How I Spent My Valentine's Day

I hope all of you had a wonderful Valentine's Day yesterday!! Whether you're single or taken, I think the holiday is a great excuse to remind all of the people in your life how much you love them.

Yesterday was a really special day; while Dan is not a fan of Valentine's Day, he knows that I am, so he humors me and goes all-out for the day, which I really do appreciate.  I got some gorgeous red roses and carnations delivered to work, which is actually kind of a funny story.  I got an email at around lunchtime saying that I had a package in the Alumni Square RHO, and I had a brief flashback to college.  My guess is that the florist had so many deliveries yesterday that they felt like just dropping all of the bouquets in one place, because there were about ten of them in the RHO when I arrived.  They made me work hard for my flowers haha!  But they were truly worth the walk, and I was very appreciative of them.

He really does spoil me :)

We went to dinner at Lincoln, a restaurant in between Thomas Circle and McPherson Square.  While I was initially a little scared of the small plates {for my appetizer course, I ordered a fig dish, and they brought out one fig} and feared I would leave hungry, the meal was delicious, and I left feeling very satisfied.  I ordered a beet salad, a cauliflower and roasted vegetable dish, and, for dessert, something called the Green Fairy Absinthe.  It was a little ball of chocolate-covered cake, covered in a white chocolate cage and with sugary green wings.  I'll post a picture of it when I get a chance, and I promise that it was as good as it looked!!  I would have been perfectly happy cooking dinner at home and lounging around in our pajamas like lazy bums, but Dan insisted that, while he owes me a home-cooked meal, the stakes are just a little too high on Valentine's Day, logic that I agreed with.  I told him we can lounge and cook next year!

I am not really into exchanging Valentine's Day gifts {seriously, I eat enough chocolate as it is haha}, but we do a funny card contest every year.  This year, I bought a card with a great pun, which I was sure would win, but then Dan went and bought me a musical Justin Bieber card, and I immediately conceded defeat, without calling in a third party.  He's a tricky one, that Dan!  Luckily for me, we didn't put anything on the outcome beforehand, so there were no losers in this contest!

My Valentine's Day was also made complete by some exciting family news: my cousin Kelly gave birth to her third child, Nina Bernadette, yesterday.  She is just as cute as can be, and I can't wait to meet her!!! My parents also emailed me last night to inform me that my cousin Ashley is also expecting! I can't wait to have lots of little ones running around!!!!

Honestly, though, I was just happy as a clam to spend the evening with my love.  I truly feel like the luckiest girl every day to be able to call him my boyfriend, but, with our two-year anniversary a little over two weeks away, I guess I'm feeling extra-gushy :)

The Love Project: Happy Valentine's Day!!!

That's right, friends, it's Valentine's Day!!! Happy love day to you all, whether you are sharing it with a significant other, family or friends.

I have been eagerly waiting to share this video with you ever since I stumbled upon it on another blog, because it is so stinking sweet!  In case I haven't told all of you, it is my professional dream in life to become a wedding planner, so nothing gets me going like a good wedding does.  What I love about this wedding is its simplicity.  You can easily see that Karl and Leslie are so in love, but they don't need an over-the-top wedding to prove that to the world.  Everything, from the personalized lock placed on the famed Pont des Arts, to the intimate courtyard ceremony with just the officiant present, to the blissful looks on both of their faces, to the post-ceremony joyride around Paris, to a romantic stroll down the Seine, is, in a word, perfect.  Did I mention Karl's dance moves?!  Side note: any video that features Paris is sure to cause some happy tears on my part.

I never thought I would say this, but, after watching this video, I wouldn't be completely opposed to eloping...as long as it was to Paris {real Paris, not Vegas Paris} :)

I am truly the luckiest girl in the world, to be surrounded by love from my family, friends, and the love of my life every day.  While I don't think you need a holiday to tell the people you love how much they mean to you, I certainly get sucked up in the day.  Hug or kiss the people you love a little harder today!

And so, I leave you with a little Nat King Cole {if you automatically think of The Parent Trap, we are officially kindred spirits}.

