[imported_Melissa]

Leah posted this in the 5 traits thread:

there was an article in a magazine about a woman who kept a running journal each year called "remember the sweet things" and gave it to her husband every valentines day. It was little things like 'opened the door for me on our first date', etc.

She did that for 20 years.

I started one for SO yesterday after reading it. The article was incredible!

Something immediately popped into my head that would be the first item in a journal of things to remember for Jason. What would yours be?

Jason and I weren't actually together at the time. We had Riley but we weren't dating. We lived about a half-mile from each other. He had a key to my apartment so if he had Riley and needed something while I was out, he could just swing by and get it.

I wrecked my car one day on the way into work. I was hysterical. No one was hurt, but my car wasn't driveable. I had to have it towed, get a rental... I was just a major stressball that day.

A few weeks earlier I had happened to mention that one of the flavors of the day on the board at Ritter's Frozen Custard was Dreamsicle and I LOVED Dreamsicles when I was a kid.

Later in the evening of the car wreck day when I opened the freezer, there was a pint of Dreamsicle frozen custard. He snuck it in there before I got home that day.

My friend was all "He looooovvvveees you." And I was all "No way. It was just really nice. We'll always only be friends."

Yeah.

So, what's yours?

 

[BudGirl8]

I was looking at buying the house across the street from me. Scott and I had only been dating about three months but had talked about moving in together "in the future". I wasn't sure about buying and renovating a house on my own (with my neighbor and my brother's help).

Scott said "honey do what you want. I support you."

A few days later, he said something I'll never forget.

"Honey, I know I said 'in the future' but I know what I want. I want to live with you and I don't want it to be in the future. I want to live with you NOW. If you want to buy that house go ahead but can we at least consider moving in together?"

I didn't buy the house. We moved in together April 26th, in the town he lives in so he can still be a firefighter with his department he's been with since 1997.

 

[AngusFangus]

There have been a few, but this one is one of my favorites:

I had laparoscopic surgery once. Kevin and I had been married for oh, three or four years? Anyway, the surgery is outpatient, so they basically wake you up and as soon as you can potty, you're outta there. So you come home really groggy from the anesthesia.

Well, Kevin got me upstairs in bed, and he was so concerned. I was like, "Really, I'm fine, just sleepy. If I need something I can yell for you." Then I promptly passed out.

When I woke up, Kevin was sleeping at the foot of the bed. Not ON the bed, but on a hard wooden bench at the end of the bed. ??? "Honey, why are you sleeping on that bench?"

"I just wanted to be here if you needed something."

AWWWW! I am tearing up just thinking about it!

 

[Anne]

Awww, Melissa! What a sweet and thoughtful gesture!

While Mark is not the flower-y, chocolate-y kinda guy, I can honestly say that I find his daily "normal" gestures completely romantic.

However, once, when we were first dating, I took a last minute trip to Las Vegas as my best friend had planned a last minute cheezy wedding. He didn't come (I didn't invite him! ) , but he did call the hotel (Monte Carlo) and had a bottle of nice champagne delivered to my room an hour or so before the ceremony because he knew that my friend and I were getting dressed/ready in my room.

My morning ritual every day is to get out of bed, hit the shower, and then stumble out to my computer to turn it on. Every day, he gets up when I am in the shower and makes coffee. He must wait to hear me turn the shower off, because by the time I make it over to my computer, there is always a hot, steaming cup of coffee waiting for me. I love that he does this without thinking about it.

I love him so much. As a matter of fact, I think I should probably tell him so!

 

[Paddysmom]

Ohhhhhhhh! That's an easy one for me.

Before we were married and living in blissful sin, there was a night. A very cold, bone-chilling cold night in the 4 story condo where we lived together. Bloody heathens, we two. It was 1985.

I was getting the bed ready for us to tuck in... both of us shivering, it was SO cold. He went into the bedroom bath, turned the hot water tap on in the shower and the steam gradually began to fill the bedroom with warmth and fog.

In a singing voice that only a Welshman has, he began: "There'll be blue skies over, the White Cliffs of Dover..."

Oh my... I'm tearing up right now remembering that lovely scene! *sniffle*

 

[bibber]

These posts are so nice to read. Neil isn't one of those overly romantic guys either, but does nice every-day things. Like he always touches his feet to mine while we're falling asleep, or he'll turn the TV off and really listen if he knows I want to talk, or if he knows I'm nervous or sad about something he starts telling me funny stories about Sam and Bodie because he knows that makes me feel happy. There are so many little things that I don't think he knows I appreciate - a journal is a great idea.

