Do you want to increase the fire that burns between you and your loved one? Do you want to do it without sacrificing a Saturday slate of sports that may rival the Royal Wedding, and Royal Delivery Part I & II combined. This is your step-by-step guide to doing both.
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In the book “The Five Love Languages,” author Gary Chapman outlines five ways to express and experience love though five love languages.
We must begin here, dear reader, because to get to Monday night and the college football championship game, we must first find out what language your significant other responds to the most.
Chapman contends that everyone receives love through their own special language: Gifts, Quality of Time, Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch.
Much like athletes must prepare mentally as well as physically for the big game, you will also have to do some pre game scouting.
Think about when you made your significant other the happiest. Was it when you bought her an expensive gift? Was it when you both turned off your phones and just walked around the park? Maybe she responds best to when you tell her how you feel and express gratitude? Is it when you clean up the house when it’s not asked of you, or when you cook breakfast in bed for no particular reason? Of course, there’s always the fire that happens in the bedroom, is that what does it for your significant other?
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Once you find out your significant other’s love language we can move on to the next step: Dinner tonight.
Now I know I’m not giving you much heads up, but as the United Kingdom’s Daily Mail recently found, lack of spontaneity is the number one relationship gripe. A study of 3,000 couples also showed a lack of sex, affection and romance makes it hard to maintain a loving relationship.
If you need a babysitter, find one. If your significant other doesn’t like to go out, make dinner at home.
The important thing is to make sure your significant other feels special. Remember, you now know what makes her love bucket full. Use that to start earning points, because in about 5 seconds your bucket is going to spring a leak.
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Honesty is the key to any relationship and it’s no different in yours.
You need to be upfront with your significant other in your desire to watch the upcoming 5-game slate. If you cover it up, your significant other will feel like you’re deceiving them, if you lie, you’re opening up a bag of chips, you won’t want to eat.
Research from the University of Notre Dame also shows that when people managed to reduce their lies in given weeks across a 10-week study, they reported significantly improved physical and mental health in those same weeks.
So think of it as a service for yourself and your significant other.
Now that your love bucket has sprung a leak, it’s important you continue to fill it up. Move past the minor hiccup and enjoy the rest of your evening. This is not about rediscovering your relationship as it is reestablishing it.
Make Friday night a success, but your work as a thoughtful significant other doesn’t stop there.
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Saturday morning, the pressure is on.
Your significant other now knows your desire to watch the game that starts at 4:35 ET. You did the hard part last night. You now have more than half the day to make things as easy as possible.
Make or get her favorite coffee. If you have kids, take the burden off of your significant other. Feed them, dress them do all you can to make things light, easy and fun. If you don’t have kids, how does brunch sound? Plan a family fun day or a couple’s day. Continue to use your significant other’s love language to fill that bucket up. It’s also important to feed off of what your significant other is telling you, don’t just do what you think she wants to do, do what she’s telling (verbally or non) you what to do.
As it gets closer to tip-off and you’re planning on leaving the house, see if your significant other wants to come with you. If not, fine, but ask if there’s anything else your significant other needs. It’s important that you make sure you have met as many needs as possible before you abandon her for part 1 of a 5-part mini-series of awesomeness. If you plan on staying in and keeping your chair warm for three days, make sure during commercial breaks and half time you continue to stay plugged in to your significant other as much as you are to the amazing game you are experiencing.
Breaks between games are also an opportunity to continue to keep that love bucket full. Remember what actor Chad Michael Murray once said, “Our biggest regrets are not for the things we have done but the things we haven’t done.”
On Sunday that love bucket is going to be empty. You just spent 18+ hours reaching utopic levels only seen in the rarest of sample sizes. Buddhists spend all their life reaching the nirvana you witnessed.
This isn’t about you. Look at her and that love bucket, and fill her up.
Side note: If you significant other decides to join you either out or at home to watch any game, keep them involved. If they don’t watch sports regularly, combine sports facts with pop facts liberally.
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Event 1, 12:00pm Eastern – NFL Draft Rounds 4-7
While rounds 4-7 may not hold the same glitz and glamour of the first round. There have been plenty of quality players picked in the later rounds. Shannon Sharpe, Bo Jackson and Terrell Davis were all late round selections.
It’s also the time where the handsome comes to the ball. Giselle Arm Candy Tom Brady and Former Bachelor Star Jesse Palmer made fashionably late appearances to the draft.
Who knows who might show up this year…
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Event 2, 12:30 Eastern – Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers
Now there’s some overlap here so choose your moments wisely.
The underdog Capitals took a 1-0 lead in the best of 7 series after scoring a goal with just 1 second left in Game 1. GMP Sports Guru, Michael Kasdan is on the Rangers bandwagon, if that means anything to you.
The Rangers Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has not only won Gold and Silver at the 2006 and ’10 Olympics for his home country Sweden, he was also named one of People’s 100 Most Beautiful People. Lundqvist also plays guitar and once upon a time played in a Swedish Rock band called Box Play.
If Capitals Center Brooks Laich’s name sounds familiar it’s because in 2014, it was announced that he and Dancing With The Stars alum Julianne Hough were dating. Whether or not they still are an item is up for discussion, I was unable to extend my subscription to US Weekly and days are a little sadder since.
Also, the Rangers always have their fair share of celebrity fans. Play a game of Celebrity Eye Spy. You know why? Because everyone wins. You watch the game and your SO is there right next to you spotting Liam Neeson or Kate Upton.
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Event 3, Approx 6:24 Eastern – Kentucky Derby
Get out your oversized hat, and pop that bourbon because it’s time to get ready for the fastest 2 minutes in sports. Not only that, it’s the most excited. Want to get your significant other really involved? Find a bookie and place a bet on a horse you both think has a chance of winning. Have fun with it. My wife and I personally pick ours based on looks, and name. Kind of like our celebrity crushes.
In 2013, $130.5 million was wagered on the ponies. American Pharaoh is the favorite, but from 1979-2011 the favorite only won four times. I personally like Frosted at 16/1. Again, I pick my horses based on look and name, so…
(Note: Gambling is illegal. But if you were to find an international website…please gamble responsibly 😉
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Event 4, 8pm Eastern – San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Speaking of Celebrities, a Saturday night game in Los Angeles? Look for Rhianna, Billy Crystal, among the other rabid Los Angelenos hoping to dethrone the defending champions. It’s a rare game 7, so drink it in. If you’ve been drinking since the NFL Draft, however, it may be time for some food.
The Clippers are led by Chris Paul, who coincidentally has a twin brother Cliff who’s an insurance salesman. State Farm has made Cliff famous by featuring him in a commercial with him and his brother, although I’ve never seen them together, which is kind of weird.
San Antonio is led by 39-year-old Tim Duncan who has been affectionately dubbed in his latter years, Old Man River Walk. His diminutive compadre is Tony Parker, who used to be married to Eva Longoria, but Parker did some questionable acts and the relationship did not last.
So if you don’t like adulterers you should probably root for the Clippers…just saying.
(editor’s note: author is a Clippers fan…we don’t know why either.)
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Event 5, Sometime in the evening – Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather
One of these guys is beloved in his home country of the Philippines, idolized, worshiped, a walking god. The other has been convicted five times for domestic violence including some horrific stories.
Do yourself a favor, skip this, the two are way past their prime anyway. Rent or go out for a movie. Because truth be told, no one wants to go to bed dirty. You’ve earned it, and so has your significant other.
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Wai Sallas is not a licensed marriage counselor. He is merely a man. A man who loves sports. A man who loves sports and his wife. A man who loves sports, his wife and his son. Not in that order.
Photo Credit: Juliette Schirru/Flickr
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