NOMNOMNOM

via bippity boppity boo

Love at the d'Orsay

via bippity boppity boo

Pont des Arts

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Seriously, there is no place on earth more romantic than Paris

via one and only paris

The Love Project: Unconditional Love

Hi friends! I hope you all had a lovely weekend! I'll post about that in a bit.  I wanted to talk first, though, about unconditional love, being that it's February and we're talking all about love!

An association that comes to mind when I think about unconditional love is the love that a parent has for a child.  No matter what the child does wrong, their parents still love them {so I suppose this post ties slightly in to forgiveness as well}.  I can't overstress the importance of, at the end of the day, being able to remind yourself of how much you love someone, whether your parent, sibling, friend, child or significant other has tested you during that day.  I don't always succeed at it, but I try to never go to bed angry at a person.  Now, I may wake up angry the next day, but I try to not end my day with negativity.  If I am upset with someone that I love, I try to take a moment at the end of the day and remind myself of why I am grateful for that person.  If I have had a heated conversation with someone or am just feeling generally pissed off at them, I try to send them a text or an email, or even call them, at the end of the day to let them know that I am thinking of them.

I know that that approach may seem childish {trying to push aside legitimate problems and possibly superficially "move past" a situation}, but I think that I thrive when I am able to step back and remind myself of why I love someone.  And that, my friends, is what unconditional love is all about, being able to look past petty annoyances to remind yourself to show gratitude for those who you truly love.

What does unconditional love look like?

Even if your family is fighting, you have to all come together for Thanksgiving, right?! It's un-American not to!!

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Mommy and baby, such a sweet picture

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Nothing makes me melt more than seeing daddies interact with babies

via morning coffee

The cutest little family

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I'm very excited for Thursday's post {Valentine's Day, in case you live under a rock}.  I have the sweetest, most romantic video to share with you that will hopefully capture the spirit of the day perfectly!

The Love Project: The "anti-Bachelor" Love

Some of you may know of my love for the Bachelor/Bachelorette TV shows.  As much as I judge and hate myself for religiously watching such trashy TV, I can't look away from such an entertaining train wreck.  Plus, there's a little part of me that hopes that, despite the abysmal statistics, one of these couples will find meaningful, lasting love.

There is one thing that I always try to keep in mind while watching the shows: however fabulous it may be to be spirited away in a private jet to Curacao {this makes me laugh every time because of how consistently bad Emily and all three of the guys were at pronouncing this little island's name}, Prague, and every exotic location in between, shopping for expensive designer clothes and slow-dancing during a private concert with a semi-recognizable band, that could not be further from what real life is like.  I would venture to guess that the expectation that life will be all about such grand gestures is one of the main reasons why the vast majority of the relationships on The Bachelor/Bachelorette fail.  First of all, if life was one nonstop grand gesture, none of those bouquets of flowers, exotic trips or expensive diamonds would feel all that special anymore.  Also, and this may shock some of you...ABC is paying for and organizing all of those dates {shhh, don't tell anyone}.

Speaking from my own experience, Dan and I are a very active couple, so we enjoy coming up with new and interesting things to do.  However, with busy schedules and the budgetary restraints that come from being two young professionals, we can't just pick up and go on some grand adventure every time that we hang out.  Frankly, I kind of like it that way!  That makes trips to Boston, New York, to vineyards, farms, driving ranges, beaches, museums, historic homes, breweries and the like all the more special.  And, to be honest, some of my very favorite moments of our relationship have come when we have been relaxing at home, have had a meaningful conversation, or are not even doing anything in particular.  Interestingly, I also felt so happy and connected when we went on our 12-mile training run last summer as we prepared for our half-marathon.  Running, as a shared interest, is something so convenient and fun to do together.  I certainly don't feel my most glamorous or put-together when I'm running {particularly not in the summer, when I'm sweating like a pig}, but something about pushing my body to its limit, and sharing in that activity with the person I love, does make me feel strangely beautiful, sweat and all.

What I'm saying is, take the time to appreciate the little moments in your relationship, the things you don't necessarily plan, the lazy Sundays spent watching TV, and the conversations that help you get to know the people you love better.  Actually, one of my favorite nights of our relationship came in August 2011, a month where I went on vacation with my family for a week, got to see Dan for about 18 hours, and then he went on vacation with his family for a week {and was delayed in getting home thanks to that pesky Hurricane Irene}. I was so elated to see him after so much time apart on that first day that he got back.  Although he had driven through the night to get back to DC and could barely keep his eyes open, and even though we got dinner at the less-than-fancy Corner Bakery after spending an hour in the AT&T store replacing Dan's phone that had died over the weekend, I couldn't wipe the silly grin off of my face.  We were doing such mundane errands and one of us was a complete zombie, but the important thing was that we were spending quality time together.