 

[Paddysmom]

Like he always touches his feet to mine while we're falling asleep, or he'll turn the TV off and really listen if he knows I want to talk,

Oh! Oh, oh, oh! Now THAT touches my heart!

 

[YellowJakesMom]

I told John once when we were first dating about these earrings my grandmother gave me - I loved the stone but the setting was hideous for the shape, and in yellow gold *hurk* But, I didn't feel right having them reset, although I desperately wanted to wear them (I can't wear yellow gold, makes my skin react, only platnium for me). Grandma didn't know this and I've never had the heart to tell her. John snuck into my room, stole the earrings and had them reset for me in something I can wear "You can tell your Grandma you had no idea I was going to do it and she can be mad at me," he said. She didn't care anyway, thought they looked better against the bluer metal!

Really for me though it's the more day-to-day things. Like he knew I was coming to his apartment in NY this week, so he washed my favorite towel (it's a huge, soft, fluffy red one) and had it waiting for me this morning. He stocked up on the cereal and milk I like (I only drink organic milk, I'm weird like that) and left directions on how to use the 4 (!!!) remotes to turn on the TV. Or he'll email me a dog toy he thinks Jake would love, or send a pretend email to me from Jake. Those are the things that make my heart soar the most

 

[budbud]

About 10yrs ago or so when I had 2 dogs everyday as soon as I got home they each got a milkbone from their treat jar well I think it was my Birthday I opened the treat jar and inside was a small box inside a beautiful Heart Pendent I wear it today it was the first time ever he had done anything like that we had been together then for about 18yrs so I was really surprised and touched you just never know when they might do something you would never expect

 

[RebaHalle]

Not sure if it is the most romantic/thoughtful thing my SU has done, but 2 years ago when I was away for 3 days, he made an iron on transfer of my favorite picture of my dogs (avatar) and put it on a T-shirt. Not bad for someone who has been married 40 years!!!

 

[imported_gailatmsu]

I had my 21st birthday almost 3 months to the day we lost our daughter, and we had gotten pregnant with her that weekend the year before. Needless to say - not a good time for me. He knew the weekend would be hard for both of us, so he arranged to take off work for a few days. That I knew. What I didn't know is that he had planned a trip for us so we would be away from our home and have our attention focused elsewhere. He ended up taking me to Atlanta, and we went to the zoo, Six Flags, a couple of museum, etc.. We both actually ended up having fun that weekend, and I think that weekend was a turning point for me because I realized I would be okay in the long run and that it was okay to have fun again.

Also, he lets me stay home with my children without complaints.. He's always went to every ob/gyn appointment he could (he was deployed for some of them). When our boys were both in the NICU, he kept me thinking positive and sane. He has always helped me out when I needed it the most. I love Jason more than life, and I can't imagine my world without him in it. I was never as lucky as the day I met him 9 years ago.

 

[Labs4life]

I can't really answer this. I can't place a finger on one particular thing. I can come up with the thousands of wonderful things Lorri does everyday.

One of my golfing buds would call the house while I'm working on a project. Lor would call out to me and tell me to shower up, I have to golf in an hour. That's really sweet.

There would be the 100's of times work would have me travel on short notice and I have to leave for a few days. Never a dissapointing sigh or remark. It made doing my job less stressful.

Lor is the first one to roll up her sleeves and pitch in on a project. I have had a head cold for the last few days,she's bound and determined to mow the lawn for me.

She has an uncanny knack for knowing when to just relax and do nothing. I never get nagged about anything. We have tons of things we need to do and she just seems to know when to do them.

She knows when to laugh at me. Not when I'm being humorous but rather when I'm not.

I could go on and on.

 

[WeHeartLabs]

DH is Italian and very romantic. He does dozens of things every week to show me how he feels. The sweetest thing he ever did I think, was to buy me a diamond tennis bracelet after I had Jeffrey. To thank me for giving him a son. awwwww
I was on complete bed rest by the end of the pregnancy and he also cleaned the house top to bottom, scrubbed floors, toilets, vacuumed, etc.

Love what Brenda said lol...take the kids for dinner without me! haha

 

[imported_Bobbiesocks]

Probably not the most romantic thing Dan has ever done for me but still so sweet and very recent.

It was my birthday on Tuesday and he surprised me with a gorgeous jewlery box, the same one i saw and said i liked in JANUARY! He had had it all this time and not given the game away.

