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Anniversaries can be a time of stress for couples. Women worry that their husbands will forget all about them on that special day. Men worry that theyll forget and have to throw a gift together at the last minute. But it doesnt have to be this way. Whether youve just remembered your anniversary is tomorrow, or whether youve been thinking about it for weeks, here are seven never-fail ways to give your spouse an anniversary theyll never forget.

A romantic getaway - From a week long sailing vacation on the Greek Islands to a weekend trip to a local bed-and-breakfast, nothing beats a spontaneous romantic getaway on your anniversary. Dont be discouraged from this idea if you dont have a big budget. It doesnt matter how much the vacation costswhats important is that the two of you set aside time to be alone together and lose yourselves in that romantic mood, even if its just for a few days. A new place also helps rev up the romance by adding novelty and a touch of luxury.

A gift to remember - Forget the flowers, chocolates, and jewelry. Give your spouse a gift theyre not expecting this year. For him, its often best to give something special that corresponds to his interests. Has he always wanted to learn to fly planes or play guitar? Buy him some lessons. Does he have a favorite band? Get him concert tickets. Does he love sports? Get him great seats for the big match. For her, its all about demonstrating that youve put thought and time into the gift. Go through your photo albums. Make a collage of your marriagefrom your wedding day through important events like buying your house and the birth of your kids. Make the photos into a DVD movie or into a hardbound coffee-table book.

A surprise party - Planning a party is a great way to bring friends and family together to celebrate your love. It doesnt have to be an expensive partybut it does have to correspond to the interests of both. A dinner party, picnic-and-barbecue, pool party, or restaurant gathering are all great ideas. Unless youve got a big budget, keep it simplepaper plates and potluck are all fine.

Renew your vows - This is an extremely romantic idea, and one that doesnt have to break the bank. Gather your friends and family, a suitable vicar and renew your vows in a romantic place like a park, on the beach, or even in your home. Demonstrate to your spouse that youd marry them all over again. These can be as elaborate or as simple as you want. Some couples plan vow-renewal ceremonies as complex as the weddings themselves, while others make them very informal and inexpensive. Either way you do it, its sure to make for a wedding anniversary youll have trouble topping next year.

Write a love letter - Nothing says I love you like, wella letter that says I love you. Of course, its got to say a few other things, as well. But dont give up on this idea just because you arent a prize-winning writer. You dont have to write something brilliant, as long as its heartfelt. And believe me, your spouse will never notice any spelling mistakes if the words you use are sincere. Tell your spouse how attractive, sweet, or funny you thought they were when you met. Tell them how nervous you were on your first date. Tell them the moment you knew you wanted to marry them. Details are importantshow your spouse how clearly you remember those special times.

Watch your wedding video - If youre not up for a big night out or vacation this year, spend a night inside. Get some popcorn, put on slippers and sweatpants, and spend an evening watching your wedding video and leafing through your wedding album. Make sure the kids are at a sleepover or over at Grandmasthis night should be all about the two of you. If you prefer, cook a simple meal for dinneror order Chinese food. Above all, concentrate on each other and on your wedding day. It might be low-key, but it will set the stage for a perfectly romantic anniversary.

Pamper each other - An at-home spa day is a great way to have a wonderful anniversary. Spend an afternoon giving each other deep tissue massages and foot rubs. Dont forget to bring some adult toys to make your at-home spa treatments much more fun and memorable than an ordinary trip to the day spa!

The most important piece of advice I can give you about your anniversary is not to forget it! Mark your diary, calendar our whatever software you use to remember appointments and keep it in mind as the time draws nearer. However, even if you leave it until the last minute, you can still have a memorable anniversary. These creative anniversary ideas are sure to give you wonderful anniversariesat least for the next seven years.

Janette Vince is managing director of http://www.thanksdarling.com an online company offering a range of gifts and experience days for individuals and couples. For a range of leisure breaks visit http://www.thanksdarling.com/48-5.htm.

Napa Valley: The Home of Californias Wine Country Everyone likes a good wine tasting tour. The question arises: Where are we going to go and how reachable are the wineries from one another? Few regions in the US boast a better environment for vineyards and the subsequent wine manufacturing than California.

