Things to do for my fiancee during spring break?

March 4, 2009 8:19 AM

I have a week off school for spring break, help me do fun, silly and romantic things for my fiancee.

I have a week off of my second year of law school coming up for spring break, and I want to take amazing care of my fiancee while I have comparatively less to do so she'll still think wonderfully of me when finals come around and I don't see her for a week straight. Can you help me with ideas?

Ladies, what wonderful things have your SOs done while you were away at work that really blew you away?

We've gone away a couple weekends recently, so things that are easy on the wallet are preferred, but not mandatory. We're in Washington, DC.

(Also, I've seen a couple of older threads in this general vein, but I thought I'd ask more precisely with my requirements, but links to places with good ideas are obviously welcome too).

posted by Inkoate to human relations (14 answers total)

Do a sexy dance to 'Business Time' by Flight of the Conchords.
posted by kldickson at 8:27 AM on March 4, 2009 [5 favorites]

The laundry, the dishes, the bathroom, and changed the sheets. And he had dinner ordered when I got home from work.
posted by santojulieta at 8:30 AM on March 4, 2009 [3 favorites]

Seconding Santojulieta. Put the apartment/house into sparkling condition. Have dinner made when she returns, along with a bottle of wine and maybe a DVD she's been wanting to watch. Anything that shows her you were thinking about her, and also putting personal effort into doing something that will simply make her life easier. I find these "little" favors (which would normally take up my precious free time) are the ones that melt my heart, because it shows my partner is attending to the small details of my daily life, and putting his own energy into making me more comfortable.
posted by artemisia at 8:35 AM on March 4, 2009 [1 favorite]

Fresh flowers on the dinner table, clean apartment, laundry cleaned and folded, dry cleaning picked up... home made cards are nice, too.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 8:39 AM on March 4, 2009

What santojulieta, artemisia and room317 said. Mr. Cestmoi did that for me and handed me a martini when I walked in the door. The only way that could have been any better would be if he had been wearing an apron and heels.
posted by cestmoi15 at 8:44 AM on March 4, 2009 [2 favorites]

Man, really seems as though what we women want is clean houses. A simple request, I'm sure. Surprise her with a picnic (not sure how cold it is up there) with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, make her a card or a little book to tell her you care about her, wake up before she does and make really nice coffee and a special breakfast, do all the cleaning (or as much of the stuff she hates doing as you can), make her a mix cd of songs that remind you of her, buy her some nice bath salts and have a warm bath ready for her with candles when she gets home from work/school, leave her a little note in the pocket of her jacket before she leaves in the morning, and definitely sit down and think "hm, what has she been asking me to do for weeks that I haven't done?" and then do it.
posted by big open mouth at 10:04 AM on March 4, 2009

If she likes puzzles or riddles you could set up a mini treasure hunt throughout your home.
posted by obol at 10:05 AM on March 4, 2009

Show up at her office at lunchtime with a picnic.
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 10:31 AM on March 4, 2009

- go ice skating at Kettler at Ballston

- visit the newly refurbed American History Museum

- write something for her and present it at Tuesday open mic night at Busboys and Poets (!! this would positively melt me)

- make her a beautiful brunch (even if you're not much of a cook, omelets and blueberry pancakes are pretty easy to do)

- take a brief class together, like dancing or cooking; the counties outside DC offer pretty cheap options

- if you like dogs, try volunteering one Saturday for the People and Animal Cardio Klub for a run around Hains Park (Washington Humane Society has details)

- go to a winetasting event in VA or brew your own beer at Shenandoah Brewery (I know a couple who did this on one of their early dates; they put their names on the labels, a sweet memento of their fun day together)

I have a thousand more...memail if you like.
posted by December at 10:59 AM on March 4, 2009

Ah I misread your q; you want things to do for her while she's working since you'll be at home.