Lazy Sundays are the best!

via Bathwater

So cozy :) I mean, come on, the bride is wearing a sweater!

via Better Than Fine

The Love Project: Vulnerability

I was talking to someone in my life recently, who was attempting to decide whether or not to pursue a romantic relationship with another individual.  This person confessed that they were frightened at the thought of allowing themself to be vulnerable enough to take a chance on love.  My advice to this person was that so much of love is about facing that fear of being vulnerable and of getting hurt.  In my opinion, it is always better to open oneself up to love and risk the fear of getting hurt than to never love at all.  Love is uncertain, but chances are you won't truly experience it unless you take a leap or two.

In the year prior to meeting Dan, I had been very hurt by love.  I had allowed myself to be open and to be vulnerable, and it ended up not working out for me, which left me feeling raw and emotionally exhausted.  That is why it was a huge risk for me to not only begin the process of dating again, but also to begin that process online.  For those of you who don't know our story, we met on Match, and, while that experience is certainly not for everyone, I thought it was an incredible exercise for me in becoming more open, as well as in determining the qualities that are most important to me in a significant other.  However, there is a certain degree of risk involved, perhaps more than your traditional meet-at-a-bar dating, because who someone claims to be online does not necessarily equate to who they are in person.  You are taking a huge risk before you have even gone out on a date!!!

I knew from the day that I met Dan {almost two years ago! How time flies!} that he was someone special, but I still doubted whether or not I could open my heart to him because of the lingering sting of the disappointment and hurt of the previous year.  It did not take me long at all to realize that he was worth it, and, tying in to my first Love Project post, he was affirming in how he felt about me, which made me feel less vulnerable and justified the investment that I was putting into our blossoming relationship.  That, my friends, is the key.  If you are not getting affirmation from your significant other, you will  never stop feeling vulnerable, but that affirmation, well, that makes you feel like you're on an equal playing field.

I loved this picture because it shows that us gals aren't the only ones who can be vulnerable!  This is the ultimate show of vulnerability from this groom, and what a sweet moment the photog captured!

via bashertweddings

The Love Project Kickoff: Support and Encouragement

Hi everyone! As promised in my last post, I have been trying to dig up some interesting articles, videos, photos, etc. to kick off this month of LOVE.  Let me tell you that I have a hum-dinger of a video, which I am going to save until Valentine's Day {sorry for the tease!}.  I hope you enjoy, because I had a lot of fun putting this together!

When I think of love, I think immediately of encouragement and support.  We all deserve to be surrounded by people who show their love for us through their supportive and affirming actions and words.  A huge part of why I feel so loved in my life, by family members, friends and Dan is because I know they all support me unconditionally and share in my joys and sorrows.  I don't take that love and support for granted, because I know, from heartbreaking story after heartbreaking story, that that is not always the case.  

The picture below {which I kind of want, by the way}, really spoke to me, because one thing I have learned, especially over the course of my relationship with Dan, is how important affirming statements like this one can be.  I think that it is so important to feel affirmed in your relationships, romantic and otherwise, so I think this shirt represents the importance of never being afraid to show the people who love how much you care about them.

via Bippity Boppity Boo

On a slightly different note, but also somewhat dealing with ways in which you can make others feel more supported, my mom send me this "Pep Talk from a Kid President" video earlier this week, and I couldn't help but share.  The adorable little kid's words of encouragement made me want to go out in the world and make a difference, PLUS the video is funny!  You just want to make the kid proud!  I think I love it just about as much as Jessica's Daily Affirmations.  I can't overstate the importance of having influences like that in your life.

To sum up this post, everyone deserves to feel supported by the people in their lives, and if you feel that you are not the recipients of this particular manifestation of love, YOU DESERVE BETTER!!!!  Especially if you're the type of person to dole out support, you deserve to get the same in return.