When you think of California's Wine Country, you're thinking about Napa Valley and Sonoma County, situated just north of San Francisco and the Bay Area. Father Junpero Serra, a Franciscan missionary, first brought wine to the state of California when he began the first vineyard in San Diego in 1769. In the years that followed, wineries began to creep farther north along with establishment of Spanish missions. The wine industry really began to take root after the Gold Rush of 1849, when Count Agoston Haraszthy established Buena Vista, the first premium winery in the area. In nearby Napa Valley, Charles Krug introduced Riesling grapes in 1861.

The Charles Krug Winery is still in operation but is now run by the Peter Mondavi Family. The area's wine industry continued to flourish over the next century but failed to receive international recognition until the mid-1970s. The Stag's Leap Winery put California's wine country on the map after it squeezed out a victory over world-renowned Mouton Rothschild in a competition in Paris in 1976. By the mid-1980s the wines from Napa Valley were considered fit for royalty, Quail Ridge Vineyard's 1981 Chardonnay was served to the late Lady Di and Prince Charles at the White House.

In the last two decades California's wine country has continued to grow and now the region is home to hundreds of wineries and vineyards. Millions of people visit Napa Valley and Sonoma County every year to imbibe the Chardonnays, Cabernet Sauvignons, Pinot Noirs, Merlots, and Zinfandels the area is now famous for.

California's central coast is known for gentle, green hills and deep valleys (you may have even seen a landscape shot of the Napa Valley as the default wallpaper on Windows XP). The Napa Valley is to the east of Sonoma County and is typically warmer in the summer, resulting in a better yield of Cabernet Sauvignon. Sonoma County's slightly cooler weather typically brings in better Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. Despite the hotter weather father south, Paso Robles, near San Luis Obispo, has established an American Viticultural Area that has become one of the fastest growing winery regions in California.

Napa Valley and Sonoma County
The better-known wine country of central California is, of course, in Napa Valley and neighboring Sonoma County, which are home to over 280 wineries. This beautiful area, with its gentle rolling hills, is a great place to tour around. Virtually every winery offers tours and wine tastings, they vary in price between $5 and $20 and are usually open daily - be sure to check with the individual winery for exact hours. To check out other vineyards and wineries, planning is a must, simply because of the sheer number. Keep in mind that this area is also very scenic (in case you're traveling with a non-wine drinker). For fans of the 1980s television show Falcon Crest, this area was the setting for the fictional Tuscany Valley. Most of the wineries offer free public tours from mid-morning to late afternoon, but many of them require some sort of advance reservation.

California wine production truly started in Sonoma County at the Sebastiani Vineyards and Winery, which started off as part of the Sonoma Mission set up by the Spanish in 1824. The Seabstiani Vineyards produce a wide assortment of wines and appellations such as Zinfandel, Merlot, Pinot noir, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon. Tours of the Sebastiani Vineyards are available, as is wine tasting, for a small fee.

Located on the Carneros Estate, the oldest winery in Sonoma County is Buena Vista. In addition to being a state historical landmark, the Buena Vista Winery was started by Count Agoston Haraszthy and is the headquarters for the U.S. branch of the Knights of the Vine. There are tours offered which only cost about $15 per person as well as a $5 tasting fee. The Green Hungarian is a particular selection of the wine produced by the vineyard.

Another unique winery, the Carmenet Vineyard, create wines using exclusively French techniques, such as malo-lactic fermentation, and by stacking their wines in a natural cave. Tours of the Carmenet Vineyard are by appointment only and their in-house wines, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, and Merlot are available for tasting.

More about Napa Valley and other areas in California of interest to wine aficionados can be found on http://www.TripCart.com the internets leading travel planning guide.

The following article is one of a series of articles which focus on Self Improvement, Motivation and Empowerment. It is based on research done over twenty years as a personal and business coach. This self improvement article was written in response to questions which have been asked on exercising, keeping fit, losing weight and long term weight loss as well as address common challenges that people have with this subject. I sincerely hope that you find the following information of value.

The total number of overweight American adults is approximately 58 million. (overweight defined as a BMI value of 273 percent or more for women and 27.8 percent or more for men).

Nearly 70 percent of the diagnosed cases of cardiovascular disease are related to obesity. Obesity more than doubles one's chances of developing high blood pressure, which affects approximately 26 percent of obese American men and women.

Every year, 300,000 people in the U.S.A. die from being overweight.

Now imagine the statistics for the whole western world!

