15 Ways to Charm Her

I just ran across a cute article I clipped out of Southern Living's July 2009 issue by Amy Bickers titled "15 Ways to Charm Her"

1. Stand up for a lady. Actually, this doesn't just involve chairs.

2. Know that the ACC (they say SEC-bleh) has the best football teams in the nation. Big 12 fan? Hmm, perhaps you should keep walking.

3. Kill Bugs. Delta Burke as Southern belle Suzanne Sugarbaker on Designing Women said "...Ya know, ...when men use Women's Liberation as an excuse not to kill bugs for you. Oh, I just hate that! I don't care what anybody says, I think the man should have to kill the bug!" (Sing it Suzanne!)

4. Hold doors open.

5. Fix things or build stuff. I once watched in awe as my stepfather build a front porch on the house he shares with my mother. He knew just what to do, cutting every notch, hammering every nail. The project was complete by sunset. (Or my Dad installing a water pump on my car in the freezing cold, loosening bolts and banging his knuckles on the metal and saying "If your knuckles aren't bleeding you're not doing it right.")

6. Wear boots occasionally. Not the fancy, I-paid-$1,000-for-these kind. We're talking about slightly mud-crusted, I-could-have-just-come-in-from-the-field boots.

7. Take off your hat inside.

8. Grill stuff.

9. Call us. If you want to ask us out, don't text and don't e-mail. Pick up the phone and use your voice.

10. Stand when we come back to the dinner table. "Just a little half-stand is enough to make me melt"

11. Pull out chairs. Wait, that's not all. Scoot them back in before we hit the floor.

12. Pay the tab on the first few dates. "If you ask me out, you pay," Stephanie says. "If I ask you out, you should still pay." Listen guys, it's just simpler this way.

13. Don't show up in a wrinkled, untucked shirt. Care about your appearance but not too much. Don't smell better than we do. Don't use mousse or gel. You shouldn't look like you spend more time in front of the mirror than we do.

14. Never get in bar fights. Patrick Swayze might look cool in Road House, but in reality, bar fights are stupid and embarrassing. You don't look tough, you look like an idiot. (eeh I'm not 100% about this one Southern Living)

15. Know how to mix our favorite cocktail just the way we like it. Fix your favorite too. Sit down on the porch (its ok if you didn't build it), tell us how your day went, and we'll tell you about ours.

We'll leave the long list to the girl who falls in love with you.

Love.