Romantic Date Reality Show

Barbara: So we got a cool email yesterday. Looks like JD Meyers, a casting director in NYC, is looking to cast a new reality TV show to showcase romantic gestures from husband to wife. The good news? They help you put the date together. The bad? They’re having a hard time finding the guys! Mostly because their demographic is a bit older than might be on the ‘net looking to do this. JD thought we might be able to help him scout willing males.

And we thought, why not put a word in? It’s a sweet idea, we would love to be part of making a woman’s dream date come true, and we would LOVE to hear about it here if any of our blog-buddies are somehow part of this romance. Okay, bad news number two: it can’t be your husband … because it has to be a surprise! But maybe—if you’re one of our male readers, living in the States—it can be YOU, or maybe you tell a friend, or a sibling, or a dad, or whomever you think might fit the bill.

Here’s the casting notice:

CASTING NOTICE: MARRIED MEN (approx. 45-65 years old)

* Do you have a wife who you absolutely adore?

* Have you been thinking of sentimental ways to show her how much you care?

* Do you have a creative idea in mind of how you could surprise your wife?

 A NYC-based production company is conducting a national search for a romantic husband, 45-65 years old, who is wanting/planning to surprise his wife with a heart-warming gesture of love before August 1, 2012. The surprise can either mark a special occasion or be random and unexpected. The selected husband will receive help and enhancements to ensure an over-the-top and special surprise for his wife that will be filmed as part of a news segment featured on a major cable network. Perhaps the husband is giving his wife the honeymoon he couldn't afford when they first got married, or planning to replace something sentimental that was lost. Maybe he wants to give her a trip to where they first met or surprise her with a lavish (but secret) vow renewal ceremony. Whatever the case, any and all ideas for the surprise are welcome as long as they are unique, personal and sentimental in nature. The couple can be located anywhere in the US, and compensation for the couple will also be offered. Please submit the following information to jmyerscasting@gmail.com: Name, age, location, information on the couple, and a brief description of ideas for the surprise.

But let’s not stop there. Let’s talk romance for a bit. I’d love to know what your ideal romantic date is. It can be “out there”—we’re not holding anyone to making sure our crazy wishes come true—and why not let our imaginations go a little wild? Or maybe you want to share with us a romantic experience you’ve had—or heard about—that was especially unique.

As you guys know, Deb and I are very happily married. We’ve also had many lovely, romantic and special occasions with our beloveds. Of course, we can’t write anything about husbands and romance without calling back maybe our favourite post of all time: the one here where our boys told you how they felt about being married (…to us).

Okay, here’s my dream date: a long road trip through glorious scenery, great meals on outdoor patios, maybe a massage (um, by trained professionals, for both of us…), lazing in the sun.

My best romantic date memory: when I turned 30 and was pregnant with Michele, Phil secretly arranged to have my sister babysit 3-year-old Stefanie so he could whisk me away to a lodge in the country for beautiful food, a bit of hiking and canoeing, lunching on a sunny island, our own cabin in the woods, quiet, talks, sitting on Adirondack chairs in the sunset…. Wait, can my “dream date” just be that one over again (minus the pregnancy)???

Deb: Oh, Barb, as you well know, my dear friend, I can relate to this. Romance is the act of knowing in your heart what your partner wants. Romance is striving for that and failing with that. But it is trying. Always always always trying. I know from experience with friends and family that love can come at any age and romance can come at any age and any stage of life. It is there for the taking and it is there for anyone and everyone. So. Go. 

Italicized Love

Deb: When I write, I tend to lean on the emphasis devises. If you read our blog you will know this to be true. You will be hard-pressed to find more “!!!!!!!’s”  or more  “LOVE IT’s” or more “:-)‘s” if you searched the web 4EVER!!!!!

I guess I do this because it is the way I speak and the way I feel and I want this to come through in my writing.

AND for want of better vocabulary I must fall back on !!!!!!! LOVE :-)))))))))))) et al.

For today’s installation I have employed the “italicized” devise because I felt I needed to UNDERSCORE my joy.

MY HUSBAND IS HOME. :-)

We decided for career reasons that he should spend this past four weeks in L.A. I could not join him given my responsibilities at home with my Mom and Dad. We knew we could get through it and we did. And we are used to being apart. But not for a month. And what we found was this:

NO FUN.

Not a bit. Nope. Doesn’t work for us. During his away we would Skype and text and call and email and FB but it didn’t work for us.

We had to examine the why of it and in doing so discovered the reason.

DON’T WANNA.

Don’t wanna be apart. Marriage works in all sorts of ways for all sorts of people but for us people, our marriage, it doesn’t work apart.

Paul and Linda McCartney said they never spent a day apart. They were lucky. They had the means and the money to make that happen. We do not.

But what we do know is that after this away experiment we will not do it again. How many of us have to make these compromises?

What we have discovered through this period of away is the fact that despite what you have to do when you have to do it does not mean you have to do it the way you think it has to be done.

We cannot change what our life is right now. It is what it is.

We cannot change the needs of the many or the needs of the few. (special thanks for paraphrasing that quote goes to the Geek in me)

But we can change the effort. We can choose not to take the easy road and think it’s going to be livable.

Sometimes the shortest line between two points is the longest road.

From this point on we have decided that our marriage requires that we take one hundred hours to do a two hour drive.

With apologies to my husband I give you his nemesis—Sting. But in my defense, Sting nails it.

                                   

P.S. Video aside the words are the message here.

Barbara: First things first, Deb: I was under the (often embarrassed) impression that I far out-italicized/EMPHASIZED you here!! I’ve even admired your restraint for the most part for all words emphaSIZED. I hate to usurp you in any way, but I had to call it before someone else does. I mean, can I use any more question marks or exclamation marks in my stories, responses, and comments???!!! Anyway, I had to get that out of my system. I am a lover of speak-writing the italics, so clearly I hear you here.

As for the italicized love, I can only say that you made my heart pitter-patter with this post. You’ve been such a trouper this last month. If Colin is reading this: it’s true she has. This month defines Deb’s spirit. She never once complained, she filled her time, she did her thing, she had fun. Let me say that again: SHE NEVER ONCE COMPLAINED!!!! (you see what I did there—caps and italics and exclamation points) It’s only now that you are home, Colin, that she has let the damn burst and let her true feelings of missing you have their way with her. I am so happy you two are back together. The world is as it should be once again.