If you visit the articles following this one, You will continue to see the above stats.

I don't apologize for that - these are frightening statistics. However, in this day and age, thankfully, there are options for those wishing to either lose weight, get fit, or lead a far healthier lifestyle.

Weight Loss Questions You Asked About Weight Loss

If you are concerned about your body weight, your well being or considering starting a weight loss program, here are a few of the more common questions I am asked regarding weight loss

Do I Need To Consult My Doctor?

If you are the type of person who normally leads a healthy and active lifestyle and wish to lose a few pound only, then perhaps not.

On the other hand, if your current diet is generally unhealthy and/or you are significantly overweight, I would strongly recommend that you consult your doctor, discuss your weight loss goals, and develop a natural weight loss plan that is right for you and your current physical condition.

Whats The Best Diet For Losing Weight?

Again, this very much depends on the individual, their current weight, their current lifestyle and weight loss goals.

There are, however, common factors which apply to all of us.

First and foremost, make sure your body gets all the nutrition it requires to stay healthy. Also, the natural weight loss diet you follow should result in the intake of fewer calories than your body normally burns on a regular basis.

A word of caution dont be misled into thinking that if you cut right down on your calorie intake youll be on a winner. Overdo it and you will have an adverse effect on your metabolic rate, adversely effect your general well being and be totally disappointed.

Balance in everything.

Im On A Diet, Why Should I Have To Exercise?

You dont. However

I promise you that you will find it a lot more difficult to reach your weight loss goals. Apart from that, do you not want a lean and fitter body? Dont you want to look GOOD?

Try and aim for an half hour of exercise each day. Leave the car, take your bike or use your legs and walk. Be creative any activity that burns calories will definitely help you reach your weight loss goals.

Can I Lose Weight Without Changing My Lifestyle Or My Diet?

In a word NO.

If you generally follow a healthy diet and you are getting the right levels of nutrition, it may be you just want to lose a few pounds or tone up. Great, simply increase your levels of exercise and physical activity (remember balance) and burn more calories than usual.

If you know your diet is poor and your lifestyle is distinctly unhealthy, you need to be prepared to tackle both of these issues head on. This is all about long term weight loss, improved physical and mental well being. As mentioned earlier, if you are seriously overweight, consult your doctor.

When I Lose Weight, How Do I Keep It Off?

Your strategy is to lose weight gradually and re-educate both yourself and your body about nutrition, good food and bad food, then you'll have a good start. The secret to keeping weight off is to balance your energy needs with your food intake. Eat enough calories to supply your body's needs. Too many and your body stores the excess as fat.

Choose exercises / activities you enjoy and are happy to do on a regular basis.

You will be the leaner, fitter person you want to be. You deserve to be.

Take those first steps today to a leaner, fitter you and a more active lifestyle. Learn the facts about nutrition, diet plans, and how following a natural weight loss strategy will work for you.

Learn the truth from our articles and reviews and get the success you deserve...

Visit Our Natural Weight Loss Website Today

You may have heard the news that Telstra in australia has dropped i-mode. following suite, O2 in UK did the same. Launched in japan in early 1999 by telecoms giant NTT Docomo, i-mode was viewed as a superior online access method because it was always on; it used a packet switched network to deliver data. Whereas the contender, wap, ran on gsm networks which are circuit switched. gprs later came along and got rid of that obstacle for wap.

Some say that i-mode might be failing because there is not enough content; the sites have to be coded in c-html which is not compatible with wap browsers. Others say it is because specialised handsets are required. but the problem causing this lack of adoption is perhaps more obvious than that.

i-mode was created by a telecom company which clearly focused on revenues in its domestic market. wap was launched as a mobile standard by a world wide consortium and focused on providing the world with a method of delivering content to the mobile. NTT developed a technology and successfully deployed it at home and decided not to actively push it out to other international markets until gprs and 3G technologies had already made their presence well known facilitating the rise of wap.

NTT was late to the party!

Ive no doubt that i-mode will continue to the dominant platform in japan for many years into the future. but one has to ask why companies are so determined to create proprietary technologies in world that is driving towards open standards. Given their recent involvement in mobile TV standards, maybe we should ask the EU to get involved!!

Tanbir Rahman lives and works in Hong Kong. He works for a mobile consulting firm called Catalist Group. He authors a blog called Mobspecs: http://www.mobspecs.com