Dear Henrietta,
My wife and I are celebrating our ten year wedding anniversary this fall. I love her very much but our relationship is feeling kind of stale, so I want to take her on a special “date night.” Any ideas?
Signed,
Fallin’ in Love Again
Dear Fallin’ in Love Again,
It’s not uncommon for marriages to get into a rut. Sometimes all the responsibilities of life take over and your time together seems more like business than pleasure. But, this is a perfect chance for you to remind your wife how romantic you are!
Start the morning by going to the local farmer’s market and buy some fresh gourds, pumpkins and autumn florals to take home and make a wreath together for the front door. While you are there, buy some fall veggies like Brussel sprouts and beets, to get ready to make a romantic dinner together while drinking homemade mulled wine. Light some candles and slow dance to your favorite songs.
What’s that, you say? Can’t craft, can’t dance and don’t know how to cook? Here’s another idea: get on Airbnb and rent one of those unique, cozy rooms in downtown New Bern, have dinner and cocktails at one of the local restaurants, walk around Union Point Park, then take a sunset cruise on the Neuse. Or, if you’re the seafaring type, rent some paddle boards or a boat and some fishing poles and enjoy a little adventure.
What’s that, you say? Boats make you seasick and you don’t like being alone with you wife? Here’s another idea: build an outdoor firepit and host a square dance party. Load up on Natty Light, invite over all your guy friends (and their dogs) and party it up like it’s 1999 while you relive your college days. Throw up. Pass out. Wake up, filled with regret and go back to option one or two above.
I hope this helps and remember (to quote Bette Midler) that love is a flower. Treat it tenderly, my friend.
Love,
Henrietta
Henrietta Craven was born and raised in New Bern and enjoys gardening, hunting bears and improvisational dance. She is a self-proclaimed expert on a wide variety of subjects including (but not limited to) fashion, mixology, and cooking. Henrietta resides in a lovely Victorian home in downtown New Bern with her five cats: Graffenreid, Bethune, Devereux, Stanton and Carraway.
If you have a problem, and would like Henrietta to give you some of her home-grown advice, please send a note to: henrietta@newbernmagazine.com.
Disclaimer: keep in mind that Henrietta’s advice should be taken lightheartedly, with a sense of humor, and then ignored.