People seem to either love or hate Valentine’s Day.  I happen to be someone who loves it.  Any excuse to celebrate love is just fine by me!

I’m feeling especially attached to  Vday this year, since it’s the last time Trav and I will be celebrating as a duo and not a trio (eee!)  But since the holiday falls on Thursday, it’s not exactly realistic to have an all-day love fest.

If you’re looking to get into the spirit of love, but haven’t made the time yet, here are a few quick and easy ideas…

Rock a heart manicure.  This one was inspired by The Beauty Department and it has kept me in the Valentine’s spirit all week!

Put out conversation hearts.  Totally cheesy, very nostalgic, and a cutesy way to leave love notes on your sweetie’s pillow…

Decorate with a DIY heart garland.  This was way easier to make than I would have expected and looks totally cute.

Get crafty.  I put together this Valentine’s Day craft box for a friend over the weekend.  Making homemade cards is still one of my favorite activities.

Decorate heart cookies!  Because you can never have too much sugar, right?  Click here for the recipe…

What are you doing to get into the spirit of Valentine’s Day?  Got any ideas to share?

P.S. I am totally swooning over these heart bowls from West Elm!

I realized recently that this fall marks TEN YEARS since Travis and I first met!  I was a freshman in high school and he was a sophomore, and although I don’t remember the exact moment we first said hello, I have lots of fun memories of goofing around with him in our theater class :)

{via}

Ten years later, our life could not be more different, but it could also not be more wonderful!

I’d love to know the story of how you and your significant other met!  Mutual friends?  Online?  Bumped into each other at a bar?  Share your story in the comments!

I’m still in shock that we’re already three days into October… but the fact remains that Halloween is a mere four weeks away, which means I’ve got costumes on the brain.  I’m a notorious costume switcher.  When I was a kid, I’d prepare a costume for weeks leading up to Halloween, wear it to school, and by the time we went trick-or-treating that night, I would be dressed as something else.  It was too hard to decide!

As an adult, I definitely don’t have the energy for multiple costumes, so I plan to start early this year and stick to one thing.

I love dressing up with Travis, and since we’re going to a costume party, I think it would be fun to go as a duo.  For those of you who are new to the blog, last year we were…

Boobs!  This costume was so easy and so FUN.  We were cracking up all night!

I’ve been pondering this year’s couples costume, and here are a few ideas I like…

A tooth and the tooth fairy

Mary Poppins and Burt

Perfect if you’re pregnant: The solar system and Galileo

And one more that is not a couples costume, but is the cutest thing in the world…

How are you dressing up for Halloween?  Are you coordinating your costume with a significant other or a friend?  Got any other clever couples costume ideas to share?  Spill ‘em in the comments!

Greetings from Florence!  Travis and I are on the second leg of our trip (we left Rome yesterday and we’ll end our trip in Venice later in the week.)  I can’t wait to tell you all about our fun adventures when we get back, but today I want to get a little mushy because one year ago today, I married my wonderful husband :)

This year has gone by so fast, but marriage has been absolutely magical so far.  Today also marks our five year dating anniversary, and I can truly say that our relationship has only gotten better with time.  We have so much to look forward to and so much to be grateful for, and I feel beyond blessed to have ended up with such a kind, intelligent, funny, compassionate man.  (Who also happens to be easy on the eyes :)

Happy anniversary, sweet husband of mine.  How lucky are we to be celebrating in beautiful Italy?!

P.S.- Our wedding trailer :)

Today is the day, my sweets! We’re off to Italy this evening and I COULD NOT be more excited, although Trav and I are missing out on something pretty awesome because of our trip…

The Santa Cruz County Fair!

With fall comes the appearance of state and county fairs all over the country.  Travis and I had our first “official” date at the fair five years ago— I love the gooey cinnamon rolls, hilarious hypnotist, and adorable baby pigs as much now as I did growing up.

I stumbled onto these awesome state fair posters, and I thought I’d share…

All images {via}

They’re part of a series called “Poster-On-A-Stick”… pretty cool, right?

Do you have a state or county fair in your area?  What’s your favorite part?  The food?  The festivities?  The cute animals?  Share in the comments!