Happy weekend, friends!  I'm looking forward to a relaxing one, after a bunch of work events last weekend and this week.  I've got a roomie night planned with Molly tonight, and what should be lots of quality time with Dan {including a Pens game and a Super Bowl party!}.  Hopefully I will be nice and refreshed on Monday...HA

Announcement: The Love Project

It's that time of year, friends, the dreaded Valentine's Day season.  Since it's almost February, I thought I would jump on the spirit bandwagon.

Mara from A Blog About Love {a fabulous blog, by the way, which you should check out!} posted this video collage aboout what love means to different people.  It is a beautiful video that got me thinking about how I can capture the spirit of love in this blog.

What I came up with is what I'm calling The Love Project.  Each time I post in February, I will share an article, picture, movie or song clip, or personal story that, in my opinion, conveys the powerful emotion of love.  I would love to hear about the types of things that do the same for all of you!  So, for the last few days of January, I will be brainstorming fun things to share!

Speaking of love, I hope you all watched The Bachelor last night :-)  I hate myself for watching it, but I can't turn away!

The Perfect Valentine's Day!!!

Oh boy, did yesterday ever exceed my wildest expectations!!! Even though Dan is admittedly not a fan of Valentine's Day, he really went above and beyond to make yesterday special for me, for which I was so grateful.  I felt like a princess all day long!

I woke up and opened my valentine from my parents (which had my dad written ALL over it!  I knew he had picked out the little kiddie card, complete with mirror, and I later confirmed that fact with my mom).  It was a great way to start the day.

 If you know my dad, you'll know that this was obviously his doing!

I then got to put on the DRESS!!!! In a size that fit me almost perfectly (as you can see in the picture below, it billowed out a little bit at the waist, partly because of the pockets- yes, pockets!- but partly because it was not a tall-size dress.  However, I'm not complaining!)!  It did get a little dicey with the corset top after a 4-course dinner, but all in all, it was a very comfortable dress, not to mention in my very favorite color.  The fluorescent lights in my bathroom make the dress look much darker (and the mirror also makes my face look distorted?), when the color was actually called Spiced Wine, slightly more burgundy in tone, although still definitely purple.  It definitely got the thumbs-up from Dan!

I was really excited for our fancy dinner all day at work, and then, in the mid-afternoon, I got a phone call saying that there was a delivery for me but that they couldn't get on to campus.  Call me dense, but I assumed it was a proof I had ordered from our printer, even though one of my coworkers chimed in that it was probably flowers.  "No,there's no way," I replied, because I wasn't expecting flowers at all.  But sure enough, when I emerged from my meeting, the beautiful bouquet below was waiting for me.  The flowers were such a wonderful surprise, and the bouquet was definitely the envy of all of the women in my office :)

 So beautiful...and thoughtful!

We hung out at Dan's for a bit before we headed over to Georgetown for our DELICIOUS dinner, and I got the card pictured below.  On the inside, it says, "I love it when you talk nerdy to me, Valentine".  Haha so corny, but perfect (he is a big fan of puns).  He said he picked that one because he groaned in agony when he read it.  And he wrote the sweetest message, so that was maybe my favorite part of the entire day!  Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of his card before I gave it to him, but I can still describe it: on the outside was a heart, enveloped in flames, that said HOT, and, on the inside of the card, was another heart, that one reading FOR YOU.  And the best part...it WHISTLED!!!!!! I joked that I should have made him open it at the restaurant, but, then again, that would have been mean ;)  It just occurred to me that we didn't actually pick a winner of the card contest, but his card was so funny that I joked that I would start calling him Scruffy-Looking Nerfherder.

Our dinner was absolutely fabulous!  By the time we left, we were both definitely in a food coma, so I would say that it was a job well done by Ristorante Piccolo.  For my FOUR courses (yeah, I can't eat that much food), I ordered: a beet and goat cheese salad with a lemony vinaigrette; risotto with mushrooms; red snapper with spinach and potatoes; and strawberry tiramisu.  Dan ordered: mozzarella, tomato and pesto salad; pasta with crabmeat; a filet with asparagus and mashed potatoes; and canoli.  The food was outstanding, and I knew it was good because I, the queen of sweets, didn't even put a dent in my dessert!  We were sitting at a table tucked away by the front window of the restaurant, so we had a great view of everything that was happening outside, not to mention in the very well-decorated (maybe excessively so?) restaurant.  Did I mention that a roving musician was also wandering around?  Oh yes.

