Project 52: The Taulbees Visit France

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Debi Walter

Ooh La La!  Today’s post is by our dear friend Vicki Taulbee who excels at romancing her husband.  In case you missed it, we first introduced you to her on this post.  (NOTE: we now post her date the first Tuesday following the 22nd of the month).  She is doing a Passport Date once a month where she surprises her husband (Jeff) with a night to a different country.  She is quite creative, not to mention fun, fun, fun!  We know you’re going to enjoy today’s post as much as all the others. So with out further adieu – here’s Vicki:

Bonjour Mon Ami!

Yes…you guessed it, our adventures took us to France this month.

When thinking of what to plan for this date, there were so many directions that I could have gone.

  • Recreating a French Bistro at home
  • cooking a French meal together and watching a French film
  • Getting my hair done in a French Twist and getting a French manicure (Okay….maybe that one was more for me! 🙂 ).  As it turned out, we had another opportunity to actually go out for our date so this is what we did:

Once again our evening began in the dining room of our home.  I decorated the table with a white tablecloth, a map of France and some blue, white and red construction paper to reflect the national flag.  I also picked up a french baguette and goat cheese from the store and added it to the table.  Hmmmm a chilled bottle of Perrier would have been nice, but it was too late when I thought of it!

I added some french clipart to the “passport”  that I’ve used all year and presented it to my husband as he entered the dining room.  French cafe music was playing on the computer thanks to Pandora (www.pandora.com suggestions based on).  If you are not familiar with the site, its a free internet radio station that allows you to to pick your own music and makes styles or artist that you prefer.  I really like it!

After our bread and cheese appetizers, we headed out to our destination. Le Cordon Bleu has a cooking school in Orlando and within the school is a restaurant called Machon.  It’s completely student run and part of the curriculum requires cooking and serving in the restaurant.

We have never been to this restaurant or the school, so it was a totally new experience for both of us.  As it turned out, it was a great one.  It was 5-star dining at a fraction of the 5-star price.  We had a wonderful time.  Our student waitress was fantastic and ended up giving us a tour of the school.  The cakes made of blown sugar were absolutely stunning!

We talked and laughed together over dinner and ate so much great food that we ended up skipping our plans to go to a local coffee shop for French Pressed coffee and Le Choco Fondant ( a fancy French name for brownies!).

Don’t you love the opportunity to experience new things with your spouse?  What a blessing to have each other!

…….and yes, we did end the night with some sweet smooches (in keeping with the theme of course! 🙂

Pepe le peu

Until next month,
Au Revoir!

Vicki

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Project 52 is the idea we discovered at the Simply Modern Mom blog.  It’s basically choosing to date your spouse one creative date at a time.  It’s not too late to join.  Simply click on the button below for all the details.

Posted in Creative Dates, Date Night Ideas, Dating Your Spouse, Dinner Dates, Project 52, romancing your husband | 3 Comments

Mark Your Calendar: Dog Days of Summer

Posted on July 26, 2010 by Tom and Debi

Artwork by Evelyn Patrick

We are full blown into the Dog Days of Summer.  This name was given because of the constellations which appear brilliantly in the night sky during the summer months look just like dogs when connected together.  The days are hot, steamy and long.  What often happens this time of year is a blanket of lethargy cloaks itself over us leading to laziness and complaining about all kinds of things.  We, like dogs, howl at the moon wishing for cooler weather!

A Puritan writer who was purposing to grow in contentment purposed to not do several things.  At the top of his list was this resolve:  Never complain about the weather!

Ouch!

Living in Central Florida, this is quite a regular complaint in our hearts!  So how can we change?  By purposing to be grateful to God for life, love and air conditioning!  We are rich in many ways, let’s not allow the temperature outside to dictate our mood on the inside.  In times like these it’s best to push forward and plan something!  That’s where our calendar comes in!  If you don’t live around here – do a Google search for something out of the ordinary that you can do this coming week.  It may just make your marriage sizzle again, and then maybe it won’t feel so hot outside!   🙂

CENTRAL

  • Downtown – On Saturday, July 31st and Sunday, August 1st, receive FREE admission to the Orange County Regional History Center.  Hours are 10a to 5p. on Sat. and 12p – 5p Sunday.
  • Wildside BBQ and Grill in Thornton Park hosts The Jim Young Jazz Project on Saturday, July 31st at 8p.
  • Winter Park – Enzian Theatre is presenting a FREE showing of Back to the Future on Thursday, July 29th at 3p.  Or for $5 you can see it on Saturday, July 31st at 12:30p.
  • Rockin’ Lake Eola – Friday, July 30th from 5p -11p.  This week’s band is James Boyd Band, and Andrew Beselica.

NORTH

  • Altamonte Springs – Uptown Altamonte presents Friday Night Live.  On July 30th from 8p – 10p. Charlie DeChant will perform at the Eddie Rose Ampitheater.

EAST

  • Waterford Lakes – Farmers Market on Saturday, July 31st from 8a – 1p. FREE.

SOUTH

  • Limousine Scavenger Hunt – Saturday, July 31st starting at 5:30p until 1a.  Form teams of 8 to compete against other teams as you travel around Orlando answering clues and gathering tips.  $60pp.

