Only a Kiss? Hardly. Guillermo Calderón's Kiss in Boston

We love to go into Boston for various events and when we saw that Goldstar was offering tickets to Guillermo Calderón's play, Kiss, it seemed like a great opportunity to see the Chilean playwright's socio-political drama. 

Kiss, Calderón's first play in English, is about two couples who meet for dinner in Damascus, seeking respite from the war around them. The couples plan to watch their favorite Syrian soap opera, but things change rapidly. This play-within-a play touches on cultural and linguistic misinterpretations and the implications of those misinterpretations.  

If you're in the Boston area, Kiss is running through November 19th. Tickets are available at the box office and through Goldstar, a discount ticket service operating in major metropolitan cities around the United States. 



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Travel Tips for Couples

It was a match made in heaven for my husband and me when we discovered that we were both blissfully afflicted with wanderlust. Our case is so severe that we need a fix at least once a week, even to travel to a new destination for our weekly Sunday afternoon coffee date.

Canoodling aside, travel is a big part of our lives, and we're hoping to travel full time as soon as possible. For some like us, the idea of traveling around the world with a partner 24/7 is bliss, but for others, cramped quarters and too much togetherness bring anxiety that could derail even a week's vacation. 

Here's how we do it. 

1. Obviously, shared interests are fabulous, but celebrate your differences. You're a beach girl. He's a mountain man. Or vice versa. No worries. Do some research and find locales that allow you to do both. Compromise.

2. Plan together. This is how you can be sure that both of you have the opportunity to have your needs and wants met. Discuss expectations about budget, activities and accommodations. Both of you will be emotionally invested and excited for all that awaits you. 

3. Travel light. No one wants to feel like a pack mule. Organize your stuff and then take out at least 10%. Don't pack for What if?. If you need it enough to carry it on your back for x hours or days, then keep it; otherwise keep pruning until you are happy and won't lament carrying your load...on your own...for the duration of the trip.

4. Don't sweat the small stuff. When you're together all the time, or at least when you're traveling together, your partner's habits may start to creep up on you when you're tired, frustrated, or hangry. Recognize that your frustration is really about you and your reaction; you control it. Is it worth it to alienate your partner? Doubtful. Don't take him or her into your world of crazy, because then, you'll have two problems. There's little that a snack, a nap, or a good belly laugh can't fix. And then kiss and make-up. 

5. Share the load. Are you driving? Offer to drive and give him or her a break to snooze, catch up on email or social media or to just look out the window. He or she will appreciate the break and your willingness to share the load.

6. Don't feel like you have to talk all the time. Share space and be confident in your quiet time to think, meditate, wonder at what you see and play with naughty thoughts to make your stay-over that much more fun.

7. Plan ahead. Pack a snack. Pack water. Pack tissues. Pack medicine for a pop-up headache. Pack antacids. It's better to be prepared. I eat every 3-4 hours, but my husband could eat once or twice a day. Know thyself, and I do, so I pack a protein bar. Then, I'm good to go and a much happier camper. 

8. Alone time is okay. Do you want to go for a run? An early morning dip in the pool? If one of you wants to do something in which the other simply has no interest, don't worry. Sometimes the time apart is the remedy for when you're getting on each other's nerves or it saves the other from resenting having to do something or go somewhere he or she really doesn't want to do or go. Plus, absence really does make the heart grow fonder. You can meet up later and share your experience. 

9. Don't be afraid to start small. Maybe a round-the-world trip is not your cup of tea. Start by playing tourist in your own town. Or travel to the closest biggest city. The first big date my husband and I had was to New York. We went for the day and it was magic. Central Park, the Met, tapas and sangria...how can you go wrong?

10. Make it a date. Hold hands. Kiss. Take goofy photos. Picnic. Play. You love each other; make loving memories to hold dear when you're not able to travel as much. 

Whether it's a weekend getaway, a day trip to the city, an afternoon at the museum, traveling around the world, or even a Sunday afternoon coffee date, travel with the one you love is an amazing experience. You connect in a way that may go unchecked in the craziness of chaotic days. Take a chance and see the world. And be sure to kiss all along the way. 

10 Travel-Inspired Date Night Ideas

When you love to travel, it permeates every fiber of your being. When you're lucky enough to have a partner who loves to travel as much as you do, feeding the wanderlust is a daily event. 

Looking to add some travel-inspired date nights to your cache of good ideas? 

Pin this for future reference. 

