And the Winner is… Romance

Whether it is through romantic thrillers, obstacle-filled dramatic love stories, or light-hearted romantic comedies, movies have often played a starring role in romance as a reliable date night idea.  Even though seeing a movie is common, that doesn’t mean it has to be boring.

As I contemplate how I would like to spend the weekend stretching before me, I remembered that the best films of the past year will be honored at the 87^th Academy Awards ceremony this Sunday.  This inspired me to come up with a way to incorporate the Oscars into my plans, as well as to make a few suggestions for date ideas for my readers who live in other parts of the world. (Since my husband also happens to be one of those readers, there goes any chance I had of surprising him!)

As many of you know, many of my weekends involve Walt Disney World in some way and this one is no exception.  I figured what better place to start an Academy Award-themed weekend than at Disney’s Hollywood Studios?  It just so happens there are a few special attractions there right now, including a photo opportunity with the gorgeous gold leaf carriage used in the new, live-action movie, Cinderella, which opens in three weeks.  Besides being something beautiful and fun to see, I thought the carriage would fit my theme because it is from a movie directed by an Academy Award-nominee, which also features an Oscar-winner as the wicked stepmother, and another Academy Award-nominee as the Fairy Godmother.  In addition to the carriage, Hollywood Studios is showing an extended sneak peak of Cinderella, which I think will be fun.

Next, my husband and I are going to head over to the Disney Animation building, where we are going to experience “My Oscar Moment”.  Once there, we will get to walk the red carpet and pose with an authentic Oscar statuette.  This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to have our photos taken with an actual Oscar and I think my husband and I will both get a kick out of it!

After posing with our Oscars, I’m sure we’ll be hungry, so I made a lunch reservation at The Hollywood Brown Derby.  This is one of my absolute best-loved restaurants.  The décor reflects the glamour of the Golden Age of Hollywood with walls covered with caricatures of all of the old movie stars.  After eating, we will probably go on The Great Movie Ride, which is one of my husband’s favorites.  It uses Audio-Animatronics, special effects, and projections to showcase classic films inside a building that was modeled after Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

Candy Conversation Hearts

Since that is probably enough for one day and we do have other things we need to get done, I’m going to ask my husband if he wants to wait until Sunday afternoon to go to the movie theater to watch one of the Best Picture nominees.  As I was checking the listings, I noticed that our local theater is showing the collection of the 2015 Oscar nominated Animation Shorts and a separate showing of the nominated Live Action Shorts, in addition to the individual nominated full-length films.  No matter where you live, it’s probably a safe bet that the nominated movies are being shown this weekend at a theater nearby.  Make sure you remember to hold hands and steal a kiss while you’re at it.

If you’d like to go above and beyond seeing a movie, perhaps you could plan an evening with an Academy Award winning theme.  You could dress up for a glamorous night at the Oscars complete with a dinner you make at home that matches the theme.  Believe it or not, there are all kinds of Oscar-themed recipes on the internet.  Some of the dishes go along with the nominated movie titles in amusing ways, such as Grand Budapesto Pasta, “Whiplash” Jazzy Chicken Drumsticks, and “The Imitation Game” Imitation Crab and Cucumber Salad.

If you prefer a more casual approach, you can watch the Academy Awards together and serve movie theater refreshments with a twist.  On foodnetwork.com you can find 50 different flavored popcorn recipes that will help you make your snacks something special.  Serve nachos, malted milk balls, or any of your sweetheart’s favorite movie theater foods, snuggle up under a big blanket, and share your predictions with each other about which films you think deserve to win.

If watching awards shows aren’t your thing, try playing a movie trivia game together.  In addition to numerous board games, there are also plenty of free games available on the internet.  Perhaps the winner gets a kiss.  That way, nobody loses.

If you enjoy watching movies, but don’t like to go to the theater or don’t like any of this year’s top films, consider watching classic movies that have won Academy Awards in the past.  Have an at home movie marathon of past Oscar winners that you can purchase on DVD or even check out for free from your local library.

Whatever you and your leading lady or leading man decide to do, make sure to roll out the red carpet to having fun with each other and share your stories with me at nancy.rose9@comcast.net

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A Letter and Some Movies

A romantic date at home can sometimes be a necessity.  In last week’s blog, I shared some of the favorite stay-at-home dates I have had with my husband.  There was one romantic appointment I did not share, because it was a bit different from the rest.  It was different because, unlike the other dates I described that were purely for fun, this one was actually more of a necessity.

There are several reasons why it might be essential for a couple to have a date at home.  Sometimes they must stay home because of their children.  Sometimes it is because of finances.  And sometimes it is because they are having problems in their relationship, problems that might make them feel so disconnected from one another that they don’t even really want to go out together to have fun.

Be Our Guest Bowl I ordered online that arrived damaged in the mail with a heart-shaped chip!

That was the case in my own marriage.  That was why, one Valentine’s Day, when I was struggling to come up with an idea for a gift for my husband, I decided it was more important to figure out a way for us to do something together.  This came at a time when that was just about one of the last things I really felt like doing.

I went to a local discount store and headed straight toward the DVD section.  There, I wandered around, looking at all of the movies, until I found ones that would fit the bill.  I chose some that were funny, some that were romantic, and some that were dramatic.  After making my selections, I went home, spread the DVDs out on a table, and wrote a letter to my husband, including the names of the movies in my narrative.  The movies I chose were The Grass Is Greener, The Marriage Counselor, Indiscreet, Couples Retreat, and The Bucket List.

Although I used this idea on Valentine’s Day, you can certainly do this any time.  You can also modify it, so that it doesn’t cost any money, by checking out movies from your local library or by borrowing them from friends.  Choose whatever types of movies you like and write a letter to go along with your choices.  It doesn’t matter what you write, as long as it comes from the heart, includes the titles of the movies, and has some meaning to you and your spouse.  And, of course, as long as it does something to promote romance in your relationship.  The following is what I wrote in the actual letter I gave to my husband:

Dear Greg,

I’m certain you know that I have been struggling with the temptation of the idea that The Grass Is Greener.  I have also suggested that perhaps the only one who can give us what we need is The Marriage Counselor.  But what I really believe would help us more than anything is romance.  We should be Indiscreet when it comes to being passionate, just like we were in Caneel Bay.  In fact, if we had the means, I might suggest we go off together to some vacation paradise for our very own, very private Couples Retreat.  Then, maybe I would somehow be able to get back to the overwhelming love I once felt for you.  Maybe it would last.  Maybe the two of us could spend our lives together in a great adventure in which we would check off all kinds of amazing experiences from The Bucket List.  And then we would grow old together, sit together on a porch swing, and remember the great life we had made.

After he read the letter, we spent the weekend watching the movies, laughing, cuddling, and talking.  We needed something that would help us feel reconnected and would bring a bit of romance back into our life.  And, I am happy to say, we were able to find that, right there at home.