WEST

Ladies – this is the final week for our challenge.  E-mail me your entries by Saturday, July 31st, (theromanticvineyart@gmail.com).  I can’t wait to see what you’ve done!!!  Husbands, you shouldn’t have any idea what we’re talking about!  🙂

Posted in Date Night Ideas, Mark Your Calendars (time sensitive) | Comments Off on Mark Your Calendar: Dog Days of Summer

Freebie Friday: National Observances

Posted on July 23, 2010 by Tom and Debi

It’s fun to browse through the long list of National Observance days to get fresh ideas for a creative date or romantic plans. Some are quite funny; others are downright ridiculous.  In either case, you’re sure to be entertained just reading the list!

Here are a few we’ve selected for the month of July – and you thought we only had Independence Day!

  • Anti-Boredom Month – Great advice: no matter what your age, stay curious, use your head, commit to learning one new thing every day, and always remember…when you say that you’re bored, others might just think you’re boring! (excerpt by Michael de Jong)
  • National Blueberry Month
  • National Hot Dog Month
  • National Ice Cream Month
  • National Picnic Month
  • National Recreation Month – practice “re-creating” or you could play tennis!  😉

Or if you want to choose a specific day to celebrate in any given month – there is most likely a National Observance attached to it.  Here are the dates left in this month that may or may not trigger a romantic idea:

July 23rd – Ice Cream Cone Introduced in 1904 – make your own waffles and roll them up to hold ice cream like they did at the World’s Fair.

July 24th – Amelia Earhart Day – Spend an evening at the airport watching the planes land.  Since Miss Earhart was never found, you might want to play a game of hide and go seek in your own home after dark.  Turn off all the lights and look for your spouse using only a flashlight…or forget the flashlight and feel your way! 🙂

July 27th – Bugs Bunny’s Birthday (First debuted in cartoons in 1940) – spend an evening reliving your favorite childhood memories.  Did you know you can buy your favorite candy from the decade you were a child?  Check it out HERE! Or you could go the more healthy route and eat carrots while playing doctor (Uh? What’s Up Doc?), a playful way to celebrate this famous rabbit’s birthday.  Can you believe he’ll be 70 years old!

July 28th – First Fingerprint Taken – Care for your spouse’s hands by massaging them yourself.  Finish by kissing each finger(print).  You could also try your hands at fingerpainting on each other with pudding.


July 29th – National Lasagna Day – Bake your own version as a surprise, or if you both like to cook do this one together.

July 30th – National Cheesecake Day – Buy one to enjoy at home, or go out for dessert and coffee, tea or thee!

These may be the official Dog Days of Summer (July 3 – August 11) – but who says they can’t be romantic!  Have a hot weekend celebrating, well – we’re sure you’ll think of something!

P.S. Ladies – don’t forget our July Sparkle Challenge is nearing the end.  Simply follow the link for all the details, and be sure to let us know if you’re planning to submit your challenge.  We’ve already started receiving some very creative dates!

Posted in Cheap Dates, Creative Dates, Date Night Ideas, Dating Your Spouse, Freebie Friday, Fun Dates, Summer Sizzlin' Dates, Unique Dates | Tagged , | 2 Comments

7 Links From Our Heart for Marriage

Posted on July 21, 2010 by Tom and Debi

We love a challenge – challenges cause you to stretch yourself in ways you didn’t know you could.  Some are physical, some are mental and some are from the heart.  The following challenge is definitely from our heart to yours:

We have been challenged by Darren Rowse with Problogger to participate in the 7 Link Challenge.  This is basically posting 7 separate links to previous posts on our blog that fit the challenge.  So, for your benefit and ours we have decided to take part.  We hope you’ll find it fun, interesting and most of all helpful, as YOU are the reason we blog at all!  We love hearing your thoughts, so after following the links to our previous posts take a minute to comment!  We promise to read every one of them, and to comment back to you as well.

  1. Our first post – Our first post was on November 12, 2008.  It is titled “Bienvenue (Welcome) to Our Vineyard!”, and you’ll quickly see how our Vineyard has grown since its humble planting.  We originally thought we were blogging in order to make available date night ideas for our friends who often ask us for ideas.  We had no idea the widespread interest there would be in our Vineyard.  This post generated 36 hits.
  2. A post we enjoyed writing the most – Somehow it’s the everyday moments when God comes in and highlights something for you that would normally be missed that have come to mean the most to us.  My post All The Difference was one of those moments.  Tom’s post Where Are We Going, is a representation of his passion for our marriage.  He didn’t just write this – he lives it!
  3. A post which had a great discussion – Discussions aren’t usually a strong part of our blog, but comments are.  This post titled, Perfect “Time”-ing, had several comments that were encouraging to us.
  4. A post on someone else’s blog that we wish we’d written – Oh this one is easy!  We have enjoyed The Marry Blogger.  Stu and his wife speak words of Truth and encouragement consistently giving credibility to their blog, IOHO.  The post titled, How Your Marriage Is Like A Wedding Cake, takes a familiar object and paints a beautiful picture of what a healthy marriage should look like.  We promise you’ll never look at a wedding cake the same way again!
  5. Our most helpful post – If it’s based on popularity, we would have to say it’s Rainy Date Ideas.  Living in the Sunshine State you might be surprised to know we get lots of rain, unexpected downpours that can ruin plans for a night out.  Thus, this post.  It has proven to be quite helpful!
  6. A post with a title we are proud of – There is something about love that has lasted decades that is worth showcasing.  We recently heard it said, “Old love doesn’t have to get old!” We especially like this title – Old Vines Make The Best Wines.
  7. A post that we wish more people had read – Since we posted this the first week of our blog, not many have read it.  The post is titled, Making Date Nights Meaningful, and it offers tips for how to make the most of a night out (or in), whatever your plans.  There is also a poll to take, which we would love for you to do in order to add to our results.

