or letter of love.  I received tons of replies.  I gave her the bag of letters and let her sit by herself and read all of them.  When I came in afterwards, she had a multitude of tears running down her face. 

Day 7: We went to the Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant.  Our first date was with chocolate fondue, so this was very special.
FIX IT KIND OF LOVE
Acts of service is my husband's primary language of love. He is a computer genius and is very meticulous about maintaining my computer...virus scans, defrag, updates. Recently my computer was running very slow, so he scanned my hard drive, found a virus, backed up all the files that were important to me and wiped the hard drive and reinstalled everything. It took him hours. When he was done, he took a picture of himself on my web cam holding a post it note that said "Hi Honey!" on it.

He put the picture on my computer as my desk top back ground. Then stuck the post it on my monitor right on the spot where the picture of the post it was. When I came home there was the post it stuck to my monitor, but it took until I turned on my computer to figure out why it was stuck there in the first place. Maybe not the most romantic thing anyone's done for me, but he took hour fixing my computer and did a little thing extra to make me smile. The picture is still on my computer as my desktop picture.