How to Spend Your Valentine’s Day

Christian Singles

January is coming to an end and that means Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. You might think it is too early to start buying gifts or reserving seats at a local restaurant but really, it’s not.

Whether you are the type of couple who enjoys relaxing in hot tubs, hiking up mountains or curling up and watching movies, how you spend Valentine’s Day is the most important part of the holiday (not the gift).

Don’t have anything planned for this year, yet? Here are a few suggestions from women in five different types of relationships:

The Professional Couple
Chelsea & Greg: Portland, Maine

Chelsea has been dating Greg for a year. She enjoys spending time with him, but admits that their busy schedules keep them apart more than she like. As a result, all she wants to do on Valentine’s Day is find the time to be with him.

“Greg has to work until 11:30 at night on Valentine’s Day, so I’m hoping to go to breakfast the day of,” she says. “I’m all about the fact that the thought counts, so if he made me dinner that would be perfect too!”

A College Romance
Ally & Sean: Manchester, New Hampshire

Ally met Sean in college and finds their relationship to be relaxed and “mushiness-free,” even on the most romantic day of the year.

“Since Valentine’s Day is on a Monday and we both have class, I don’t mind if we do something the weekend before or after,” Ally says. “I like to keep it simple on Valentine’s Day. A card and Reese’s Pieces would be ideal. I am hoping it’s going to be a dinner.”

The Old-Timers
George & Shelly: Denver, Colorado

George and Shelly have been married for thirty-six years. At this point in their relationship, it’s hard to come up with new gifts to buy and new places to go out for dinner.

“I don’t think there is anything George can surprise me with,” Shelly says. “I really just feel so lucky to have him around me that if we were just to light some candles and jump in our small hot tub I would be happy with that,” she laughs.

The Long-Distance Relationship
Melanie & Joey: New York City, New York

Sometimes the phone just isn’t good enough. No matter how cheap or well-equipped your telephone system is, saying “I love you” should be done in person. That is how Melanie feels, who has been dating her boyfriend Joey for five years. This year, the couple is forced to spend Valentine’s Day apart.

“I’m studying abroad in London this semester, and he is still at school in New York,” Melanie explains. “I’m hoping that he is going to surprise me and just show up on Valentine’s Day, but I understand that is a lot to ask.”

Are you in a similar situation? Well, cancel the Skype date and don’t ship your gift via Fed Ex. Instead, book the next flight, train or bus to visit your sweetheart.

Adventurous Couple
Lindsay & Matthew: Washington DC

World traveler and dedicated hiker, Lindsay spends every Valentine’s Day with her fiancé – exploring a different part of the world. This year, however, Lindsay did not schedule a trip and is curious as to what Matthew has planned.

“Valentine’s Day this year was too close to my best friend’s wedding, so we didn’t want to travel back-to-back weekends,” Lindsay explains. “I’m really hoping we follow through with our tradition and maybe hike in Shenandoah National Park nearby. Exploring new things together is really the best way to keep the ‘spark’ going,” Lindsay adds.

According to these women, spending the day together is the most important part to get right, not the gift. So there is no need to panic over what to buy your loved one; save that for their birthday.

Sylvia Rosen is an online writer with a background in newspaper journalism. She enjoys writing about dating, relationships and healthy lifestyles.

Christian Singles Online Advice

Christian Singles

If you are a Christian looking for a significant other with whom you can share your life, you might want to try online dating. There are many Christian singles online, looking for love and companionship. In the past when couples said they met online, they were questioned and their story was unique. With today’s technology, it is becoming more acceptable and much easier to find love online.

Christian singles online may want to go to dating websites that are designed just for Christians. These websites try to line couples up that not only have similar hobbies or personalities, but also have similar beliefs. If your faith is important to you, you will want someone who shares your morals.

Many of these dating websites offer free trials. You can join for free and test things out. If you do not like what you see as you browse around the site and try it out, you can cancel before you are charged. Some of the sites say that if you do not like your matches, you will get your money back. There are plenty of options for Christian singles online.