I remember hitting a huge pothole in the road of our life, feeling unromantic and wondering why we were attempting to write about romance in marriage in the first place.  This post: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly was what I realized through it all.  And it cemented the reason why we blog – to share with you who we are and what God has done in spite of it all!  Thank you for taking part in our journey!

Through The Grapevine: So, is there a post that has been particularly helpful to you?  Won’t you share it with us?  We’d love to hear!

Posted in Christian Marriage, Purpose, Romance in Marriage | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Project 52: 30 Minutes To A Memory

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Debi Walter

Have you ever thought how light affects romance?  Think of it – a dimly lit restaurant invites lovers to come in and sit a spell as opposed to a vibrant, brightly lit restaurant that causes even the slowest eater to shovel down their dinner in a hurry.

This week Tom took me to a wedding of a dear friend.  It happened to be on my birthday and in another state, so this date was NOT a normal one by any means.  But there was a moment within this extraordinary evening when I felt as if Tom and I were all alone enjoying a special date he had planned without the 200 guests in the background.

After dinner Tom took my hand and led me out onto the terrace overlooking the beautiful golf course.  The sun had just set shedding romantic light across the landscape.  The flowers in Michigan are in full bloom – hydrangeas, dahlias and daisies.  I had my camera and was taking lots of pictures, when Tom pointed to a very special light on the lawn – lightening bugs!  You see, we don’t have them in Florida, so I marvel at these little bugs whenever I can.  What impresses me is that they are happy to fly, letting their light shine as they go about doing what they do.  It is simple, yet so inspiring, begging the question: Do I enjoy letting my light shine so freely?

We sat on a low wall together trying to get a closer look.  I realized how much Tom loves me by his willingness to share this simple moment with me.  I’m sure examining lightning bugs isn’t high on his list of most romantic things to do – yet there he was.  He said he enjoys watching me enjoy God’s creation.

I smiled.

I kept trying to get a closer look, even capture it on camera – but they kept a safe distance.

As we were heading to the door ready to reenter the wedding reception – Tom noticed a lightning bug nearby!  With a quick move he captured it in his hand!

Really?  I was amazed and excited to finally see one up close.  Not only this, but I caught the moment on video.

We all lead busy lives.  We often have to forgo dates in order to attend this event or that meeting, but in the midst of it all – there are romantic moments not to be missed.

We took 30 minutes and created a memory that will forever be special to us and very romantic to me!

NOTE:  Project 52 is a year long challenge originated by Simply Modern Mom’s blog.  It’s not too late to join this goal of romancing your spouse one date at a time.  Click the button below for all the details:

Posted in Date Night Ideas, Project 52, Sunset Dates | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Mark Your Calendar

Posted on July 19, 2010 by Tom and Debi

First we want to remind the ladies to check out our July Sparkle Challenge – time is ticking away.

Photography by MonAmour

Secondly, we want to share with you the amazing weekend we had – we attended the wedding of a dear friend in Detroit, Michigan.  It was a quick trip to witness the vows of a lifetime – actually THEIR lifetime!  We never tire of being there for friends and family, and we take our presence seriously in helping to see them uphold these vows in the years to come.  What a privilege it is to watch God take two completely different people and unite them into “one flesh”.  It’s a miracle!

Who witnessed your wedding?  Are they still involved in your lives?  Do they help you remember those words you promised so long ago?  If they do, count yourself blessed!  In this day and age having friends such as these are rare indeed and worth emulating.

Now on to what’s happening around town this week:

CENTRAL

  • Winter Park Playhouse presents “An Evening with Mark Twain” featuring Michael Edwards.  Performances begin Friday, July 23rd and run through August 1st.  Showtimes vary – all tickets are $25.

NORTH

  • Altamonte Springs – Uptown Altamonte – Friday Night Live on July 23rd from 8p -10p.  This week the music of Willtown will fill the air!  The event is FREE.

EAST

  • Waterford Lakes – This outdoor shopping plaza has many great restaurants from which to choose.  After wards enjoy strolling through the many shops.

SOUTH

  • Universal Studios – Hard Rock Live presents Weird Al Yankovic on Wednesday, July 21st at 8p.  Tickets are $35.
  • Bok Tower Gardens – Saturday, July 24th presents Live at the Gardens! Tammerlin.  Concert is at 7:30p and tickets cost $20.

WEST

  • Clermont – Lakeridge Winery presents the Summer Concert Series on Saturday, July 24th from 1p – 4p.  FREE
  • Eustis – Downtown Cruise-In on Saturday, July 24th.  If you enjoy classic cars – this event welcomes over 250 different styles to see and admire.  You may want to take in a local restaurant for dinner.  Check out the many venues available in this historic town.
  • Mount Dora – it’s always fun to explore a smaller town for a dinner and an evening stroll.  Here is a list of the restaurants in downtown Mt. Dora.
Posted in Date Night Ideas, Mark Your Calendars (time sensitive) | 1 Comment

Freebie Friday: Fresh Motivation

Posted on July 16, 2010 by Tom and Debi

We have discovered many great blogs on the internet devoted to strengthening marriages for God’s glory.  We have become virtual friends with some of them, sharing the same passion for the covenant love of marriage. They excel in providing fresh motivation to keep our home fires burning.  Here is a short list of blogs we recommend for you to check out when you can:

And finally we want to highlight one blog in particular:

Lori Lowe, with Marriage Gems introduced us to a new song on her post yesterday that is soon to be released by Andrew Peterson.  It’s about celebrating 15 years of marriage, but the message speaks to all of us.  I, (Debi), just finished watching it for the first time, and the tears flowed realizing the Truth he has so creatively captured in song.  We think this will encouraged you to continue, “Dancing In The Minefields”, as the title of the song so aptly describes marriage.  Here is one verse:

We bear the light of the Son of Man, so there’s nothing left to fear

So I’ll walk with you in the Shadowlands ’til the shadows disappear

Cause He promised not to leave us and His promises are true.

