Does anybody know a good gift to give my girl friend before we go off to collage in the fall? I was thinking somewhere in the lines of those talking picture frames where you can store a 10 second message in it. Mabye put our prom picture in it. Shaper Image sells some good and cheap ones I've looked up but if anybody elce has good suggestions, I'm open to them. Thanks.

A nice picture frame with a picture of you and her in it would be a good start... not so sure about the prom picture as I think a more spontaneous picture would be better. One that reminds her of your everyday times together rather than that one occasion. Prom pictures look dated very quickly whereas casual pictures that capture what the two of you are like all the time really mean a lot. Make very sure that she likes how she looks in whatever picture you choose.

I'd say you should get her something else to go with the picture. You might want to find out what she will miss the most about home and get something to help her with that. For instance if she is leaving a pet at home, maybe getting her a stuffed animal that looks like that pet would be cute... or a nice mini photo album instead of the picture frame and you could put in pictures of her friends, family, pets and yourself and write some nice things to her in it.

You could also give her a little survival kit with things like an umbrella, gloves, and warm socks/slippers, pajamas and put it all in a nice book bag along with the photo album. That might be really cute and she'd probably think you were really thoughtful to do it. The nice thing about that is that when she realizes that she needs the umbrella in some rain storm while she is at school, she will think of you. When she wears her slippers she might think of the guy who gave them to her.... it could be a nice thing.

Also consider making a nice mix cd of all your favorite songs that you both like. That type of thing always makes a girl feel special if it's done right and well.

I suggest that if you are going to different schools and you want to keep it together that you continue to send her small gifts like mix cds to let her know that you are still thinking of her. Send cards and stuff like that... you gotta be romantic if you are going to keep a long distance relationship going.

All of Ami's suggestions are great, I would only add to the "Survival Kit" a prepaid calling card, and unless you two are at a point in your relationship where you are "intimate", I'd go with the snuggly slippers but not the jammies...women can be funny about pajamas or lingerie and it could be dangerous ground if you chose a set of pajamas that reflects an image different from the one she wants to project.

This is kinda sappy but if you give her a stuffed animal how about adding a little bottle of your fave cologne along with it. I always used to love to sprinkle a few drops on a stuffed animal and then when I was lonely could hug it and be reminded of someone I was missing who was miles away.

I warned you - it was sappy!

Georgia, that IS sappy....and I have a teddy bear that wears my man's aftershave when he's away...Scent really is the sense that triggers memory more than any other.

That's right MrsS. Smells are the strongest memory cue - learned that from a psychology class!

How about a locket? Would that work? Picture frame or locket? Which one should I give her?

I'm tellin ya Douglas. You should get her face tatooed on your arm man.