365 ways to say I love you?
June 7, 2013 12:26 PM Subscribe
For various reasons, I have developed a routine of sending my partner a short daily hello email. What are some things I can do to mix it up a little?
The emails are very short and usually some variation on I love you, I am thinking of you, I hope you are having a good day etc. if the weather is bad, I might throw in 'hope you got to work ok' or something. Nothing major. But it's pretty much the same email every day. He would neither appreciate nor enjoy something overly cutesy like a poem, and he wouldn't like anything overly long or where he would feel a response is expected. But I'd like to spice it up a little more. Ideas?
The emails are very short and usually some variation on I love you, I am thinking of you, I hope you are having a good day etc. if the weather is bad, I might throw in 'hope you got to work ok' or something. Nothing major. But it's pretty much the same email every day. He would neither appreciate nor enjoy something overly cutesy like a poem, and he wouldn't like anything overly long or where he would feel a response is expected. But I'd like to spice it up a little more. Ideas?
Perhaps tell him about some little thing you have experienced while separated. Or a little joke, or a quote from a book you're reading?
posted by epanalepsis at 12:35 PM on June 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by epanalepsis at 12:35 PM on June 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
GIFs
photos (from the web or that you take)
comic strips (from someone else or that you draw)
doodles (take a photo or make one in a photoshop/paint)
attach an mp3 of a fun song/link to youtube video
send a link to a recipe you are going to cook for him or a place you want to go with him
include a riddle (could be a series of clues stretched out over several days)
write the whole thing is some sort of simple, solvable code
posted by amaire at 12:38 PM on June 7, 2013
photos (from the web or that you take)
comic strips (from someone else or that you draw)
doodles (take a photo or make one in a photoshop/paint)
attach an mp3 of a fun song/link to youtube video
send a link to a recipe you are going to cook for him or a place you want to go with him
include a riddle (could be a series of clues stretched out over several days)
write the whole thing is some sort of simple, solvable code
posted by amaire at 12:38 PM on June 7, 2013
Photo links? Not necessarily sexually explicit, just something that captures a feeling. Things I have googled up at times:
Kisses
Waterfalls
Thank you notes
"I'm sorry" cutesy images
Hearts
Heart-shaped behinds
And it gets more sexually explicit from there, but I had fun for a time just trying to capture warm feelings in imagery found on the Internet.
posted by Michele in California at 12:40 PM on June 7, 2013
Kisses
Waterfalls
Thank you notes
"I'm sorry" cutesy images
Hearts
Heart-shaped behinds
And it gets more sexually explicit from there, but I had fun for a time just trying to capture warm feelings in imagery found on the Internet.
posted by Michele in California at 12:40 PM on June 7, 2013
Body of the message:
Who's got two thumbs and is thinking about you?
This gal!
Attachment: Hilarious photo of you pointing both thumbs at yourself.
posted by Arbac at 12:42 PM on June 7, 2013
Who's got two thumbs and is thinking about you?
This gal!
Attachment: Hilarious photo of you pointing both thumbs at yourself.
posted by Arbac at 12:42 PM on June 7, 2013
How about sending the exact same email every day, but with a different funny nickname inserted each time? Last week, for example, I sent my husband an email that said, "Good morning, dipshit! I love you!" and then laughed to myself about it for a half hour.
posted by something something at 12:45 PM on June 7, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by something something at 12:45 PM on June 7, 2013 [3 favorites]
My wife and I do this with texting and its random words, whatever is on the top of our heads.
Could be as simple as this:
Ex. #1
Me: What
Her: who
Me: Why
Her: BECAUSE I SAID SO
Ex. #2
Her: Ding dong
Me: Who's there
Her: Uh, no one, it's just a text message. You hearing things now?
Yeah, we do a lot of banter. Sometimes there's explicit 'love you' statements, sometimes not. Mostly it's just like a small tribe of gorillas grooming each for social reassurance in the pack, with text replacing the physical touching.
Also, never underestimate the possibility of goofy, photos (or other kinds), taken with the cell phone camera.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 12:47 PM on June 7, 2013 [4 favorites]
Could be as simple as this:
Ex. #1
Me: What
Her: who
Me: Why
Her: BECAUSE I SAID SO
Ex. #2
Her: Ding dong
Me: Who's there
Her: Uh, no one, it's just a text message. You hearing things now?
Yeah, we do a lot of banter. Sometimes there's explicit 'love you' statements, sometimes not. Mostly it's just like a small tribe of gorillas grooming each for social reassurance in the pack, with text replacing the physical touching.
Also, never underestimate the possibility of goofy, photos (or other kinds), taken with the cell phone camera.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 12:47 PM on June 7, 2013 [4 favorites]
Try an "I love you because" theme. There's almost an infinite variety of reasons, big and little and silly and serious, that we love our partners, and who doesn't like hearing them?
posted by bearwife at 12:48 PM on June 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by bearwife at 12:48 PM on June 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
I subscribed to a word of the day email. When appropriate I will start off our daily email conversation by giving him the definition and then using the word in a sentence about him.
posted by kimberussell at 12:52 PM on June 7, 2013 [5 favorites]
posted by kimberussell at 12:52 PM on June 7, 2013 [5 favorites]
Bad, clumsy, ham-fisted flirting/pick-up lines.