1. Choose a different restaurant featuring cuisine from around the world. 
2. Watch a foreign film from a country you want to visit or a film featuring that location. 
3. Take a foreign language course from a local community college and download the free DuoLingo app to practice with a meal out at that country's restaurant. Try to speak only that language. 
4. Be a tourist in your own town; find out what your town is known for and enjoy that. 
5. Spend a weekend in your state or provincial capital city. 
6. Cook themed dinners; choose a different country each month. Listen to a Pandora channel from that style of music. 
7. Take a cooking class from a country you want to visit. 
8. Take a road trip. Drive out a reasonable distance and meander back on the state roads instead of the interstate.  Stop at a cafe or local shop on the way home. Pick up a collectible. 
9. Take a photo walking tour and see an area through a different lens. 
10. Peruse the travel section of the bookstore; choose a new memoir to read or plan your next vacation. 

BONUS: Use your travel collectibles and mementos to create decor for your home. 

What's your best idea for a travel-inspired date? Inspire me. 

Five Years Ago in Paris..I said YES!

This time of the year provides the Señor and me with plenty of time to reflect on the wonderful life we have and the amazing places we have been and seen together. 

One of the places that will always be extraordinarily special to us is Paris. 

It was five years ago today that my sweet husband asked me to be his wife, and so today, I remember Paris, the City of Lights and our forever City of Love. 



Before they cut the locks off the Le Pont des Arts bridge, we had our own lock. 

Amor para siempre...Love for always

It was a perfect moment. 

But he didn't ask me. 

As we explored what is thought by many to be the most romantic city in the world, I thought about the journey our own relationship had taken over the last four and a half years and wondered where it would take us next.

And then, on our last morning in Paris, as we looked for a place for coffee on our way to the airport, we found a little cafe in a little street market lined with cobblestones and tasty treats.

Over cafe au laits and croissants, he asked me to be his wife, in his own sweet, quirky way. 

And like every romantic cliche, I said YES! 

And with all my heart, I still say YES, each and every day.

Amor para siempre, indeed. 

Weekending: the end of the semester

Around here, it's a foggy, drizzly, unseasonably warm December Monday. With class all day on Saturday, it feels like the weekend just never arrived. The good news is, with the exception of one last paper and a discussion board post, my semester is over!

Gracie had a big weekend. She met her trainer on Sunday morning and we worked on leash training for issues related to jumping and puppy biting. We also worked on the heel command and the informal come command. She was a good student, and so were we. Later that afternoon, we went to our local Petco for a half hour of socialization at their puppy play group. She slept the rest of the afternoon; so much excitement must have been tiring. 

Gracie did get her own instagram feed. You can follow her adventures at instagram.com/gracieraerod or on her Facebook page at facebook.com/gracieraerod for curated content related to all-things pets. 

It was a fairly uneventful weekend, but the Señor and I managed to squeeze in a late afternoon coffee date. 

Sunday night was all about finishing up projects and watching the Patriots secure another win. 

It's a fairly quiet week ahead. I have training this week for our state mandated student testing, but then I have a mid-week girls' night out, Gracie's first vet well-check, and a date night with Señor to see a local production of A Christmas Carol. 

I hope all is well in your corner of the world. Have a great week, friends!

Weeknight Date Night: Buena Vista Social Club

I think I saw it on Facebook; a sponsored post by a performing arts center out in the western part of the state advertising a night with the Buena Vista Social Club, a group of performers representing the "Golden Age" of Cuban music, from the 1930s to the 1950s. It was during this era where music like Afro-Cuban jazz, rumba and son, as well as the mambo, the cha cha cha, and the pachanga were born. 

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As someone who enjoys Latin music, this seemed like a great event to enjoy with my favorite Señor. 

Named after the iconic Cuban members' club, these fraternal clubs were the backbone of Cuban social and ethnic hierarchy. There were clubs for doctors and engineers. There were clubs for cigar wrappers. At clubs for baseball players, they might play cards or sports. Musicians had the Buena Vista Social Club, like the music unions here in the Unites States. 

After the Cuban Revolution in 1959, many of these clubs were closed by the newly elected, devout Christian president, who soon resigned after his own disputes with Fidel Castro.  In his short lived presidency, he closed many places that were suggestive of, what he thought, was Havana's hedonistic lifestyle, where people might go to gamble or even dance, including the Buena Vista Social Club, where musicians gathered and threw parties. 

In an attempt to build a "classless and colorblind society," cultural expression was squashed. Cultural and social centers, where any cultural differences may have been apparent, were abolished, including clubs like the Buena Vista. Traditional Cuban music thrived, but only what was politically acceptable.

In the 1990s, fifty years after the club closed, American guitarist Ry Cooder and Cuban musician Juan de Marcos González, collaborated on a 1997 Grammy-winning recording, and later, a 1999 film about the sprit behind the Havana club. The surprise success of both the recording and the film outside of Havana, and Cuba's emerging tourist industry, renewed interest in Cuban music, and Latin American music worldwide. 

Several surviving members of the original crew tour under the hybrid collective umbrella of the Buena Vista Social Club, forming the thirteen member band, Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club. 

It was one of the best shows we have ever seen.