So in the face of all this chaos, baby, I can dance with you.

Enjoy the song and be sure to watch it to the end – the last part is the best! Have a great weekend whether you’re sailing or dancing!

Posted in Celebrations, Christian Marriage, Freebie Friday, Growing Strong Marriages, Music | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Project 52: Wildside and Lakeside

Posted on July 14, 2010 by Debi Walter

Don’t Forget the Sparkle Challenge for the Wives!  Time is ticking and you certainly don’t want to miss this chance.  For what?  Click here (no husbands, please!) to find out!

____________________________________________________

Our date this week started later than usual because we had a homeowners meeting we needed to attend.  Kindly, they let us talk about our project first, so we could leave.  Knowing our date was going to be delayed, Tom prepared an appetizer plate for us to enjoy before the meeting; it was so good.  I think mostly because he made it!

Once we got in our car it was obvious Tom knew where we were going!  I love it when he makes plans ahead of time (NOTE TO HUSBANDS:  Wives love a date where the question isn’t asked as you get in the car, “So, where do you want to go?”)  Our first stop?  Dinner at Wildside BBQ in Thornton Park near downtown.  It was surprisingly nice outside, so we chose a table on the terrace.  From our position we could see Lake Eola and noticed the fountain was working again.  🙂

After dinner we took a walk around the block to check out more options for future date nights.  This is the lake where Tom took me on our first date in June of 1978.

How the area has changed;  Most obvious is the skyline, it has probably tripled in size.  The park has been refurbished with luscious plants, lighted walkways, bridges over bubbling fountains, and police officers on bicycles providing a sense of security.  The fountain, too, has changed.  It recently was rebuilt after being struck by lightening, and it no longer changes colors.  The various colors are still there, but now they stay steady. My first thought was I didn’t like the change!

From there we talked about how WE have changed!  32 years have passed; we have three grown children; we have four grandchildren; we have learned what it means to have plenty and what it means to be in want.  In all ways, God has been faithful to us through the seasons we have walked.

I shared with Tom my aversion for change; simply put – I don’t like it!  He encouraged me how change has been one way God helps us let go of holding onto things in this life that won’t matter for eternity.  The older we grow the more we long for Heaven.  He was leading me by sharing Truth with me, helping me to not only accept change, but to welcome it!

We walked around the lake while we talked of the seasons of life we’ve been through, and the seasons still left to come.  One thing is certain – seasons are good!  They are ordained by God for rich growth both personally and in our relationship.  He uses the sunshine as well as the storms to help us, and by His grace we have learned much.  Through the changes we have become steady – Wow! Just like the lights of the fountain! Suddenly, I see the fountain in a new light, and I realize the change is good!

Through The Grapevine: What season are you facing?  Is it harsh or pleasant?  How is God helping you walk?  Have you talked together about the changes?  We would love to hear from you!

If you would like to join the Project 52 Challenge simply click the button below for all the details.  We’re over halfway through the year with this fun challenge, but it’s never too late to start romancing your spouse one date at a time!

Posted in Date Night Ideas, Project 52 | Comments Off on Project 52: Wildside and Lakeside

Slices

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Tom and Debi

Photograph by Mon Amour Photography

Thank You God, for giving our love LIFE!

Do you remember the first moment you went from “us two” to “we three”?  We’d love to hear about it!

Posted in Slices | Tagged | 1 Comment

Mark Your Calendar

Posted on July 12, 2010 by Tom and Debi

It’s the 12th of July and time to announce the winner of our monthly prize!  First of all, we want to thank those of you who took the time to comment by sharing with us the number of years you’ve enjoyed being together as husband and wife!  FYI, There is a combined total of 236.5 years of marriage listed on Friday’s post.  Isn’t God good?

And now…the winner is:

~  CRAIG HAWKINS ~

Congratulations, Craig!  We will be contacting you to find out your favorite restaurant.  For those of you who didn’t win, but still would like to plan something special with your spouse – below is a sampling of what’s happening around town. Have a great week!

CENTRAL

NORTH

  • Altamonte Springs – Uptown Altamonte – Friday Night Live on July 16th from 8p.  – 10p.  This week the concert will be by Rico Monaco & Sol Sons.
  • Altamonte Springs – Jazz Jams Uptown – Saturday, July 17th at Cranes Roost Park from 7p. to 10p.  There will be lots of food and music to dance the night away!
  • Mt. Dora – Ice House Theatre presents Bye Bye Birdie starting Friday, July 16th through August 8th.  Performances are on Thursday through Sunday with varying times.  Tickets vary as well – check website for details.
  • Deland – Tropical Nights on Friday, July 16th from 6p – 9p.  FREE.