All in all, it was a perfect first Valentine's Day together, but I reassured Dan that next year, we can just stay at home, cook dinner, and do something perfectly low-key.  I would never ask him to re-create this Valentine's Day, but I am so grateful that he did the whole song and dance for me.  What a lucky girl I am...but, then again, I feel that way every day, not just on Valentine's Day :)

Valentine's Day Challenge

Hello, dear readers!!! Valentine's Day is almost upon us (groan in disgust or cheer, however you feel like reacting to that).  I am personally very excited for Tuesday's blessed event, because I get to wear a cute dress (*more on this below), go out to a fancy restaurant and spend time with my love.  Sounds like a great deal, right?

I decided to make things a little bit interesting and challenge Dan to a Funny Valentine contest, in which each of us is tasked with finding the funniest (actually funny or corny will both be acceptable) Valentine's Day card.  Obviously, being that we are both competitive weirdos, he accepted, so the challenge is on.  He casually asked me last night how my search was going, and I said, "Oh, I had already found your card when I suggested the challenge.  In fact, I got a backup so I could make a game-time decision and choose between the two."  I just wanted to make him sweat a little bit ;)  My card IS actually quite corny, so I'm excited to see what he comes up with.

I was just looking around to see if anyone else had anything to say about funny valentines, and found a gold mine: the Huffington Post highlighted the best someecards Valentine's Day cards.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with someecards (or if you somehow missed out on the whole Facebook Bumper Sticker craze a few years back), they are hilariously dry and sarcastic, so, without further ado, enjoy.

I would love to hear if any of you have given, received, or just looked at (but been too scared to buy) any particularly funny valentines!!!

*Okay, so the dress debacle: I received a little gift from JCrew last week (a $25 gift card!) since I am a cardholder, and, given that they were also taking an extra 30% off their sale, I wanted to take advantage of it.  I found a BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL dress that I instantly fell in love with and thought I could wear for Valentine's Day.  I had been stalking my tracking information for two days (JCrew has ridiculously quick shipping.  Maybe that's why they tack on so much extra $ for shipping) and knew that it would be waiting for me when I got home last night.  The Hoyas suffered a heartbreaking overtime defeat at the hands of Cuse (booooooo) last night, so Dan and I were in a rotten mood.  But hey, at least I had my dress to look forward to!

I practically ripped it out of the box and went into the bathroom so I could put it on in front of the mirror.  But wait, it wouldn't zip all the way............? Hmmmmmmmm.  I had ordered the same size I always do in their dresses, but I was afraid this was another case of non-standardized sizing as concerns women's clothing. I seriously had to suck it in as my roommmate struggled to zip it up that last little bit.  Oh, did I mention that it has a very structured corset top?  I think I was visibly uncomfortable (but, this will matter in a minute, I was fully zipped in, and it FIT!! Kind of...) and quite obviously very disappointed, because of how excited I had been about this dress.  After trying to look it pretty in front of the mirror for a few minutes, I dejectedly walked back to my room and took it off. 

It was only then that I looked at the tag.  But wait, it was a SIZE SMALLER than what I had ordered!! A number that I never thought I would see on a dress that *kind of* fit me assuming I didn't care about breathing! Two minutes ago I had been thinking, 'Okay, Kristen, where the heck did all of this extra weight come from that you apparently gained so that your size no longer fits?'. I was feeling seriously bad about myself, and then, mere seconds later, I felt GREAT!  However, it was not realistic for me to keep a dress that only kind of (uncomfortably) fit, so I called JCrew immediately (wooo 24-hour customer service!!), and they offered to overnight me the right size (still in stock in the color I wanted! Yay!) at no extra charge, AND send me a prepaid return shipping label for the too-small dress.  I wasn't even angry, because their customer service was so fantastic!!  I may have pulled the "I was hoping to wear this dress on Valentine's Day" card in order to expedite things a little bit, but that's neither here nor there.  Fingers crossed that it makes it in time (I still haven't gotten an email saying that it's been shipped)!

Moral of the story: JCrew has amazing customer service.  Yes, they made a mistake, but they more than made up for it with their superior customer service.  THAT is how you run a business!!!