If you do not want to have to pay to find love, you can join some of the other dating sites. As long as you mention that you are a Christian, and are looking for another Christian, you should be able to find people with your values. You may get some strange comments on occasion, but if you are not easily offended, you can find people with your morals just about anywhere on the internet.

With any kind of blind dating, you will want to proceed with care. Talk with the person you meet over email for awhile before you exchange any information. If you decide to meet in person, take someone along with you or meet in a public location. You can never know for sure who you are talking to when you chat on the computer.

To Avoid Two Big Online Dating Mistakes Then Hear What I Type And Look Deeper Than My Photo

Christian Singles

Okay, so it is not official but it might as well be, meeting a potential someone online is just as hard as in the real world.  In fact, in some areas it is even harder, especially if you are one of us girls that is usually invited to bring life into the party and not because our looks bring men to the party.  I am not saying we are ugly, just that our charm comes from a combination of areas that are hard to express in a profile and picture.    In the real world, you make eye contact, say hello and basically know if you want to continue the dance or excuse yourself.  With online dating the variables are different and the interpretation is quite easy to slant.  One of the biggest online dating mistakes is in this area, interpreting what you are reading.  Most people have heard someone say “you only hear what you want to hear”, well this is cyber similar.  A person reads a profile and either thinks from those 250 words they know the person in great depth, or totally believes what they read is saying something entirely different.  When reading a profile, hear what they are saying, if he says he is not comfortable in large groups, do not hear, that taking him to your company Christmas party is not what he is talking about so that will be okay.

While I am on the subject, other online dating mistakes include the phony picture; just because it is you, does not mean it is okay to post a 10 year old picture when you had hair.  Additionally, do not send more than one icebreaking “wink” or comment such as “I am interested in you”, if I respond or “wink” back, then do not send it again, follow it up with some kind of written words.   However, do not immediately send your life story, your “how and why I hate my ex” saga, or your long list of what you expect from me and your dreams for us.  Keep it short, fun and interesting, ask me a question I will want to answer or open a door for further communication.

The ultimate mistake is made by men and women alike.  This mistake is created when you dismiss the person on the picture alone.  If you have spent the time involved to get to the picture part, then go ahead and read what they have written.  You just might not see the sparkle in their eye until you have heard what they stand for, you might have over looked the beauty in their face because you have not given yourself the chance to see the beauty they possess within.

  • The Perils of Online Dating and Talking About Broken Marriages with the New York Times (blogs.forbes.com)

Online dating background screening

Single Parent Dating

With today’s Internet age, anyone can have access to vital information about an individual. Employers can check on the background of job candidates, landlords on their potential tenants, and business entities on their vendors, suppliers, and business partners. Believe it or not, you can even make a background check also on a date you’ve been seeing before you decide on going further than plain dating.

More and more people are getting themselves into online dating to find a potential mate, partner or spouse. This essentially holds true to the busiest cities where most employees are on the go and allotting even a few minutes of their time to spend with a new acquaintance may become unsuccessful. Some people are more confident in making reports at home, for example, while waiting for a reply on the chat room. Also, there are instances when a new acquaintance at a party begins sending you e-mails almost every day showing you that he or she has interest in you. If you have mutual feelings, some type of background screening service is beneficial. Take note that when you have n enough knowledge of a new acquaintance, you may be opening yourself up to potential stalkers, thieves, sexual predators, and ex-convicts out to catch his next victim.

Don’t be fooled right away by a date’s flowering words and impressive remarks. Do your own research. There are plenty of background screening agencies that mastered the art of checking people on online dating sites. It would be best for you to check him or her out before doing moves other than dinner or movie dates.

You can find out who he or she really is by getting access of the person’s civil records, bankruptcies, tax liens, small claims judgments, previous addresses, property ownership, business ownership, aliases, relatives, neighbors, vehicle registrations, professional licenses and many more. You may find some screening companies that claim to provide you with all the information you need. This may not be the case though. There are some data that cannot be accessed though especially when they are not updated. Focus on the data you need the most. Your conversations with your date should be your basis. Whatever he or she tells you, like occupation and name, can be verified through an online dating background screening company.