EAST

  • Cocoa Beach – Indian River Cruises are available year round.  They offer a variety of options and price ranges.  This would be a romantic date for a special celebration like birthday, anniversary or proposal – if you’re thinking of asking the question!  🙂

SOUTH

  • Universal’s City Walk offers Karaoke with a Twist at the Rising Star Karaoke Bar.  Come share your talent with a live band and back-up singers.  A great way to seranade your spouse!

WEST

  • Clermont – Lakeridge Winery presents the Summer Music Series on Saturday, July 17th from 1p – 4p.  FREE.
Posted in Contests, Date Night Ideas, Mark Your Calendars (time sensitive) | 1 Comment

Freebie Friday: Two For You

Posted on July 9, 2010 by Tom and Debi

We would like to remind all the wives of our Sparkle Summer Challenge.  It’s true most women love things that Sparkle – so we’re offering a challenge to help you add some bling to your marriage! You’ll find the link under the Wives Only Room tab.

Now for the two Freebies we have to share this week:

  • First of all, did you know today is “Cow Appreciation Day” at Chick-Fil-A?  Simply dress in full costume to receive a free meal – or dress partially like a cow to receive a free sandwich.
  • Secondly, Monday is the 12th and our monthly give away on the blog.  The prize is a $25 gift card to a restaurant of your choice.  All you have to do to get your name in the drawing is comment to this post with your name and the number of years you’ve been married.  You can double your chances of winning by sharing this post on Facebook.  Once you do, comment a second time to this post that you did.  That’s it!  We’ll announce the winner in Monday’s post.  This is our way of providing one free date night to one of you as a blessing and to thank you for being a part of our Vineyard!

Journey has written a song titled After All These Years – enjoy this video, and thank God for the years you’ve had so far!  Have a great weekend!

Posted in Contests, Freebie Friday | 31 Comments

Slices

Posted on July 7, 2010 by Debi Walter

Soggy 4th - Rained Out

Today’s Slice brings up this idea in marriage:  Even the best made plans are subject to the “weather”.  The only “whether” we can control is “whether” or NOT we’ll let it spoil our date.

Have you ever had the weather dictate whether or not you had a good time?  Tell us about it!

Posted in Slices | 1 Comment

You’ll Never Know What You’ve Missed!

Posted on July 6, 2010 by Debi Walter

Renoir Women

I recently had a conversation with someone who has been married for decades – like us – yet romancing each other was not something they had practiced.  Their marriage was strong; their love genuine.  She struggles with blogs like ours because starting to date her spouse romantically feels awkward when it has never been a part of their relationship.

This has caused us to think long and hard about why we do what we do.  Dates are not necessary for a strong, successful marriage.  Dating is a fairly new concept in the scope of world history.  Couples don’t have to romance each other in order for their love to last.  We’ve seen it time and time again, so why do it?

Old Fort House Museum

Imagine a beautiful home a husband and wife have lived in for years – it’s comfortable and exactly how they want it to be for it suits their every need; there is a kitchen to provide nourishment; there is a bedroom for rest and relaxation; there are other bedrooms to provide a place for the children born to them to learn and grow in safety; there are bathrooms for the necessities of life.  They have memories here of a life they’ve built together.

One day as the wife is cleaning in her predictable routine she happens upon a door she had never noticed.  It had been there all along, but it blended into the walls from lack of use.  She turned the knob with great trepidation, not sure what she would find.  The door creaked as she pushed it open all the way.  There were stairs descending down into the unknown space.  All she could see was a lone light bulb with a pull string offering hope in the darkness.  She stretched on her tip toes to reach it as the board beneath her gave way.  Fear gripped her heart as she grabbed hold of the string before falling down the three steps to the cold floor.

She lay unconscious for only a few minutes, but when her eyes opened she thought she must still be dreaming!  For the room upon which she had awkwardly stumbled  was filled with treasures – unbelievable riches!  The sparkle of the gold reflecting off the light bulb was like the sun shining on a clear day.  She had found a rich treasure in her home she never knew was there.

The Amber Room

This metaphor is how we see romance in marriage.  It is a rich treasure waiting to be discovered.  It is certainly not necessary for a marriage to succeed – our love is built on so much more than how we feel!  It’s a choice we make everyday.  But if the treasure is there – why not use it?  Whether you are just opening the door to this glorious room and you feel awkward, not sure of what you’ll discover, or you have been in this room for years, and have even set up your bedroom amongst the treasure, the point is to discover!  Many couples try to turn on the light, but when they stumble down the stairs – rather than pushing through the challenge, they close the door and decide what they have is enough.

Don’t settle in your relationship when there is rich treasure to be found.  If this is new to you we offer these simple guidelines to get you started:

  • Open The Door: Talk to your spouse about what romance is and isn’t – tell them how you see it and find out how they see it.  This is very important and the first step in opening the door.
  • Descend The Stairs: Ask them what things you could do to make them feel more loved.
  • Turn On The Light: Plan a date together or plan a surprise from the many ideas found on our blog.  This is the most purposeful part of change – you have to DO something in order for the light to come on.  It may be awkward, you may even fall down – but you’ll never know what you’re missing if you stay in the dark.
  • Gather The Treasure: As you begin discovering the joy there is to be found in romancing your spouse, it will feel as if you’ve come into vast treasure.  Once invested it will provide great dividends for as long as you both shall live!

There are no limits to the joy and intimacy stored up for you – it is an endless room that will take a lifetime to explore.  So whether you’ve just discovered the hidden door or you’ve worked your way halfway through the treasure – ENJOY! If you don’t, you’ll never know what you’ve missed!