In that vein:

- wash/clean her car, get the oil changed, etc.; also, chauffer her to work so she doesn't have to metro or deal with traffic

- if she's a chocoholic, make her some cupcakes or choc chip cookies, both very easy

- if there's anything she needs repaired/fixed, etc. that would require her being home to have it done, be The Guy Who Waits Around All Day (e.g., for the cable guy, repair guy, etc.). One step further: if you're a fix-it kinda guy, do it: fix the squeaky door, eliminate the weird error that keeps popping up on her laptop, fix the window that doesn't shut right, etc. (even if she's renting, it's nice not to have to hassle the landlord about such things bc they seem to take their sweet time)

- take in/pick up her dry cleaning, return her library books/DVDs, do her grocery shopping, clean up after her pets; basically be a personal valet for a day so she has more time to spend with you in the evening

- Nthing making dinner: chicken parmesan is pretty easy, so are things in the slow cooker; try allrecipes.com for easy ideas

- the bath and CD ideas above are *excellent* imho
posted by December at 11:10 AM on March 4, 2009

I should clarify for everyone. December was right both counts... I'm looking for things I can do FOR her while she's at work, but also things that we can do together but that I would need to arrange/set up while she's away.

Thanks everyone, these are great ideas, keep em comin'!
posted by Inkoate at 11:52 AM on March 4, 2009

Things that I really appreciate when my boyfriend gets a day off (or is between jobs) and I'm still trudging through the 9-5:

1. Wake up with me when I get up for work. I don't care if he goes back to bed afterward and sleeps until noon; it makes it so much worse to leave the toasty bed and get ready in the morning when he's sleeping in.

1a. Since you don't have to get ready for work in the morning, make breakfast! I love, love, love a good breakfast (grits & fried eggs with toast on the side, or really good steel-cut oatmeal, and don't forget the coffee/tea!), but I never have time to make something very elaborate before work. Personally, I find it more of a treat to have someone make me a really great hot breakfast compared to dinner, although of course your girlfriend's MMV. Run out and grab a copy of today's paper, if you have time, so that she can relax with a cup of coffee and the paper for a few minutes before work.

2. Offer to come down to work and meet for lunch. Doesn't have to be expensive--even Quiznos or Au Bon Pain--the fun part is the break in the middle of the day. If you can get her for longer, like a whole hour, offer to go take a walk on the mall or in the Zoo. (Depending on where she works, of course.)

3. On Friday, surprise her when she gets home with a cheese spread and bottle of wine. Maybe some olives, too. Even shopping at a place like Whole Foods, this doesn't have to be too exhorbitant.

Doing general around-the-house stuff is always appreciated, but I really love it when I get treats that are totally luxurious (see: hot breakfast) rather than just a temporary lightening of the housework load.
posted by iminurmefi at 12:04 PM on March 4, 2009

OH, I forget the all-important #4: hand-deliver a treat to her at work!

Flowers are popular with a lot of the women around my office (and you can pick them up for cheap from flower vendors on the street, although don't forget a vase so she has somewhere to put them), but I've never been so tickled as the time my boyfriend came down to my work to hand-deliver a diet coke and bag of vinegar chips at 3pm, which is always when I'm totally craving bad snacks like that. It was so hilarious and awesome that he knew exactly what I'd want in the afternoon.
posted by iminurmefi at 12:06 PM on March 4, 2009

Delivering her favorite snack at work in midafternoon would be completely awesome. Does she have a small office and does she like her coworkers? It would be even sweeter if you showed up with homemade cookies for everyone + fancy coffee for her, or something like that.

What are all the stupid chores you usually do on the weekends? Do those so you can be lazy together or go out and do fun stuff on the weekend.

What are all the nagging little things that annoy her about your apartment? Fix those! Maybe it's the picture you've been meaning to hang, the doorknob that's loose, needing to reorganize your cabinets, etc. Which on preview I see that December has already suggested, so I'll just second it. Is there anything else you need regularly that is kind of a process to get? Go on a spree and stock up on six bags of cat litter or whatever you need to make special trips for.

If you clean the bathroom, make sure you scrub the tub out really well so she actually take a bath in it, if she likes taking baths.
posted by min at 1:07 PM on March 4, 2009