What To Do Instead Of Going Out To Dinner On Valentine's Day.

I worked at The Cheesecake Factory for two years during college. One of my favorite and least favorite holidays to work was - can you take a guess? - Valentine's Day. If you're a regular at the Cheese, you probably already know that they don't take reservations or call aheads...it is 100% on a first come first serve basis. Just a few minutes shy of 5 o'clock, and the entire restaurant is buzzing. By 6 o'clock, the wait for a two top table is an hour, a four top table at an hour and forty five minutes, six at two hours. Oh you thought it'd be fun to have a Gal-entine's Day with eight or more people? LOL. Be prepared to wait three and a half. No joke. We always brought bags of V-Day candy to keep us on a steadfast sugar high throughout the night. With all the attitudes, we needed it. 

Anyway, long story short, more often than not these couples and groups and parties would wait forever and a day to end up at an itty bitty table shoved next to another itty bitty table and half the night would be spent trying to shout over the random couple next to you. Romantic? Yeah, probably not.

I love to be wine and dined just as much as the next girl, but it doesn't require much thought, does it? I mean, if you're really getting wine and dined it requires money, but anyone with a major credit card can take someone out for dinner. What I think makes Valentine's Day even more special is when it's apparent that someone put a lot of time, effort, or thought into the day/evening/gift/whatever.

1. Go to a comedy show - What's better than a good laugh? Whether you've been dating for a few weeks, a few months, or a few years, going to a comedy club or a stand up show is a unique way to spend a night out. This is a great option for a double or group date, as well. Keep in mind that many comedy clubs are 21+, so for all you youngins' out there, do your research.
   
2. Take a road trip - If your budget allows, take a trip to a place you've never been before. Stay a night, or two, or three. Stay up late and wake up early; explore together; try new food together; buy each other cheap, goofy souvenirs. Have one fancy wine-and-dine-esque dinner, and grab coffee and pastries at hole in the wall cafes. Traveling, discovering a new city, and trying new things are such a heart warming ways to grow together as a couple, and as individuals.
   
3. Scour Groupon -  I think I underutilize Groupon. Sometimes I kind of forget it exists. And then I open my app and BOOM, there's a million different (and inexpensive!) things all around me. From trampoline arenas to go-karting, to BYOB painting classes and horseback riding along woodsy trails, I'd be very surprised if you can't find at least one activity that snags your interest and fits in your price range.
   
4. Get a couples massage - Again with the Groupon. I've never had a real massage. For some reason, I have it in my head that it would just be a really awkward situation to have a professional massage. Don't ask why. But to be honest, I could really use one, and I know Ryan could, too. And what better excuse to snag a little couples R&R than V-Day? I'd be so down for a couples massage. Pass me the grapes, pwease.
   
5. Cook dinner together - If you go out to dinner quite often already, there's not a whole lot that makes a dinner date on Valentine's Day any more special than any other night out. Create your own three-course meal together: appetizers, main course, and of course...dessert! My favorite thing to cook with my boyfriend is homemade pizza. Paired with zucchini fries as a starter and mini red velvet cheesecakes for dessert, a full belly and a happy heart is a sure thing. 

Again, don't get me wrong about going out to dinner - last year, Ryan took me to a Tampa favorite, Datz, and we ate fried mac n' cheese balls and had stomach aches the rest of the night and it was amazing. I love food, and I love finding new restaurants. I'm a real 'foodie,' if we're being perfectly honest. I'm just saying that Valentine's Day is a time to take off the gloves and get creative. It's all in the name of love, right? And who doesn't love that. XO

What not to do when you're sick.

Friday, I felt liquid in my chest. "I don't feel sick or anything, I just keep coughing. I'm not sick."

Saturday, I went to the gym with Ryan and worked legs. I felt relatively puny the entire time, but didn't think much of it. I was still coughing. I sniffled the entire way through American Sniper that night, and not just from tears. Ryan told me I was sick. "I'm not sick."

Sunday, I woke up with my nose stuffed up to my brain, sneezing fits, and lack of voice. Ryan told me I was sick, to which I replied, "I am sick."

What better thing to do when you're sick than complete home projects and clean the entire apartment? I mean, who needs rest when you've been meaning to mount a shelf in the bathroom for two months. 

PSA: Never ask me to mount a shelf. Because I won't understand the directions, I'll screw and unscrew the dry wall insert thingmabob six times, sweat up a feverish storm, and stuff all the gizmos and gadgets into its original box and send it on its merry way back to Target.

Anywho. This isn't a DIY how-to or anything. I'd just spent months underwhelmed with my bathroom in my apartment, so I decided to finally do something about it! 

BEFORE

AFTER

The canvas was a semi-failed Pinterest DIY, which I decided to keep anyway. The two frames, which are undoubtedly crooked, were $6 each from Marshalls, and the prints came from a gallery wall print art book I bought at Michael's a few months ago. 

Now how many inspirational quotes does one actually need on one wall in their bathroom? Debatable. I have no doubt that my boyfriend will walk out of there emotionally motivated from this point forward. 