"Are there only 21 letters in the alphabet? Oh, right, I forgot U R A Q T."
posted by jbickers at 1:05 PM on June 7, 2013
"Are there only 21 letters in the alphabet? Oh, right, I forgot U R A Q T."
posted by jbickers at 1:05 PM on June 7, 2013
I love you because you're good to me, and you're good for me.
That's what I say to the wife.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 1:13 PM on June 7, 2013
That's what I say to the wife.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 1:13 PM on June 7, 2013
Do the calendar math to share exactly how long you've been together.
posted by juliplease at 1:17 PM on June 7, 2013
posted by juliplease at 1:17 PM on June 7, 2013
I loved Books of Adam's picture texts between two friends. Kind of a simple idea, but really impressively done.
posted by redsparkler at 1:24 PM on June 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by redsparkler at 1:24 PM on June 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
Take a different small object from the house each day, stick googly eyes on it, give it a Post It saying "I love you!" photograph it on your desk and send him the photo.
Toothbrush, ornament, sock, etc.
Hm. Just re-read your post. That definitely falls into the cutesy category. Maybe just try your message in a few different languages?
posted by penguin pie at 2:23 PM on June 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
Toothbrush, ornament, sock, etc.
Hm. Just re-read your post. That definitely falls into the cutesy category. Maybe just try your message in a few different languages?
posted by penguin pie at 2:23 PM on June 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
You can browse the humor and quotes tags on Pinterest for things to copy/paste into emails. Warning: it takes all kinds, apparently...
posted by ersatzkat at 2:24 PM on June 7, 2013
posted by ersatzkat at 2:24 PM on June 7, 2013
Links to corny love songs.
Picture of cute kitten - I love you so much I'm sending Internet kittehs.
baby talk - who wubs hubby? I wubs hubby, that's who
bad jokes
bad pickup lines
love quotations
Pinterest can be a hot mess, and "love" is so over-used that searching is annoying, but some effort searching on love romance quotation quote saying, etc., should find lots of lovenotes you could save & send.
Actual love poetry is nice.
posted by theora55 at 2:55 PM on June 7, 2013
Picture of cute kitten - I love you so much I'm sending Internet kittehs.
baby talk - who wubs hubby? I wubs hubby, that's who
bad jokes
bad pickup lines
love quotations
Pinterest can be a hot mess, and "love" is so over-used that searching is annoying, but some effort searching on love romance quotation quote saying, etc., should find lots of lovenotes you could save & send.
Actual love poetry is nice.
posted by theora55 at 2:55 PM on June 7, 2013
I tend to send my boyfriend random emails all the time. I usually just include what I am thinking at the time. Like "I am so glad your my man" Or "Hey sexy" Or "You're Awesome" or "I can't wait until we go to XYZ this weekend! It is always great to see you" Also try to find a list of compliments and use one of them each time that you think fit him. Maybe if he like quicky things you can find out dated or ancient compliments?
posted by Jaelma24 at 5:40 PM on June 7, 2013
posted by Jaelma24 at 5:40 PM on June 7, 2013
If you have a standard signature block and disclaimer (for example, if you're sending from your work account) add little secret messages in the fine print.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 6:37 PM on June 7, 2013
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 6:37 PM on June 7, 2013
I do the same thing with my husband. I've done a "thank you" theme, where each day I thank him for one of the things he does (clean the litter box, grocery store runs when I'm halfway through a recipe and realize I'm missing something, etc). I've also sent him song lyrics. Not necessarily sappy songs, either. Usually something kinda cheesy or something that has meaning for the both of us (once, when we were in the middle of an addiction to the Pokemon cartoon, I sent him the lyrics to the theme song).
I also send him puns because he hates puns and it makes me giggle to imagine the expression on his face when he opens the email.
posted by dogmom at 8:38 PM on June 7, 2013
I also send him puns because he hates puns and it makes me giggle to imagine the expression on his face when he opens the email.
posted by dogmom at 8:38 PM on June 7, 2013
I send photos of whatever: the scrambled eggs I just made for example. Straight from the phone. And also voice messages via whatsapp or voxer. Sing a few lines of a favourite song in your best voice, read a poem, just say "I love you." I find a voice communication more intimate than an email.
posted by londongeezer at 2:47 PM on June 8, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by londongeezer at 2:47 PM on June 8, 2013 [1 favorite]
My husband and I sometimes send each other texts or emails that just say nothing except "SPIDERS" or "SQUIRREL ATTACK!" or "You are a poisonous monkey" or "I'm burning you in my wicker man tonight—hope you're looking forward to it!" or "OWLS STOLE MY BATTENBERG CAKE" or "You smell like Francis Bacon".
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 7:08 PM on June 8, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 7:08 PM on June 8, 2013 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Lorc at 12:35 PM on June 7, 2013 [1 favorite]