The energy, talent and experience of the musicians and vocalists, paired with the energy of the crowd in the venue, were staggering. They brought the house to their feet all evening, especially when the icons, like 85 year old, Omara Portuondo, came to the stage to sing a number of classic songs, and later, dance a salsa with her husband, one of the other musicians on stage, or when the Cuban Johnny Cash, Eliades Ochoa, was featured on particular pieces.

When they wrapped up for the evening, the crowd was not ready to say goodbye. 

"Otra!" they shouted, and Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club returned for a lively encore. 

The Señor and I agreed that we were blessed to see this iconic collaboration on their Adiós tour, especially after finding out that their only U.S. tour dates were in Boston and New York before heading overseas,  It was a lovely evening, indeed. 

Friday 5: Creating Holiday Traditions for a Family of Two

The holidays are centered around all things children and family, but what happens when you are a family of two? 

If you have no children, by chance or by choice, there are many ways to mark the holidays and create traditions that you can look forward to every year.  Join the family for traditional celebrations, but create a few that are just for the two of you.

1. Collect ornaments. If you vacation over the summer, look for an ornament  from your special place. Or check sites like Bronner's  or Ornament Shop for just the right ornament for you and your loved one. 

2. See the sights. Attend a holiday concert or tree lighting event. Or take a stroll (or a drive) to see holiday lights in town or in the city. We did this last year, taking the commuter rail into Boston, walking around the Common and, after some hot cocoa and a pastry, taking the train back home. Dress warm and take in the sights. 

3. Volunteer together. This year, we went to a PTO fundraiser at our local Barnes and Noble and I did a read-aloud. Check out Toys for Tots, or organize a coat drive. Donate to your local food bank. Become a Secret Santa to a child in need. Do good; feel good. 

4. Embrace nothingness. Choose a day to sleep late, eat whatever you want, watch movies...whatever you want. No demands, no schedule...just be. 

5. Organize a post-holiday friendsmas gathering or night out. Or get out of town yourselves. Be on the lookout for deals or take advantage of the lower gas prices and do a "tank-away" getaway. 

Need more ideas? Check out holiday date nights or winter date night ideas and get the creative juices flowing. 

If you are a family of two, or flying solo these days, what do you do to mark the holidays in way that is special for you?

Date Nights...A Lovely Romantic Holiday

Happy December! 

For those who celebrate, the December holidays amplify feelings of love for those in our lives who mean the most. While I am a firm believer in romance every day, there are some unique opportunities during the holidays to get extra creative. 

Here are some ideas that will make for lovely, romantic, holiday date nights. 

1. Leave a love note in his lunch, with the invitation to join you on the naughty list. 
2. The full moon falls on the 6th of this month. Pack a thermos of hot cocoa, grab some cookies, drive to the top of the highest hill in town and gaze at the moon and stars. Reflect on the blessings this year has brought.
3. Drive around your town looking at the holiday light displays.
4. Decorate your tree together and then see #6.
5. Create an ornament tradition. Make or shop for one ornament each year that represents a special time spent together or meaningful place. 
6. Christmas tree picnic for two. Crank up the heat, throw down a blanket and after a bite to eat and some romantic canoodling, doze under your beautiful tree. 
7. How about a romantic holiday movie? There are some classics out there, but pick your favorites. It's your tradition . . .make it about you.
8. Organize a romantic Christmas card photo...there are scores of ideas on Pinterest.
9. Channel your inner kid and go snow tubing or ice skating. Or go snowshoeing or go on a romantic sleigh ride at a local farm. Then head home, grab your warming beverage of choice and take a hot shower for two.
10. Cook together . . .how about a romantic theme night? Tapas and sangria? Italian and cappuccinos? Saki and homemade sushi for two?  
11. Spa night . . .a massage is always a good idea.
12. Feeling naughty? Channel your inner Ana and Christian. Look around your house for props.
13. Bake or buy a cake for dessert in the flavor of your wedding cake, or his/her favorite flavor. Not a cake fan? Consider another tasty sweet treat. Or build a gingerbread house together. 
14. Make a play list of the songs that are special to your relationship. Maybe it's special songs from your wedding day, or songs that put you in the mood for love. Either way, it's a win-win.
15. Find and wear something that makes you feel sexy. If you feel sexy, you will be sexy.
16. Take in a holiday concert. Hold hands while you're there. Nuzzle and cuddle to the extent of your PDA comfort zone.
17. Is there time for a weekend getaway? If not, can you book one and have something to look forward to once the holidays have long disappeared.
18. Find and wear a Santa Hat and grab some mistletoe. That's it . . .
19. How about donating your time for an afternoon with your favorite community organization? Do good; feel good. 
20. Plan ahead . . .what is one romantic thing you can do each month for 2015?

Which one is your favorite? What are some of your favorite holiday date night ideas? 

