One of our friends allowed us to follow them in their own Ferrari! Now that’s a great way to take your wife out to a steak place!

We are back home and remembering the incredible time with all the couples who attended the Retreat to Paradise with us! I wanted to post this video so you could see for yourself how much fun we had together. Our goal was to create an environment where couples could come to a gorgeous resort and simply have fun together (and learn a little bit about happiness).

Mission accomplished!

I can sometimes watch those ridiculous funny videos on YouTube and feel slightly jealous that I don’t have a funny one out there in cyberspace yet…but no longer! This was the funniest moment yet of our Retreat to Paradise courtesy of an unsuspecting Amy Smalley! I still can’t believe Amy fell for this one!

We’ve never been to such an incredible resort before! These things are everywhere around the resort to relax in poolside or beachfront! We are already planning a family retreat this Summer for you and the kids at another resort owned and operated by the same gentleman who owns the Royale.

Amy and I are so excited to finally be here at the El Dorado Royale in Cancun with our group of couples for Retreat to Paradise! We will be sharing the trip via Twitter, Facebook, and of course the blog.  If you start to feel a little jealous, use that energy to come with us again in October of 2010 or even next year in February 2011!

Until the next retreat, enjoy this one vicariously =]

Amy and I celebrated Valentine’s Day on Saturday evening, and I must say, it was one of the best Valentine’s Day nights of our 15 years of marriage!  Jen and Phillip Ragain, friends of ours, booked the back room at Taqueria Arandas, which is not exactly known for its high class atmosphere (which is why I loved it so much).  But apparently, as Phillip explained to me, if you just purchase a group buffet of fajitas, they throw in the back room, Karaoke, and a DJ for free!  How do you pass that up?

We ended up dancing the night away and had one of the funnest nights ever!  Which I will say again, simply going out and having fun together is one of the most powerful things you can do to improve the level of happiness and joy in your marriage.  Even if you are stressed out with each other, do not give up having fun.  I know this sounds strange, because, how can you have fun with each other if you are stressed out with each other?  Easy.  Make a choice.  We are not victims of our emotions, our emotions are victims of our choices.

So have a Lover’s Day celebration in memory of ours from Saturday night! (you’ll have to watch the video to understand that one)

And by the way, what did you do for Valentine’s Day? Leave us a comment on the post and we’ll pick the best one of the group and send you a free DNA of Relationships DVD series!

Valentine’s day is coming (just in case you haven’t noticed the color red overload everywhere).  Believe it or not, Amy and I are attending a Valentine’s Day party at Taquerias Arandas where we will sing the night away with karaoke and cheap tacos!

If cheap tacos and karaoke are not your thing for Valentine’s Day, then maybe snuggling up with your honey on the couch to watch a great love story would do the trick.  I’ve compiled a list of the top 25 romantic movies of all time spanning 5 different eras!  These make my list, but what is missing? Let me know with your comments and let the debate begin!

TOP ROMANCE MOVIES FROM THE 50′s

“The African Queen” – 1951
“Singing’ in the Rain” – 1952 – How can anyone ever forget the famous scene in this movie! Hollywood at it’s best!
“Roman Holiday” – 1953
“From Here to Eternity” – 1953
“An Affair to Remember” – 1957

TOP ROMANCE MOVIES FROM THE 60′s

“West Side Story” – 1961
“My Fair Lady” – 1964
“Doctor Zhivago” – 1965
“The Sound of Music” – 1965 – I had to include this one because…I had to.  No good reason other than we always feel good after watching it.
“Funny Girl” – 1968

TOP ROMANCE MOVIES FROM THE 70′s

“Love Story” – 1970
“Annie Hall” – 1977
“Grease” – 1978
“Manhattan” – 1979

TOP ROMANCE MOVIES FROM THE 80′s

“Witness” – 1985
“Moonstruck” – 1987
“Roxanne” – 1987 – Amy and I are always suckers for the romantic and funny comedies!
“The Princess Bride” – 1987 – That goes for this one too!
“When Harry Met Sally” – 1989

TOP ROMANCE MOVIES FROM THE 90′s

“Ghost” – 1990
“Beauty and the Beast” – 1991
“Titanic” – 1997
“Sense and Sensibility” – 1995 – I am embarrassed to admit that I’ve watched this movie probably 10 times over my life! I can not watch it enough.
“Shakespeare in Love” – 1998

So this is my list…what say you?

ONE LUCKY COMMENTER WILL WIN MY DAD’S LATEST BOOK, “AS LONG AS YOU BOTH SHALL LIVE”.  I WILL MAKE SURE AND GET IT SIGNE FOR YOU AS WELL.  BUT YOU HAVE TO LEAVE A COMMENT HERE ON THE BLOG POST TO WIN.

Michael Smalley unpacks one of the bigger complaints from couples about why they do not have a date night.