Recounting her history with boyfriends, my friend dreamily recalled that she had split with one guy because he was almost perfect. He looked after her every need, he was kind, considerate, romantic, good-looking, and he wrote love letters!

This is one of the most corny love lines of any movie, and yet still sweet. Have you ever have a special song that had significant meaning for you and your loved one? I don’t mean necessarily that the words of the song applied to your relationship or anything, but maybe you just remember it being played at a special time, or you in some way connect it to your dating days. My husband and I had several, but there was always one particular song we claimed as ours. Every time I hear it now I am drawn back to a special date.

This is a question many single men and women would like to know the answer to. Obviously, the term “settle” has some bad connotations. It makes us think of accepting something that is less than the very best in order to avoid winding up without anything at all. After all, as the music comes to an end in a game of musical chairs, the players can’t afford to be fussy about what chair they plop down in; it’s grab a chair, ANY chair, or lose.

With the attractive, but sometimes unrealistic portrayals of love and romance we often see in books and on movie screens today, sometimes it can be hard to know where to draw the line between fantasy and reason. Does love-at-first sight exist? Maybe not, but it’s a pleasant, romantic thing to believe in whether or not its entirely realistic. Do most newly married couples today have only about a 50/50 chance of staying married?

We should never underestimate the effects of the national day of love—Valentine’s Day—on even the most unlikely of people. Case in point: my husband. Now he can be a pretty sweet guy when he wants to be; he’s been known to bring home surprise gifts, write love notes, and text poetry. He also frequently comes out with odd romantic declarations out of the blue, once for example, swearing he loved me with all the fierceness of a thousand angry ground squirrels. But on one subject my husband has remained unswervingly adamant, and that subject is Valentine’s Day.

I've heard it said that "love at first sight" exists. I disagree. I believe that chemistry at first sight or lust at first sight runs rampant in today's society, but when it comes to "true love" at first sight, I honestly believe some people have their head in the clouds. Sure, it makes for a great poem or romantic movie line or novel, but in this world of reality, even the very concept is disproved bythe very definition of love.

The music starts playing and the song is slow and rhythmic. I lean in and ask.."would you like to dance?". She smiles and says, "yes". We both stand and start walking to the dance floor. She walks in front and reaches back for my hand, which I take in mine. It amazes me that just the touch of her hand makes me smile.

by Julia Brown

If the cliche familiarity breeds contempt is starting to take shape in your relationship then you might want to try a quick and easy relationship fixer. Get you and you significant other to go to a romantic getaway that will surely get you in the mood for some much needed quality time. Here are some great romantic getaway hotspots that you and your honey can hightail to even for just the weekend.