Valentine's Day

Well hello, and happy Valentine's day! : )

If your Facebook/Instagram feed is anything like mine, you have probably seen 100+ pictures of flowers, chocolates, purses....you name it. Pictures of those things paired with sentences like, "My husband made me a homemade Valentine's Day dinner with an "I love you" cake and hearts and xoxoxo cupcakes! He never ceases to impress me!" have been keeping my cheeks hurting from giggling today. {I didn't make that sentence up by the way, it's straight from my Facebook.}

Don't get me wrong...Garrett and I got eachother a couple of things and said, "Happy Valentine's day!" several times, but something this year was different. I didn't feel the need to blast to the social media world every single gift I was given and go on and on about how lucky I am that he is my man and blah blah blah.

Again, don't get me wrong, I know without a doubt that I am the luckiest girl alive, but who am I trying to prove that to? Why post pictures of the gifts I was given and say how lucky in love I am? Why brag and be sure everyone knows that I wasn't left out Valentine's day? It seems unreal and cheap. Garrett knows how in love we are, so do our friends and families. That's all that matters. 

It felt weird not to share pictures of the gifts we gave eachother because I truly am excited about them and feel lucky to have a husband who wants me to have nice things. But, again, Garrett knows that. Who cares if my old roommate's sorority sister's cousin's girlfriend knows? Ok, that was extreme, but you get the point. 

I guess what I am trying to say while on my soapbox is this: I think that if you love someone and they love you and you have this great relationship, everyone who is important already knows about it. It seems to me that the one's who consistently talk about how in love they are on Facebook are the one's out to prove how great their relationship is when it actually isn't. They want people to think, "Well he bought her flowers, chocolate, AND a stuffed bunny rabbit? He must really love her!" Love should be celebrated year round, not just on the one day out of the year when you are told by corporate America that you should go out and buy your honey something. It's not as special that way. If you are lucky enough to have someone by your side in your life, then show them everyday that you love them and that they are special. Prove to them you love them, not everyone else.

I swear I am not anti-Valentine's Day at all. Even though this post makes me seem like a liar. I just couldn't believe how full my Facebook feed was today of "look at me! He got me this!" posts. I get that not everyone share's pictures of their gifts in order to get attention, but it just seemed that way. It was comical but also a little sad. It made me not want to post a single picture of anything Valentine's related....and we both know that's not me! : ) It felt like all of these people were more excited about their balloons and roses than they were about the actual relationship, if there even is one.

Now that I got that out of my system, I really do hope you each had a special Valentine's day with your babe and that you remember to show them your love year round! A great relationship isn't based on giving eachother chocolates one day out of the year, it's about being there for eachother every single day with little surprises thrown in along the way! 

Alright. Done. Now for the important stuff: Don't forget...Valentine's Day candy will be on sale tomorrow!! : )

3

Garrett and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary on July 31st. 

Usually we try to take a weekend trip, but since we had just gotten back from Ruidoso, and we both had to work, we didn't do anything fancy.

On Wednesday, the day of our anniversary, we both headed to work at 3. You think I normally hate work, I really hated it that day. I just wanted to be with my husband on our anniversary, is that too much to ask? Geez!

Anyways, that day at work I was surprised with these:

With the flowers was a sweet note telling me to be ready at 8:30 the next evening for dinner. My girls at work read the card and thought it was sweet that he sent flowers. They had so many questions, wondering what I was going to wear and where we were going. One girl said, "Ooooh, you had better look fine!" I'm still giggling at that.

Thursday evening we went to a restaurant called Linger in Denver. It was awesome! Linger used to be Olinger Mortuary, so certain things they have/do are mortuary themed. I know it sounds weird but it worked and was neat to see. They serve small plates of "street" foods from several different countries, and you have to order several plates to be full. Total we ordered 3 plates, got one plate free, and had a dessert. We both loved it and already want to go back. It was fairly expensive ($87 including tip) but the service and food were perfect. 

When we walked in we were greeted and given an anniversary card that the staff had all signed. I mean, who does that? We were both impressed. They serve popcorn as an appetizer and that nights flavor was an Indian seasoning with curry and nutmeg. I had a difficult time deciding on what to order because everything was fancy, or in my brain, weird. And it was dark in there! Needless to say, the pictures I took aren't very good. Not only was it too dark in there, all I brought was my cell phone. Oops.

Told ya it was dark!

These are our "dead" faces. Don't ask.

Our first plate, Jerk Chicken Lettuce Wraps.

Our free plate, Seared Diver Scallops:

I sure didn't like these, gross!

The 3rd, and best in my opinion, plate. 

Wagyu Burger Sliders with Sweet Potato Waffle Fries:

Chicken B'stilla:

 

Dessert Menu on a toe tag.

They hooked us up with free toasting champagne. I'm telling ya, they took care of us!

"Milk & Cookies" dessert:

After dinner we went to see The Conjuring and finished off the night with a parking ticket. Basically our anniversary consisted of food {hence this post reading like a restaurant review} and we were ok with that. It was nice to get dressed up and go out on an actual date together. 