Top 10 New England Winter Date Night Ideas

With Thanksgiving right around the corner and Old Man Winter knocking at our door, it's the perfect time for hearty New Englanders to start thinking about romantic ways to keep warm long after the snowflakes fly. 

If you live here in the Northeast, or anywhere that "does winter" you understand that cabin fever can be overwhelming. But with a little creativity, a little activity, and a daily dose of vitamin D, winter can be bearable...and even enjoyable.

If you live in Massachusetts, this list is for you. 

But, even if you don't, use this list as a springboard for your own winter fun. 

1. Ice skating at the Boston Common Frog Pond. Lace up, hold hands and skate for the gold in the heart of Boston Common. Afterwards, cuddle up with a hot chocolate or a cognac. 

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2. Feeling adventurous? Try dog sledding! Based out of Central Mass, New England Outfitters will give you and your partner-in-crime the experience of a lifetime, mushing behind a team of dogs that run for the pure joy of it. Or if dog sledding sounds too intense, how about a romantic sleigh ride?  

3. Channel your inner Julia Child and Jacques Pépin. Culinary Underground, on Route 9 in Southborough, offers special Couples Classes, like American Steakhouse, Cocktail Party and Feast of the Seven Fishes, designed to help you and your honey cook up some romance in the kitchen and out. Your local Sur La Table also offers date night cooking classes. 

4. Cursed Blessed with wanderlust? Learn a new language at the Boston Language Institute, where you can pick up that high school French again and plan a romantic Parisian getaway. Or brush up on your Italian . . .Tuscany awaits. If Boston is too far of a commute, check out free online language learning options. 

5. Get close and dance the night away. The Salsa Loft offers classes in salsa, bachata, merengue and cha cha, as well as monthly socials and weekly Latin nights at some of the hottest venues in central Mass, like Bocado's Tapas Bar.

6. Run away. At least for a while. Check out New England's hottest hotels and bed and breakfasts and plan a romantic weekend getaway for two. Or see if you can score a deal on an online bidding site, like Priceline.

Thank you, Boston Park Plaza!

7. Get outside and play. If you haven't gone snow tubing, you're in for a treat. At places like Ski Nashoba, you will be pulled up a giant hill by a rope tow and fly down the slopes with a giant inner tube. This brings out the kid in us all. 

And if you're skiers, New England has plenty of resorts to ski and stay.

8. Pancakes . . .what's not to love? And if you're from New England, only the real maple syrup will do. When brunch calls, check out Parker's Maple Barn for the most amazing pancakes on the planet. There is always a pancake of the month and if you or your love is more of a meat and potatoes kind of eater, they even have maple glazed ribs. 

9. Planning a warm tropical escape? Want to swim with the fishes? Just kidding. Nothing says romance like buddy breathing. Learn to scuba dive. Do your pool work locally and then do your check-out dives in the Caribbean. Central Mass Scuba does it all . . .certification and check-out dives both locally and in the tropics. 

10. Stay in and do whatever your hearts desire. Create the perfect staycation night at your own casa de amor. Build a romantic playlist, assemble a charcuterie like this one below, make a homemade pizza, open a bottle of wine. Relax...enjoy...love.

What are some of your favorite winter date night ideas?

Saint John...a Weekend in New Brunswick

We had such a good time on our weekend to New Brunswick. Our home base was in Saint John, the largest city in New Brunswick and the second largest city after Halifax, in the Maritime provinces. Saint John is also the only city on the Bay of Fundy.

Saint John has a fun, vibrant uptown, peppered with street art that makes for fun photo ops. 

Saint John City Market
The City Market is the oldest continuing farmers' market in Canada, dating back to the late 1700s.  The current building, completed in 1876, has a roof that resembles an inverted ship's keel. Made of wooden trusses, the structure was reportedly built by unemployed ship carpenters of the day.

Over 440 painted butterflies were done by students in 32 area schools. 

They will be sold and proceeds donated to local food banks.

Market Square
Market Square, on the waterfront, is the home the New Brunswick Museum, the largest library in the region, and a number of popular restaurants and pubs, like the Saint John Ale House, where my husband continued his quest for the perfect beer. 

Reversing Falls
Another place to visit in Saint John is the Reversing Falls, a series of rapids on the Saint John River, in which the river runs through a gorge before emptying into the Bay of Fundy. The rapids, or "falls", are created by a series of underwater ledges which roll the water in either direction.

There are seasonal jet boat rides on the river and various lookout points; however, the boats do not operate through roughest patches, which can see a ten foot drop in some areas. It is recommended that visitors see the rapids at both high tide and at low tide. 

King's Square
Saint John has cute uptown parks and outdoor spaces, like this one at King's Square. 

Saint John was a fun destination for a long weekend getaway. It's proximity to Moncton and the Bay of Fundy National Park make it an ideal location. 

Have you ever been to Saint John? Where are your favorite spots?