  • Online Detectives Can Unmask Mr. or Ms. Wrong (nytimes.com)

Online Dating 101

Single Parent Dating

Online dating has its own rules and perils.  If the concept of online dating is new to you, this article will give you some basic information to help you successfully navigate the scene.

To start with, there are different platforms for online dating services.  The most basic is a general online dating service where you can view everyone who has posted a profile.  Samples of this type of general dating sites include FriendFinder, and Match.com.  Then there are relationship-based services that find you a match based on criteria for compatibility.  This type of service is generally for those who take dating and finding a mate more seriously such as sites like eHarmony.  Social networking sites such as Facebook and Friendster are also venues for online dating, although the emphasis is not so much for online dating as it is on networking.  Nevertheless, some users do find relationships through these sites, usually through a mutual friendship.  There are also services who match up people with similar interests.  Niche dating services aim to take advantage of common interests and commonalities such as love for horses, or a certain age group.

If you do decide to take the plunge to online dating, then it is only prudent to exercise caution.  After all, the internet is populated by people of dubious backgrounds and motivations.  Until you know a person really well, it is best to remember that when dealing with strangers, too much caution is better than none.  Here are some pointers for online dating safety.

  1. Don’t give out personal information until you are absolutely sure that the person can be trusted. Information as simple as your full name and home phone number can lead a person to retrieve your complete address.  From there, it is a short journey towards learning where you work, how much you earn, even how much your home is worth.
  2. Trust your instincts.  If something tells you not to go through with something, or you somehow feel as if you can’t let your guard down with a certain person, don’t just disregard it.  Intuition can be a powerful tool, as there are some cues that your subconscious may be picking up on without you being fully aware of it.
  3. Use a dedicated email address just for online dating.  Remember that your email address reflects your full name.  Sign up for a free email address to keep this information private.
  4. Use a cell phone or anonymous phone service for dating-related calls. The same principle applies to keeping your home phone number private, at least until you really get to know a person better.
  5. Never let your guard down.  Though some online dating services may claim to run background checks on everybody, this is not always possible.  It is rather easy for a determined criminal to go through this background checks by using simple evasive strategies.  Don’t get lulled into a false sense of security.

Online dating can pave the way for meeting the right partner.  Still, it is in your best interest to think critically before rushing into anything.  There are thousands of successful online relationships that have ended in long-term commitments such as marriage.  You have to admit though, that even more have ended in crime or disaster.

Joana Chrystal Ventura-Moises is our resident expert on frameless shower doors.  She writes regular posts for websites such as this and Plumbing Point.

Some Tips to Meet the Woman of Your Dreams

Christian Singles

Too many guys stress out over meeting women when it should be a fun and enjoyable experience. This stress stems from the fact that they really have no idea where to start or where to maximize their chances of meeting someone they can really connect with. Indeed, self improvement books and tapes can help a guy improve his inner game, but if he doesn’t have the opportunity to interact with women, what’s the use? Here are some meet single woman tips that will help you meet someone special:

1) Be clear on your expectations. What kind of relationship are you looking for? This will affect your tactics and goals. If you just want a pickup, for instance, you’ll go to different places and do different things than if you want a long term relationship.

2) Know your own interests, and go to places where women with similar interests hang out. This will help you in two ways. In the short term, it will give you conversation starters, something you two share in common and that can help you form a bond. In the long term, if things work out, you’ll be with someone who shares some of your interests.

3) Know your values, and look for a woman who shares them. You don’t want to find someone who believes the total opposite of you in money, politics, children, religion, etc. While it may be stimulating to have arguments at first with your girl, it will eventually get old.

4) The more time you spend interacting with women, the more likely you are to pick up dates and meetings. Think about it as a numbers game. If 10% of women out there are interested in going out with you, you need to meet 10 just to have that chance of meeting that one. Thus, sitting in your home all day won’t get the job done – get yourself out there.

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