Since we live in an apartment, so there’s only so much decorating Travis and I can do for holidays.  I always put out a little something for Halloween, but my holiday of choice for decorating is Christmas.

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Travis, on the other hand, can’t wait until we have a “real” house so he can go all-out on decorations.  He has fantasies of creating a haunted house every Halloween and hanging tons of lights each Christmas.

What I look forward to most: trick or treaters!  :)

I’m curious, do you decorate your house on Halloween (or other holidays)?  Have you ever created a haunted house or any other extravagant decor?

I’m doing a hair and makeup trial this morning for a gorgeous boho bride who will spend the morning of her wedding getting ready  on a vintage houseboat.  I was shocked to hear this, at first— I pictured a tiny, rickety old jalopy.  But she sent me photos and I was stunned by how beautiful it looks!

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I did a little digging and found these other jaw-dropping houseboat photos…

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I’m starting to think that renting a houseboat would make a vacation to any coastal town infinitely cooler.  Picture visiting San Francisco: you can enjoy the hustle and bustle of the city all day, and in the evenings you can retire to your little getaway, docked at the pier.  Are you into the idea?

Would you stay in a houseboat instead of a hotel?  Did you realize how beautiful some of them can be?!  Any other unconventional accommodations you’d like to try?  Share in the comments!

I have a friend who is planning to move in with her boyfriend in the coming months, and we were talking about living together before marriage.  Travis and I moved in together less than a year into our relationship and spent three years shacked up before heading down the aisle.  My friend agreed that living together was important for her before marriage, but she was happy spending a year or less under the same roof before making the plunge.

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For me, I feel like living with someone before you agree to spend your entire life with them is a smart move.  What if you’re styles of cohabiting are totally different and living together is more stressful than fun?  Beyond that, I know from experience that Travis and I learned a lot about each other simply from being around each other all the time and living in the same apartment.

On the other hand, I have another friend who won’t move in until after the wedding ceremony.  And there’s something unbelievably romantic about that.  When she gets married, she will really be starting her life with her husband.  (Travis and I had “started our life together” years before he put a ring on it.)

I’d love to know what you think…

Will you (or did you) live with your significant other before marriage?  What made you choose to do one or the other?  Share your thoughts in the comments!

P.S.- Click here to enter this week’s giveaway :)

Travis and I spent Father’s Day weekend in Santa Cruz, soaking up the sun and visiting family.  Even though we go back fairly often, I find myself missing it all the time.  San Francisco is fun and busy and exciting, but the change of pace in Santa Cruz is always so refreshing.  Trav and I plan to stay in the city for the next few years at least, but I look forward to eventually heading back to our home town and putting down roots.

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I have friends, though, who plan to live anywhere BUT the towns they grew up in.  Some of them crave more excitement, others hate running into people everywhere they go (personally, I love it!)  There’s a part of me that would love to move to a brand new place and create a life there from scratch… I can definitely see the appeal.

I’m curious where you fall on the spectrum…

Do you plan to settle down in your home town or do you want to move far away?  Where are you from?  Where do you live now?  Share in the comments!

Happy Monday, my sweets!  I hope you all had a lovely weekend.  To celebrate Mother’s Day, I booked an afternoon at the spa for myself and my mom— complete with champagne, massages, and big jacuzzi tubs.  Everything about the day was perfect, except for one thing: I had a male masseuse.

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I’ve had my fair share of massages over the past ten years, and I always make sure to request a woman because that’s what I’m used to.  There must have been a hiccup in communication at the spa yesterday because in walked a 20-something man to take me into the massage room.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being massaged by a man, but for me personally, I became very aware of the fact that I was practically naked in a dimly lit room with a guy that wasn’t my husband.  It just felt… wrong.  The masseuse was very professional and totally great at his job, but I was never fully able to relax— such a bummer!

I’m curious how you ladies feel about this, and if you think that being married makes a difference.

Would you get a massage from a male masseuse?  Does it make a difference if you’re married or single?  Do any of you prefer to be massaged by a man?  Share your thoughts in the comments!