“My beloved put his hand to the latch, and my heart was thrilled within me.”  Song of Solomon 5:4

Posted in Date Night Ideas | 3 Comments

Mark Your Calendar

Posted on July 5, 2010 by Tom and Debi

We hope you have had an enjoyable weekend celebrating our nation’s birthday!  There’s something very romantic about watching fireworks light up the night sky.  We started to spend the evening watching the fireworks in Sanford, but the rain chased us away! Instead we came home and watched a spectacular display of fireworks on television in New York Harbor.  Our favorite song was The Battle Hymn of the Republic – the cry of our hearts for our nation.

In case you missed it last week, we have an exciting challenge for the Wives who read our blog – check it out in the Wives Only Room!  Let us know what you think!

Now for what’s happening in our area:

CENTRAL

  • Winter Park – Popcorn Flicks in the Park on Thursday, July 8th from 8p – 10p.  This month’s feature presentation is Men In Black.  As always – the movie and the popcorn are FREE.
  • Winter Park Playhouse – My Favs, by Andrea Canny on Friday, July 9th beginning at 7:30p.  A night of Andrea’s favorite songs and stories.  Tickets $15.
  • College Park – Farmer’s Market on Thursday, July 8th from 5p – 9p.  FREE.
  • Lake Eola – Rockin’ Lake Eola on Friday, July 9th beginning at 5p.  FREE

NORTH

  • Altamonte Springs – Uptown Open Mic Night on Thursday, July 8th from 7p – 9p.  Sponsored by First Baptist Church of Altamonte Springs.
  • Altamonte Sprigs – Uptown presents Friday Night Live Unplugged.  On Friday, July 9th Matt Shenk will be performing from 8p – 10p.  FREE.
  • Altamonte Springs – Uptown Sunset Cinema on Saturday, July 10th beginning at 8p.  Enjoy a family friendly movie outside under the stars.  FREE.
  • Sanford – Alive After 5 International Night on Thursday, July 8th from 5p to 8p.  $7 admission.

EAST

  • Harry P. Leu Gardens – In honor of Independence Day the gardens will be FREE all day Monday, July 5th.
  • Daytona Beach Bandshell – presents the Summer Concert Series on Saturday, July 10th from 7p – 10p.  The featured band is Docs of Dixie (dixieland).  Cost is FREE.

SOUTH

  • Pointe Orlando – is offering dining specials at several restaurants from July 1st through September 30th.  The prixe fixe dining program is called Savor The Summer.  Prices range from $15 – $30.

WEST

  • Clermont – Summer Music Series at the Lakeridge Winery on Saturday, July 10th at 1p.  Admission FREE.
Posted in Date Night Ideas | Comments Off on Mark Your Calendar

Freebie Friday: Sparkle for Your Man

Posted on July 2, 2010 by Debi Walter
This post is for the Wives Only – so we’d appreciate it if the guys would let us have this post to ourselves! Feel free to take some time to visit the Husbands Only Room.  Merci beau coupe!
Ladies, as you all know today marks the beginning of the 4th of July weekend of celebrations, and The Romantic Vineyard has come up with a great way to help you add some “Sparkle” to your marriage.   After reading this post, be sure to visit the Wives Only Room to get details on a fun July Challenge we’ve set up just for you and your man!
We are so excited to share with you today a blog that will inspire you to new heights of creativity in romancing your husband.  We are thrilled to introduce to you Lisa of the Dating Divas Blog:

Lisa P. of The Dating Divas blog

Remember when you were dating your husband….before he was your husband?!?  All those exciting feelings you had every time he came to pick you up to go on a date. The way he would tell you were beautiful and then grab your hand as you walked out the door.  We all want that feeling every day we are with our man.  But let’s face it, life gets in the way. Then before you know it, you are trying to find time to fit in your husband, kids, work, or whatever challenges you may have into your life.  Why not put more of a focus on your marriage, after all, it is the reason you have a family!  The Dating Divas blog helps to recreate all those feelings you had back when you were dating. My name is Lisa and I am a part of this blog.  A little about us Dahling girls’…The Dating Divas is a 12-member blogging team that loves dating our husbands.  We have a lot of fun coming up with original, inexpensive, and fun dating ideas to do just that!  We love what we do and it shows.  We have fun creating new dating ideas, crafts, giving marriage tips, ideas for holidays, and SO MUCH MORE!  We enjoy dating our husbands so much that we want to share our date ideas with YOU.  We love to show him the love!  We are also SO excited to be here on The Romantic Vineyard today to share some of our ideas with you!  (We are huge fans!)

Marriage is an amazing thing!  You get to spend the rest of your life with the person that you love.  I know that the more I focus on our marriage the better it becomes.  Dating is the one time we get to be alone.  I want to try new dates and push my husband to do new things with me.  These dates may help us to find new talents we have as well as new things that we like to do as a couple.  The more we have to do together the stronger our relationship will be.  The exciting part is that the more effort I have put into my relationship with my husband, the more he has been reciprocating the love.  We both have been trying new things and showing our love in a different way. I am always checking what fun and exciting dates I can choose from on the Dating Divas.  I enjoy reading the fantastic dates from the other divas as they capture things that I may not have thought about.  Dating can be so much fun. Here are a few dates that I thought were amazing and creative: For a fun night with you and your man, try “Cruising the Caribbean in a Love Boat”.

