Halloween Every year it's a challenge to be creative and accommodating to my I'm-not-wearing-that sweetie at the same time

Years ago, there was a TV commercial for Lipton soup A child ran into the kitchen and asked his mom, who was standing over a steaming pot, "Is it soup yet

Would you marry you If you were/are single, are you the kind of person you'd be looking for and want to hook up with

Okay, I'm going to be honest This is not an entirely original idea

It was in grade school math that I first learned about reducing fractions to their lowest common denominator I hated math

The laws and regulations that govern our life are staggeringly complex No one, not even an attorney, can know them all

Remember when you and your sweetheart first met You counted the minutes until you saw him again

Gift giving can be treacherous ground but you'll have far greater success if, before you whip out your credit card, you ask yourself these questions: Does your sweetheart prefer things or experiences I could surprise my sweetheart with a Porsche and he'd say, "Why

You’ve been told it’s death to your relationship but I’m going to give you three reasons why, when done right, keeping score is good for your relationship 1

Do an Amazon search on "self-improvement" or "self-help" and you'll get a long list of books to choose from (including my book Frequent Foreplay Miles, Your Ticket to Total Intimacy) There are books on how to have better communication, better sex, more intimacy, fair fights, more fun, less conflict, a more fulfilling life, more self-confidence, more self-esteem, and so on and so on

In 1975 Paul Simon released his hit song "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" I recently looked up the lyrics and discovered something I'd failed to notice in 1975 when I was hummin' along

Touch is essential to intimacy Okay, I know you think I've just stated the obvious but I'm not talking about that kind of intimacy

Waxing poetic on the subject of love and marriage, Kahlil Gibran in The Prophet said, "Let there be spaces in your togetherness" Gibran is not suggesting that couples take an occasional breather from each other (although that might be a good idea, too)

Intimacy means being connected Sexual intimacy is physical; emotional intimacy is connection of mind, heart and spirit

"You have more butt than you need, but you have a nice shape" That's the closest my hubby Dale has come to criticizing me and to be honest, his comment was merely a verbal observation of fact

Forgiveness It's a topic we hear a lot about when it comes to marriage and relationships

Two questions: * Why do made-for-each-other love bugs butt heads, step on each others toes, and get their wires crossed * In a "discussion" with your sweetie, have you ever said something like, "Well, in my book [fill in the blank]

Dopamine Adrenalin

Marriage It's hard work

A good marriage has the attributes of friendship There's someone to zip your dress, give an opinion about what tie goes with the jacket, get aspirin for your headache, or laugh at your jokes

Hubby Dale and a guy friend sat on their boat knocking down a few beers and whiled away a lazy afternoon by listing body "ations"-urination, expectoration, perspiration, etc I tried, but failed, to imagine doing the same with a girlfriend

Private jokes Code words

Remarriage It's the "blend" setting on the Cuisinart of life

The exponential power of two It's one of the great things about being in a committed relationship

CNN recently reported that divorce has a permanently bad affect on your mental and physical health In my case, NOT getting a divorce would have been bad for my mental, and his physical, health

Keeping score can keep your relationship happy I know

"Romantic gestures" That's the search term I used while cruising the internet

Unwanted facial hair Yep, hubby Dale and I have reached that age

My friends Bob and Nancy have been together since they were old enough to crawl and share pacifiers After three kids and 35+ years of marriage, they're still stuck on each other

Until Jon stepped out on Kate and the internet practically collapsed under the weight of the chatter, I thought Jon and Kate Plus Eight was a reality show about two loving parents raising eight adorable kids Since I'm into the grandparent thing, I gave the show a no-thanks-not-interested-I'll-pass yawn

Things go wrong The oven malfunctions, the appetizer burns, and your snooty in-laws arrive to a smoke-filled house

About Marriage Intimacy Intimacy is the cornerstone of marriage and it encompasses every aspect of a relationship including the physical, emotional, and spiritual connection between two people Physical intimacy is often what sparks a relationship but what keeps the spark alive is the emotional and spiritual connection that forms over time