In the most recent issue of Cargo magazine, the publisher released their "What women want" survey to give men a hint in preparation for Valentine's day. There's some great ideas based on feedback from the surveyed ladies but what stood out was an interesting quote which underscores the point of my previous post about romance -- "Guys worry too much that we don't like what they plan .... trust me, we appreciate the thought."

I think the worst thing to do is plan the week of Valentines because all the restaurants are taken up by then and most likely whatever you try to figure out will become transparent to your loved one. It's the end of January and if you haven't made the reservation or thought about the gift, you'd better get on it, especially if you want to order a nice gift online. Buying her a nice handbag may mask your last minute efforts, but I would encourage you to do something that really originates from the heart like a love letter, or scattering rose petals in the apartment or writing and singing a song like Adam Sandler sings on his little guitar in 50 First Dates. Like I said in the romance post, it really is about the effort.