You can go on a cruise without even leaving the comfort of your own home!  Bridget was so creative with her date that she even thought to fold the towels like you see on a cruise. She planned the whole night around this amazing theme and thought about every detail. Check out this Diva Date here. For a fun group date try out the “

Tara really captured creativity with this group date. They started out by eating dinner in a unique and fun way. Then they each spent $10 on their spouses to get dressed up in these super crazy outfits. It’s so great to have friends that are willing to let loose and be a little silly! For something extra special for your husband give him “A Surprise Break”.

Lisa M. planned everything to give her husband a well deserved break. They have 5 children and a break doesn’t come often enough.  This helped her to spoil the man she loves. There are so many dates to choose from and many include cute invitations you might want to include as part of your date. (Plus, we post a brand NEW creative date every Monday!)  Dating isn’t the only things you can find on our site. We range from quick and easy romance ideas, to “Kid’s Korner,” all the way to cooking ideas. We even give advice on how to look good for your man.  Everything on our site focuses on marriage and how to improve everything we do.  Sounds great, huh?  Since we all want super amazing relationships, come on over to our site and let’s keep working on keeping our marriages alive!

Posted in Creative Dates, Date Night Ideas, Dating Your Spouse, Guest Post, romancing your husband | 3 Comments

Doubling Our Joy

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Debi Walter

Last week Tom was weeding my flower garden, while he let me float in the pool.  I know, he is an amazing man!  🙂  However, his helping hand ended up accidentally breaking off the top half of my beautiful pink dahlia plant.  He didn’t mean to, it was an accident, but I was sad.  I figured it was the end of this plant for this year, and grateful I still had a purple and yellow dahlia to provide me many more beautiful flowers.

But just the other day, while I was watering my thirsty garden I noticed an amazing thing – new growth on the broken dahlia plant.  There was hope after all!

How like marriage this metaphor is – we offer to help our spouse, but somehow end up making things worse.  At times it would appear we’ve gone too far, yet as the days, weeks and months pass, amazing things happen – new growth appears.  We realize what we thought was devastating was only an opportunity for growth to occur in an area we didn’t know needed growth.

I have carefully pruned my roses knowing exactly where and how to cut the stem in order to prevent damage. This time, however, Tom wasn’t pruning at all.  He was simply trying to help.

Marriage is filled with such moments.  We live closely connected to someone very much not like us.  We say things and do things that cause pain.  Sometimes it’s not intentional, just insensitive.  Sometimes we may use cutting words on purpose in the heat of the moment causing a break in our communication.  It would seem at times there is no hope.  But we are not alone in the conflict; God is present and uses such times to help us see what we’ve done – the damage our careless words have left behind.

As Christians the Lord in His kindness and faithfulness provides conviction of heart.  We see the damage we’ve caused and ask forgiveness.  As the rains of repentance come, new growth appears.  Surprisingly, instead of one branch producing beautiful flowers there are now two branches – doubling our joy.  What looked hopeless for a season has become more fruitful than we imagined.  This is love; this is grace, and it is beautiful!

Through The Grapevine: How have you discovered new growth in your marriage?  Did it take days or months?  Did you experience unexpected joy in the process?  Share your story with us – we’d love to hear from you.

Posted in Christian Marriage, Difficulty, Growing Strong Marriages | 3 Comments

Project 52: The Taulbees visit Greece

Posted on June 29, 2010 by Tom and Debi

This month I decided to take my husband to Greece for our date night.  Earlier in the month, I had spotted the cutest little Greek restaurant near downtown and noticed a fairly decent crowd enjoying the place each time I had the occasion to pass.  This was a good sign to me so….Greece here we come!

I decided that dinner and a walk around the lake was the plan!  However, I also had a desire to do something a little extra special for our evening, but I couldn’t come up with an idea that seemed to fit;  A Greek trivia game during dinner?  No.   Try to incorporate an Olympic theme?  I don’t think so.  Maybe learn some Greek phrases? Not this time.

Then, the day before our date I had an idea; Make a T-shirt for Jeff to wear that says, “I love my wife” in Greek.  Then, I can make one for myself that says, “I love my husband”.  It sounded easy enough because I’ve seen special iron-on paper that enables you to print your desired wording or picture from your computer and iron it on to a T-shirt.  So, with the help of an on-line translator, I was ready to go.    Sure!  This seems simple enough.

Well………….the only thing SIMPLE about this project was the IDEA!!  Upon further examination of the paper, I discovered that printing required an ink-jet printer.  Well, in this age of laser printers, ink-jets can be a bit difficult to find.  Not one copy center in town had one.  So, after several calls to friends, I was able to track one down!  Okay, problem solved.  I’ll just email it to her, she’ll print it out and I’ll make the shirts in the morning!

Well, the morning presented some more challenges!  After printing we realized that he text had to be reversed so that when it’s ironed on to the shirt, it can be read correctly.  Oh my goodness!  I was ready to give up on the idea and just write the message in a note to Jeff that evening!  But……thankfully I have a very tenacious friend who was not so willing to give up easily!  So after SEVERAL frustrating and unsuccessful attempts to figure out how to reverse the text my friends “graphic designer” sister came to our rescue.  With an effortless click of her finger, she was able to do what we needed on her computer and send it to us.  WOW!  I think I was making T-shirts an hour before we left for our date.  It was an exhausting and hilarious day!

To reveal our destination for the evening I set out some hummus, flat bread and olives while a slide show of pictures from Greece played on the computer.  We changed into our T-shirts, and when the babysitter arrived we left for the restaurant.

