RELATIONSHIPS

You know that scene in cheesy 80’s movies where the geeky girl is watching the football hunk come through a set of doors with what literally looks like the light of God behind him?  Well, that was me fast forward 10 years – with better skin, hair and hopefully a tad smarter after a college degree.

I may not have been in the halls of high school but rather at the gym where the aforementioned 80’s hunk goes to maintain his youthful luster.  My reasons for my gym membership are several fold – maintaining somewhat of a physique when I have a sit-all-day desk job (caveat: which I love!) and somehow trying to return my body to its 19 year old glory.  Pictures of which still hang in my apartment to remind me that it may never be that good again – crap, I’m getting old.  Then the last and final reason and ladies I know you’re with me on this, to admire from time to time the man candy that happens to be in the same vicinity.

Well for all intensive purposes I decided a week ago that it was time to take matters into my own hands when it came to asking out my “80’s hunk” who had in the recent months became my gym/weekend texting buddy.  It’s been about three months of me using five pound weights and many 3 mile runs later that have brought us together like bad lab partners in the 11^th grade. Conversation went from, “Are you using this bosu ball?”(groundbreaking…) to us sitting on the sit-up mats talking about his strenuous workouts and our weekends past. Thank god for progress – otherwise I would resort to the ditzy, “Can you help me with this machine line?” – which I can’t imagine any self-respecting girl would ever want to say to a man – ever!

So a few nights ago I got up the courage to ask the Adonis out!  I thought it was best to make small talk – wait until after a four mile run, where I am not only drenched in sweat but have a days worth of make-up running down my face and my hair in its blonde, frizzy ponytail – to make my ever so casual “let’s grab drinks” move.  As my treadmill hit the 4.0 mile mark I just about fell off the machine psyching myself out to ask a simple question.  Mind you I’m in the south where I thought chivalry wasn’t dead and a man asking out a woman was an exception to this whole female equality thing.  Call me old fashioned.

So taking one last breath while “generously” wiping off the machine with a damp towel I made my way toward his elliptical.  I figured there was no way he was getting away from me – these being stationary machines and all.  So in true female flirtation form, after a few casual questions, I brushed my hair to the side of my face and asked, “We’ll if you’re around this week we should do something – like grab drinks or dinner after a workout or whatever…” no joke, verbatim.

I guess you could say that like those 80’s movies where they write the scene where Mollie Ringwald gets into the back of the hot bad boy’s muscle car and drive off into the sunset have some validity – since the response I got was, “Ya that sounds great!  Are you going to be here Wednesday?  We can do something after our workout.”  No joke, verbatim.

So I guess the moral of the story – don’t rule out the Adonis ladies.  Maybe a push in the right direction if you both know “the mood is right” is all the guy needs.  Seemed to work out for me and who knows he may be impressed by your gumption.

February 14^th is right around the corner! That means it is time for all you couples out there to start thinking of date night ideas!  Here are a few of my personal favorite Valentine’s Day Date Do’s:

The Classic: Dinner and a romantic movie. The Vow staring Rachel   McAdams and Channing Tatum comes out on February 10^th. What better romance movie movie then a man who does everything to try and get his wife to remember and love him? 

The Edgy: If any of you are like one of the couples I know, they like to do daring and thrill seeking, adventurous activities as a couple. One way to do this on Valentine’s Day is to go Snow Boarding at Hunter Mountain for the weekend. Living Social has amazing weekend adventure deals.

The “Broke College Student”: Anyone in college, like myself, can relate to this. You go to school full time and work a part time job. Dinner and a movie can be expensive. If you and your hunny are short on cash, stay in! Cook a romantic dinner for two and cuddle up to your favorite movie.

*Remember*- Valentine’s Day is not just a holiday for couples to spend money on each other. It’s just another reason to show your loved one how much they mean to you in any way possible. If that is through gift giving or just being with the person for the night, it’s the best day to just remind your significant other how much they mean to you and to tell them, “I love you”.

Have a Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

 Images via Marie Claire, Reader's Digest

Tonight, I went and saw Crazy Stupid Love - what I thought was going to just be another rom com. And in fact, I was wrong. Although I was laughing my a*s off at Steve Carell and drooling over Ryan Gosling, I thought it was a great movie with some great meaning behind it. Of course we all know some relationships work and some don't. But I think the movie showed the audience more. When there is love, you don't want to let go.

"When you find the one, you never give up"...a legit quote from the movie.

You might think, ohhh so cliche. But I really like it. It's simple. And I thought I would share with my people. It's really not complicated. Everyone deserves their crazy stupid love and they shouldn't settle for anything less. Move on and don't look back. Usually when you reach this point, that guy or girl gave up on you. It's life and it happens every day but at least it's one step closer to the real thing.

Oh wow, DEEP.

Images via snap a booty

True or False? 90% of what you say to the people is non-verbal? True statement. You can have five times more of an effect on a person than the actual words you speak.

Here's the scoop:

The smile. It's the universal sign of acceptance and happiness. A smile that reaches the eye is a genuine smile.

Eye contact. If you catch someone looking at you from across the room, look away and then return their gaze at you again. Hm, something interesting is going on. A direct stare lasting more than a few moments can be considered aggressive or hostile.

When you talk to someone for the first time, are their pupils dilating? When a person is looking at something they are interested in, whether it is a person or an item, their pupils dilate.

Body position. A person interested will often stand with their body facing you directly, expressing they are open to you. Women will most likely play with their hair, swirl it around their finger or toss it over their shoulder. Men tend to stand straighter. Someone interested will attempt to look their best for the person they are engaged with in conversation.

Mirroring. Big sign here. You may notice that the other person is mimicking your movements or gestures. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. The person will tilt their head to the side while listening to you speak.

Obviously, this isn't the deal breaker to tell if someone is genuinely interested but it's definitely intriguing info and something to pay attention to.

Via Essortment.com

Image via StyleCaster.com