Despite the fact that I feel like complete and utter crapola, I feel refreshed. It's crazy what a teeny bit of sprucing up your feng shui can do for your mood, forever proving that you should never, ever settle for what you're unhappy with. Not even a rental bathroom. XO

Post-Resolution Blues.

Isn't it funny how just one month after we all make our "new year, new me" resolutions, most of our goals, dreams, and ideas fall to the wayside? How predictable, right? That's why they call us "resolutioners" after all.

Something about the first few weeks of January feels so fresh, so new, so clean. The next year is your oyster, and the possibilities are endless. One could argue that you wake up every single day with a clean slate; new opportunities, new adventures. Literally every day is your oyster. But the start of a new year brings the promise of change. At least for me it does.

And thennnnn February rolls around and I "don't have time" to go to the gym four times a week, and I'd rather add to my home decor Pinterest boards than read my book, and I feel the urge to treat myself to a serious shopping day. And all of the sudden, I'm right back to where I started.

Why do we do this to ourselves?! Why is it so hard to make plans, or resolutions, or whatever, and actually stick to them? We think the start of a brand new year will wipe away old habits, habits you couldn't have possibly done away with in December. Then we punish ourselves for slacking off by stopping altogether.

"Eh, I've already had pizza for dinner twice this week, may as well go HAM and eat an entire box of Oreos."

"I've already spent $50 going out to lunch every day this week, what's the harm in another $20? It is Friday, after all."

Okay, maybe I've never eaten an entire box of Oreos, but you get the picture. This kind of mentality helps no one. It won't get me abs, and it won't make me rich, that's for damn sure. I can already feel myself falling into the post-resolution trap, but I think I'm still able to come up for air. Am I the only one who's guilty of this mentality? What's a goal you set for yourself this year that's been easier said than done?

XO

The Importance of Disconnecting.

Unless you were quite literally born yesterday, you've probably fallen victim to smart phones, tablets, and the social media apps that are undoubtedly scattered throughout each, any, and all of said devices. Or maybe not. Maybe you're one of those people who said "screw it" to all social media, and all you do is play Trivia Crack. Or maybe you don't have any kind of smart device, in which case this post does not apply to you, and good lawwwd if you've made it this far without one, you just keep on keepin' on over there. I am impressed, and perhaps a little afraid of you.

I digress.

This may come as a complete and utter shock to you, but this generation (my generation) has a problem disconnecting themselves from technology. I'm totally speculating on this one, of course. I'm not going to provide you with percentages and pie charts and links...but I'm speaking from my own experience. Hell, I've checked my phone roughly five times in the last paragraph and a half to see if I've missed a text, an Instagram notification, an email. IS MY LIFE HAPPENING WITHOUT ME? I just need to know, and I need to know now.

To an extent, this is all fine and dandy. It's expected nowadays; we all do it. My opinion? There is a time, and there is a place, and most of us are guilty for being oblivious to both. I'll be having a conversation with my boyfriend while he's just sitting there, not looking at me, scrolling endlessly on his phone, checking sports, checking news, and probably "listening" to me. But it doesn't feel that way does it? (Sorry, babe!). I can say that, because I know damn well I have done the exact same thing, probably to him, probably to my friends, probably to my parents. And you know what? It's just not very nice. In fact, it's rude. And I'll happily call myself out on it.

I've been trying, really trying, to be conscious about my own technology habits. I've been trying to put down my iPad and pick up a book. I've been trying to smack my own hand away when I reach down to check my phone while I'm out to dinner. I've been trying really hard to always be present. It's a lot easier said than done, but it is so necessary.

XO

Happy February!

Ready or not, February is already upon us. It feels like I was just popping champagne with Ryan & Einstein to ring in the New Year, and now it's Valentine's Day season. I mean, Hallmark & the candy aisle at Walgreen's have been trying to tell us that since December 26th, but now it's officially the start of candy hearts and Godivas (YES!). 

IMO, I feel like there's far too much negativity surrounding this holiday. "It's not real," "It's all Hallmark's fault," "It's a holiday dedicated to torturing single people." My favorite is when I hear "You should appreciate your significant other every day of the year - not just one day." Obviously I agree wholeheartedly on that front, but can't we say the same for everything? Anniversaries? Birthdays? I mean, if we really want to get technical, we can.

To be honest, I've never had an issue with Valentine's Day. Hell, I've been broken up with on Valentine's Day, and I'm pretty sure I still celebrated that very night! To me, it gives me an excuse to smother my boyfriend with lovins, which is my favorite thing to do anyway. It gives me an excuse to make him a sappy card, or to buy a cute new bra (sorry, mom!). It gives me an excuse to remind him just how much I love him, just how much he means to me, even though I'm pretty sure I over-compliment him enough already.

So here's to February, the unofficial month of lurrrve. Love your family, love your friends, love your boyfriend/girlfriend, love your dog, love your furry feline. Whatever. Just do me a solid, and don't bitch about poor ol' Valentine's Day. Just eat your chocolate, drink your wine, and be happy. How wonderful is it that we have a whole day dedicated to celebrating love? 

XO