The restaurant was great!  A real authentic Greek restaurant with wonderful decor and friendly service.  I think the payoff came when our waiter, who was from Greece, confirmed that the wording on our t-shirts was indeed accurate!!  Yes!!

We had a wonderful meal and felt like kids in our matching shirts!  It was fun telling Jeff all about the t-shirt saga of the last day and a half.  I really had to laugh thinking of the “comedy of errors” that took place, and I was grateful that my friend who was helping me was such a good sport about the whole thing!

After dinner we had the most relaxing evening walking around the lake and enjoying a beautiful summer sunset!  What a gift!

Wow!  We’re half way though our world travels!  I cant believe how quickly time seems to pass.  It really causes me to be thankful for the time and effort it often takes to make time with my husband.  It helps to get that “breath of fresh air” in our busy schedules and take time to enjoy the gift he is to me.  Something that can so easily be taken for granted or forgotten in the hustle and bustle of life and all its demands.

Until next month……………..

Vicki

Project 52 was started by Tiffany Bird at Simply Modern Moms.  They are celebrating their 1st anniversary and are giving away lots of gifts to celebrate.  If you click HERE it will take you to their page for all the details to sign up for a chance to win.  If you click the button below it will take you to all the information needed to join Project 52, and begin romancing your spouse – one date at a time!

Posted in Creative Dates, Date Night Ideas, Dinner Dates, Fun Dates, Project 52 | 2 Comments

Mark Your Calendar

Posted on June 28, 2010 by Tom and Debi

As you know – this week marks our nation’s birthday celebration, so there will be lots of activities from which to choose.  However, you may want to plan your own 4th of July party once the kids go to bed.  Here are a few to consider:

  • Finger paint on wax paper with vanilla pudding you’ve colored red and blue.  Have fun licking the gooey mess from each others’ fingers.
  • Plan a midnight picnic under the stars.  Don’t forget the sparklers.  Here are some more ideas for planning a romantic picnic!
  • Buy or rent a John Phillips Sousa CD and make love to the patriotic beat!  You may end up laughing the night away!
  • Buy some body paint and have fun painting red, white and blue on your spouse.

Who knew the 4th of July could be so hot!  🙂

Now for the more traditional offerings in Orlando this week:

CENTRAL

NORTH

  • Altamonte Springs – Uptown Altamonte presents Red, Hot and Boom on July 3rd from 4p – 11p.  FREE.
  • Mt. Dora – 2010 Centennial Independence Day Celebration on Saturday, July 3rd. Parade begins at 10a.  The day is full of activities with a fireworks show at dusk.  FREE.  For more info call 352-383-2165.

EAST

SOUTH

  • Celebration – A Flashback 4th of July on Sunday, July 4th beginning at 5:30p.  Fireworks display starts at 9:30p.  FREE.
  • International Drive  – Now through July 11 – Bass Pro Family Summer Camp at Festival Bay Mall:
    Every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday between June 5th-July 11th! Free events include shooting gallery, shooting range, casting pond, crafts, smores and a free photo! Plus free family workshops that are open to all! Please call 407-563-5200 for more information.

WEST

  • Winter Garden – Party in the Park on Saturday, July 3rd. Event takes place in Newton Park and begins at 5p – 9p.  Fireworks display starts at 9:15p.  FREE.
Posted in Date Night Ideas, Holidays, Mark Your Calendars (time sensitive) | Comments Off on Mark Your Calendar

Slices

Posted on June 24, 2010 by Debi Walter

Praying that the hands of the little ones we hold today will one day give their hands and hearts to Christ!


Posted in Slices | 2 Comments

It’s Grape Stompin’ Time

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Tom and Debi

It’s the time of year when vineyards take to stomping the grapes in order to extract the yearly harvest of wine.

In marriage, the grape stompin’ time is whenever we’re feeling hard pressed.  In these moments we discover exactly what our fruit is producing.  It may be bitter or it may be sweet depending on what we’re currently facing. Whatever comes out God has promised He’ll finish the work to make the wine what He desires it to be.  Remember, He was known to take water and make it the best variety of wine for the wedding guests.  What makes us think He’ll treat us or our marriages any differently?  He takes what we have and makes it into something worthwhile, something beautiful!

Can you imagine the freedom a vine keeper would feel if he knew the winemaker could produce whatever he wished no matter the quality of the grapes?  The wine that is pressed out is dependent solely on His skill, not on the ability of the farmer.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:6, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”

Certainly the farmer has his responsibilities, but he is limited.  Certainly the grapes must reach maturity, but the quality is limited by the environment.  So, too, with all the work we put into our marriages, we have limitations.

  • We will disappoint our spouse.
  • We will sin against them.
  • We will fail them.

But we must realize it is God who is joining two different people into one flesh for His glory.  It is a miracle we never tire of witnessing at weddings and one for which we love pouring out our lives, in order to help other marriages produce the richest harvest of wine possible.  Why? So they can go and do likewise!

God produces in us a drink offering that provides nourishment for others and great pleasure for Him.  And there’s nothing better than pouring your life out for Him – That’s something which makes the stompin’ worthwhile, no matter how messy it gets.

Through The Grapevine: How is your marriage being squeezed right now?  Are you feeling the weight of disappointments or failure?  Have you thought of taking this to the Lord in prayer?  We’d love to hear from you!  What wine is being produced in and through you as you face another harvest as husband and wife?

Posted in Christian Marriage, Difficulty, Growing Strong Marriages | Tagged , | 3 Comments