Awwwwwww

 

[bearsmomma]

Billy has always been a truck driver. Never home and that makes shopping very hard to do. Ive gotten used to it over the past 12 years.
Our first Christmas together was hard on him. We were in the jewelery shop picking out our wedding bands and I saw a ring that I absolutely loved. Of course we didnt spend to much time looking at it, we were there to get our wedding bands.
He kept telling me that he didnt have any time to go shopping and was very sorry. He really did beat himself up about this for a long time.
Christmas morning we got up and he said he hoped that I like his gift he didnt have much time to get it done.
Wrapped up, the best way a guy can do, was a brown teddy bear. He was about 2 feet tall and so very soft. His paws were together holding a silver looking heart. I picked it up and held it. The man looked like he wanted to cry. I smiled and we finished unwrapping gifts.
Some how the box he had stuck inside the bears arms never came out. He told me to look again and there inside was the most beautiful wrapped little box I had ever seen. My eyes got big. I unwrapped the box and there was the diamond and ruby ring I eyed a month ago in the jewelery shop. And it was my size. He said he called that shop the Mon after we had left and asked them if they could size it. Without any money in their hand they did. Of course he couldnt go in there and pay for it on the weekend cause I was with him. But every Sun for a month, he would stop in there after hours and slide an envelope of money threw the door.
I still wear that ring today. My most precious piece of jewelery I own.

 

[Chester B. Dickens]

Too numerous to count, really. But the most recent had to have been in the weeks after my knee surgery in February. Wesley's walks are my responsibility, especially the morning ones, but while I was sidelined, she got up with him at 5:15 every morning and took him out. We had weather of -50 during this period, and she never complained about it at all.

 

[Charla]

John has done so many things over the years. He's truly more thoughtful than I am.

It started before we lived together, when he took a night job delivering pizzas to save money to move me from Texas to Michigan to be with him.
He had a full time day job already.....and I know that delivering pizzas (in his late 20's) was utterly degrading to him. But he could do it every night
and make some fast money. He was exhausted from working 14 hours each day but he never complained. He socked away every dime he made deliverying pizzas, then flew to Texas and then rented a Penske truck and drove
me and all of my belongings (while towing my car behind us...lol) across the country. This will still make me cry if I think about it too much. He's a very proud man...and I cannot imagine him delivering pizzas. But
he did that because he loved me. To this day I know in my heart that John will do anything for his family....anything. That's just who he is....and I love him.

Fast forward to our 4th wedding anniversary. We went to spend a weekend alone while my mom kept our kids. John said he had to go out for a litte while but wouldn't tell me where he was going.
He came back a couple of hours later with my name tattooed on his arm...LOL.

I'm not even going to go into all the sparkly things he buys for me just because he knows I love sparkly things. But one Christmas, he got me a Wonder Woman Barbie because he knew
how much I loved Wonder Woman when I was little.

There was another time that Shanna and I had gone to spend the weekend with our mom....and we both left our kids with our husbands. When I came home, he had painted my office, dining room, bedroom and bathroom and it
all looked fantastic. I was shocked. Everything looked so nice. He just wanted to surprise me.

ETA: I almost forgot. There was that time a few years ago that he flamed the entire JL board...LOL. I'm sure that you guys (that were here at the time) didn't appreciate it too much but he just felt so bad for me.

 

[emccase]

I think the best thing was obviously the proposal and it was on my birthday. We'd gotten back to Matts place from dinner and he said I've got to grab something from the kitchen go on in the living room and sit down. Well I go in and its pretty dark just a little lamp shining. Then I look down and see the sweetest little mini daschund puppy with a ring around her collar. Matt comes in picks up the puppy and says "Happy birthday will you marry us?" We both cried, I will never forget the look on their faces, too sweet. There are of course many others but that one is my favorite.

 

[imported_Shanna]

Although there are not many big things Loren does for me... He does a bazillion little things all the time. Often thinking of how he can make things easier on me.

I suppose, odd, but thoughtful, was him jumping all over the kids for the burned dinner I served. He let them know that under no circumstances were they to complain about a dinner that I have prepared for them and that they should be thankful. He even had seconds. :-*

 

[my2labs]

the marriage proposal. he surprised me christmas eve in front of his family. he had a precious moments figurine of a boy proposing to a girl and had the ring tied to this. he got down on one knee and said that he knew i had been very patient in waiting for this and that he loved me. it was wonderful.