Babe- Thank you so much for making our anniversary special. Even more important, thank you for loving me through everything unconditionally. I couldn't imagine life without you. You are perfect in every way.

I love you.

The Eiffel Tower Ring!

Hi darlings!

When I first started blogging, I saw several people doing link ups sharing pictures of their wedding rings, and I loved that idea! I really love looking at other people's rings and seeing the different styles there are, and the way different styles look on different people. And frankly, I just love hearing about engagements.

I have to confess, I am not one of those girls who had had her wedding planned since she was 10 years old. Before Garrett and I had talked about getting married, I actually never pictured what my wedding would look like or what kind of ring I would have. Honestly, I didn't know anything about rings. I had no idea what princess cut or any of that was.

The first time I can remember beginning to think about rings was when I was at a bachelorette party for a friend. It was a weekend thing and us girls all went to the mall and, while there, visited Tiffany's. It was then and there that I fell in love with a ring.

After looking around in Tiffany's:

{yep, I'm the tall one in the middle with BROWN hair!}

And just because some of you know both me AND Brittany:

 {she and I were both friends with the bride-to-be and had so much fun at the bachelorette party together!}

Ok. Back to that ring in Tiffany's. I tried it on. It was 2 carats and cost $44,000.

Here is a link to it and here is a picture:

Isn't it gorgeous!? That picture doesn't even do it justice. Go to the link I shared, it looks better. 

I'll wait.

..

..

..

..

I got home and seriously couldn't quit talking about it. Poor Garrett. He was like, "uh...no". I mean, I didn't ask for it or anything, I just took a mental picture of it so that when we started looking I could find one similar. $44,000 is ridiculous!

So, fast forward a little bit and G and I were engagement ring shopping! WAHOO!!

I wanted to go because, other than that Tiffany's ring, I had no idea what I might even like. I narrowed it down to three and had my sister and mom go with me to see which one they liked best. There was one ring that resembled the Eiffel Tower {and the Tiffany's ring I loved!} and we all decided we liked it best. It was more expensive than the others so I let Garrett have the ultimate choice between the three.

The day he proposed, I was so surprised/happy/shocked. He chose the, as we called it, Eiffel Tower ring! I, just like now, took tons of pictures. I wish I would've had my nice camera then.

Dinner afterward at Stella's:

My ring!
{ignore the fake nails}

 

That was over 3 years ago and I still stare at it all the time. I am so thankful for it and for such a sweet husband to get me something so beautiful!

Link up your rings with Kelly, I would love to see them and hear about your engagements!

Ps. Don't forget to enter into this giveaway! Morgan is giving away a $25 Starbucks gift card!!

Husband and Wife Q&A

I found this link up over at Passion, Pink, and Pearls, and while G and I aren't really newlyweds, I thought it would be fun to participate. I love filling out surveys. And, to my surprise, G was down to do it too, so here ya go!  

Oh, I filled out my answers first and then he filled out his on a separate document so he couldn't read my answers first. I'm not sure why I thought that was important to share with you, but...yeah. 

What advice would you give a friend who just found out they were getting married?

W: I would tell her not to stress out too much over the wedding, that it's the person you are going to be with in the end that matters. 

G: Listen to each other. Communicate with each other. Admit when you are wrong. Buy Settlers of Catan. 

Do you have a pet name for your spouse? If so, what is it? 

W: Psh do I have a pet name? I have several! Babe, Hubbins, Bean, Bear, Baby Bear, Beanie, Honey, and Siggy are the ones I can think of right off the top of my head.

G: Of course! Quite a few actually. But most notable would probably be "Siggs" which is short for significant other. Super corny, but unique. Just like me! 

What are three things your spouse cannot live without?

W: Me : ), Music, and Coffee.

G: Cats, Reality TV, and Sleep.

What is your favorite date idea? (Something you have or haven't done) 

W: Right now my favorite date idea is the Color Run we signed up for. Don't get me wrong, I hate running, but I think it will be memorable and fun! And it's a healthy alternative to the dates we normally have.

G: Watching the sun set over the Hobbiton movie set in Matamata, New Zealand. I can think of no more desirable thing in this world than holding Whitney while overlooking a golden sunset-filled Shire. Nerdy? Yes. Awesome? You betcha.

Is there a book or movie that reminds you of your marriage? If so, what and why?

W: Yes! Gone Girl! Ok, ok, just kidding! Honestly I can't think of one that reminds me of our marriage. This question is hard and I'm not really a movie-goer. 

G: Kill Bill! Ok...just kidding. The Shining! Kidding again. As a movie guy you'd think I have one but I don't really. Maybe (500) Day of Summer? Except we actually stay together. We can drive  each other crazy but we are crazy about each other all at the same time. Which kind of makes life worth living. And the scene where Josheph Gordon-Levitt randomly starts singing in a musical number in public is how Whitney makes me feel all the time: so damn happy that I just wanna burst out into song (or mosh). 

Rate the very last kiss you had with your spouse. How was it on a scale of 1-10? 

