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!

Travis and I both grew up camping and love heading to the lake every summer.  (We even registered for camping gear for our wedding and it was one of our favorite gifts!)  We have a big camping trip planned for July and I’ve been fantasizing about it a lot lately.  Laying by the water with a good book and an ice cold drink, playing guitar at night by the bonfire— I’m always so relaxed during our camping adventures.

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My parents started and ended their honeymoon in fancy hotels, but they spent a few days mid-trip at a campground.  I used to think that camping was not a honeymoon appropriate trip, but I’m starting to think it could be awesome.  Before you judge, check out some of these pretty camping photos:

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Camping would certainly minimize honeymoon costs and you could really unplug from the outside world.  What do you think?  Would you do it?

Would you go camping on your honeymoon?  Or would you want something fancier to celebrate your marriage?  Got any favorite camping spots?  Share your thoughts in the comments!

I’m so excited to share a fun photo shoot with you today!

In late November, my family had the pleasure of doing a photo session with Sarah Pope Photography.  We wanted to get some nice, relaxed pictures to celebrate Travis’ official entry into our family :)  Check ‘em out…

I think this one is my favorite…

I also asked Sarah to get some good photos of just my parents, and I love how they turned out.  After 25 years together, my mom and dad are so adorably in love and I really feel like that comes through here!

Sarah was so relaxed and sweet and fun!  She made it easy to pose for the camera and found a great balance between setting up shots and letting everything fall into place.  We love how the pics turned out— we’ll cherish these forever!

Check out Sarah Pope Photography to see all her work and to view the rest of our photo shoot.

Thanks, Sarah!

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Ok, I know Valentine’s Day doesn’t directly relate to weddings, but with February 14th creeping up on us I feel like I need to get this off my chest…

Why does everyone enjoy bashing Valentine’s Day?!

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Seriously, sweets, please help me understand!  I’ve seen tons of anti-V Day Facebook updates and blog posts floating around, from single and committed girls alike, and it’s making me sad!

I know that people like to call Valentine’s Day a “Hallmark Holiday” and I agree that you shouldn’t wait until February 14th to celebrate the love in your life (romantic or otherwise).  But what’s so bad about having a holiday that gives everyone an excuse to be a little extra lovey to their friends, family, and significant others?

My hope for you all is that you take time to acknowledge love all throughout the year and that the people in your life do the same.  So let’s re-frame the way we look at V-Day and take it as an excuse to get dressed up and go to dinner with someone special or stay home and play a board game by candle light.

If you’re single and feeling like February 14th is a day to be dreaded, put a little effort into making special Valentines for your girlfriends… I guarantee that it will make you feel good to put a smile on their faces!

What’s your view on Valentine’s Day?  Does anyone else see it the way I do or are you just not a fan of February 14th?  (All opinions are welcome!)

P.S… Inexpensive gifts for everyone on your V-Day list and What not to get your guy on Feb. 14th

It seems like all the celebs are getting engaged this holiday season… everyone from Aretha Franklin to Justin Timberlake!  Of course, we are in the peak of “engagement season” (Thanksgiving through Valentines Day), but all of these proposals have me wondering… do you have a timeline for getting hitched?

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I was still a teenager when Travis and I  started dating, so I didn’t enter our relationship with any sort of deadline for marriage.  But soon into our relationship, when I realized that he was the man I would marry, I started timing everything out.  I wanted to get engaged the summer after we graduated college and married a year later, on our 4 year anniversary.

And guess what?  That’s exactly what happened!

I know some women with age-related timelines.  Some want to get married by age 30, some want a proposal by 27, etc… I have the feeling that it’s pretty natural for women to set a deadline for marriage, especially if they want to start a family.  I’m curious to know how many of you have one, too…

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Unmarried gals: do you have a desired age that you’d like to be married or engaged?  Has your timeline changed as you’ve dated different people?  Married gals: did you have a marriage deadline before you got hitched?  Did everything turn out the way you thought it would?  Share in the comments!