W: That kiss was a 15! I tricked him into it because I saw this question coming up and said, "Can I have a kiss?" If I didn't know better I would think that he had already read this question! He grabbed ahold of my shirt and everything! 

G: Upon first reading this, a 10 for sure. It was a good, long, wet one about 30 minutes ago. HOWEVER, I have now come to realize it was all based on a lie. You see, about 31 minutes ago as Whitney was filling out this questionnaire, she randomly asked me to come kiss her. I happily obliged thinking, "That was unexpected and sweet." Nope. She was just looking to fill out her precious survey...(but between you and me it was well worth it, regardless of intentions and still a solid 10). 

What was the very first thing you noticed about your spouse? 

W: Well first, I thought he was hot. And silly. And he had dark hair and blue eyes which is perfection to me! 

G: I'm going to trace this back to our first date because we'd known (of) each other for years. This was at the wonderful world of Wal-Mart in Sweetwater, TX because it was a few months old and THE place to hang out. So sad...The first thing I noticed about her was that she stumbled on a couple of her words when she was talking. Think "temporary lisp". But what was more noticeable was how I kept telling her I never knew she had a lisp and it got under her skin. Fast. Of course I knew she didn't have a lisp at all. I was just giving her a hard time. Testing her boundaries. Which is how our relationship is to this very day. We have to keep each other on our toes! 

What was the very first gift your spouse gave you? 

W: I have no idea! I have a horrible memory with this kind of stuff. The first thing I can remember was a little box of chocolates that he gave me for Easter when we were still in high school.  

G: A swift ass kicking in Connect 4 at a New Years Eve party in 2004. We played that game at least 10 times that night and I didn't win a single one. This was the first time we had ever really spent time together more than a few minutes.

Is there anything you sacrificed when you married your spouse? If so, what? 

W: Other than little things like sharing a bathroom and having to constantly hear music, not really.  

G: As much as I listen to music even now (probably at least 2 hours a day), I used to listen to it A LOT more. As in at least 20 hours a day. Eating. Sleeping. Walking to class. Driving to work. All the time. Nonstop. So it was less of a sacrifice and more of a much needed intervention.  

What would your spouse say is the funniest photo of you? Post it below. 

W: I think it would have to be this one we just took last weekend because for some reason the computer didn't read Garrett's face so he looks normal and I look ridiculous.

 

 

G: Since we just took a ton of random funny pics, those are fresh on my mind. I'd probably say this one. Notice how I look like the Creepy Toby McGuire meme. We both found that humorous. 

    I hope you all had a great Sunday! Can't wait to read about your weekends!      

 

Fun for Friday

Last weekend G and I got really lame.

We were bored. We had nothing better to do.

So, we took pictures of ourselves. 

And we laughed, and laughed. I hope you do too!

Happy Friday!!

 

 For some reason it didn't read G's face on this picture. He said he was going to take this to work and tell people I was his wife. What a sweetie! : )

I am so proud of how creepy I look in this picture!

We hope you all have a great weekend!

Celebrating Valentine's Day

I know, Valentine's Day was last week. 

But, I still want to share our day with you guys and, you know, get it on the ol blog.

Technically, we celebrated Valentines day at 3am Friday morning when G got off of work. That's our new normal, up until 5am and sleeping until atleast 3pm. 

Earlier that day, before Garrett had gone to work, I started working on the crossword puzzle that he had made me to start off my Valentine's scavenger hunt. I finished the crossword and decided I wanted to wait to finish the scavenger hunt/exchange gifts until he got home that night.

 So we took a nap. 

This crossword was all about our relationship, and I knew ALL the answers but 2. I was pretty proud! {The 2 I didn't know were hard! Ex. The name of the street our apartment in Florence, Italy was on? Answer: Ghibellina.}

I spent the day cleaning the apartment and getting Garrett's gifts set up. 

And I may have watched the Bachelor. 12 hours is a long time to be home by yourself!

When Garrett got home we ate dinner and I finished my sweet scavenger hunt. G hid thoughtful notes in places around the apartment with a small gift. It was fun and something I won't forget!

{I wasn't wearing makeup so don't judge too hard on these pictures!}

After the crossword, my next clue led me to our collection of vinyls. 

This was hidden in a note in our Def Leppard vinyl:

So, as I went around the apartment {and outside in the freezing weather} I gathered up my sweet notes along with the thoughtful gifts at each place. 

 I am so thankful to have a sweet, thoughtful husband! I thought my gifts to him were sweet, and of course he out did me, as usual!

After I finished the scavenger hunt, it was his turn. 

He didn't have to work too hard, his gifts were laid out right in front of him.

My friend Diedre gave me the idea to make G this Saints thinga-ma-jigger for his new office. 

It's wood, nails, and thread.

He loved it.

 {He was even wearing his Saints shirt that day!}

We ended up hanging out until around 5am and went to bed. 

It was a great Valentine's day! I've said it once and I'll say it again; I am so very thankful to have such a sweet, thoughtful hubby who can make me feel so special!

ps. Don't forget to enter into the giveaway I am participating in here! Giftcards and a cute accessory!