Valentine's Day 2015: The Heart of the Matter

Each Valentine's Day for the last three years has been spent with one of my best friends. For the past two years I've worked on Valentine's Day (I'm sure other years prior, but I'm counting full time job hours). The hospital has been such a great place to be, and I try and make it a great day for the children and families that are stuck there. This year it was filled with cupcakes and Zumba! For the past seven years, I've had a boyfriend who spoils me to no end each and every day of the year, not just with material things and food, but with his undivided attention, love, and support. Even though we've been dating each other, every Valentine's Day that comes around, we don't make a huge deal out of it, because we show each other how much we love each other day in and day out. To us, it's not about one day, it's about day after day. So that's why I choose to go out with my friend on Valentine's Day. Sal and I still have our night out together and he still arrives to my door with flowers or has them delivered, but it doesn't need to be on Valentine's Day. 

Sal had flowers delivered to the hospital where I work. Receiving a phone call saying I had something downstairs in the lobby waiting for me was definitely heart wracking, but definitely made me smile when I picked up the box and saw what was delivered to me. It made me feel so special, and gave me a smile to wear the rest of the day. 

This year, my friend and I were going to go to a fancy restaurant, but it ended up being booked with reservations, so we decided to go to our favorite burger place, with wine (Zinburger is great for those of you that haven't gone)! We arrived even though it was snowing, and were seated immediately, with no wait ... which is funny because on any random night we'd go there, there would be a wait! I guess burgers aren't that romantic, well for us they certainly are! We immediately started off with a bottle of wine, even though they were out of one of our favorites, Reisling. We poured our glasses full, and began our usual conversation, catching up and gossiping and forming our plans for the summer, which will be epic. We placed our orders for our delicious burgers and sweet potato fries, and when they arrived, we still continued to talk as we stuffed our faces. It's funny because each and every time we go there, we say we're only going to order half of a burger, and we end up ordering and eating a whole one. We were full, but there was still more wine, so our night went on. 

Time went fast, and we found ourselves closing the place, so we headed next door to Cups and filled our cups with way too much frozen yogurt and toppings. Why we do this to ourselves, I'll have no idea, but it was too good to resist. We said goodbye feeling way too stuffed, and headed home. I arrived home and Sal pulled up with homemade cookie dough ice cream. Don't worry, I didn't eat it that night... I am definitely not a glutton for punishment. I did savor it and still am savoring it a little at a time because it's just so good. 

That Sunday night, Sal and I decided to go out just the two of us, on a date. He arrived to my house with two roses in his hand, and a cute little pillow that says I love you. I smiled as he led me to the car, and the whole walk there I just kept thinking about how lucky I am to be with a man that truly appreciates me. We walked hand in hand into the hibachi restaurant we would be dining at that evening, and we breathed in the smell of those Japanese noodles, steak, and lobster that would soon be coming our way. Sal, of course, headed to the indoor pond they have filled with fish, and then we ordered the best girly drinks ever... yes, you read that right... Sal enjoyed a nice Mai Tai with fruit! Once we were seated, we couldn't wait to place our orders. We ended up being next to a great group of people, and we made the night really fun. Our soups and salads arrived, and then our main entrees were cooked in front of our eyes, and it was a hilarious sight to see. I even tried the Sake! 

Dinner was beyond amazing, and worth every penny. We enjoyed every last bite, and will definitely be heading back there soon! We enjoyed every second of the night we spent with one another, and if I could spend every night with him, I would. Love is a beautiful thing, and it brings out the best qualities in both of us. It didn't matter that we hadn't gone out on Valentine's day, or that I didn't give him anything, all that mattered was that we were together, and we were truly happy. The heart of the matter is not having to be with each other for every single "holiday," or needing to get one another things to show that you love them... the heart of the matter is the love that is shared between the two of you... and that you tell and show that person you love them every day. 

Date Nights Are A Must

I don't think that will ever change. Even when Sal and I are living together, even when we are married and have children, I think we'll still be going out on little date nights. And why shouldn't we?

We have been dating now for over seven years, and believe me, the butterflies have not gone away. I still get excited to see him everyday, and excited when we plan little date nights, whether we go out or spend the night cuddled up in a blanket together. We make sure that we plan to go out on a date at least once a week, especially now since we've both been so busy, it's even more important to spend even a little time doing something we love, together. With Sal at his new internship, and teaching at CKO, and me at my full time job, and teaching at CKO as well, we rarely have time to see each other and hang out like we used to, as I'm sure many have found out when being thrown into the real adult world. So, every week we make sure we plan something special together, and I'm not talking a big elaborate dinner at a 5 star restaurant either.

This past week, we decided Friday would be our night together, after I got out of work. We planned to go to dinner and a movie. I chose Steak N' Shake so we could grab some burgers, fries, and milkshakes, something we haven't eaten in forever! I had coupons, so it was going to be even less expensive than we had planned for the entire night. The coupons didn't work (long story), but we still enjoyed every last bite, and left the restaurant hand in hand.

We headed to the movies afterwards, and bought our tickets for American Sniper. If you haven't seen it yet, you really need to get your butt to a movie theater real quick. It was such a powerful, raw story, about something that we don't normally allow ourselves to think about sometimes, war and how it affects each and every man and woman that gets deployed and sees things that we could not even imagine, and how they deal with coming back to their families. We grabbed each others hands during certain parts of the movies, and I found myself resting my head on his shoulder every once in awhile, just to feel close. The movie didn't bring me to tears like some people who I know, but I was inspired to change my thought process, and to really appreciate each and every day I live in here in freedom, with the people I love and care about.

So since we're only here for such a short amount of time, why not still date the person you're with? Why not go out together and act as if you're going out on a first date, every time you go out? I'm pretty sure it's one of the keys to having a successful relationship, and if you're hesitant, I say, give it a try! Text each other at work that day, make plans to even meet at the restaurant or place you're going to, in separate cars just to build up the excitement! Get dressed up and just spend the night together - no phones, no fighting, just being the two of you! I promise you, it's worth it.

7 Years Since 2007

When Sal and I first started dating, we would always joke, saying "next year." As if we weren't going to be dating next year, as if we might kill each other before we get to the next year, but look at us now... seven years later. If you asked me I don't know that I would have guessed we'd still be together, but we are and I would not have changed a thing. Every obstacle we faced, made us stronger than before. When I pushed, he pulled, and eventually I ended up pulling too. It's amazing how fast time goes... The days are slow, but before we know it, time slips away and we're looking back on pictures we took 7 years ago... 2,555 days ago. 

I feel like we've done it all together, from vacations up and down the east coast and islands, to extravagant dinners and dates, special occasions spent with one another's families, and lazy days curled up in one another. 

This year Sal was at a loss as to what to do, having pulled together such incredible anniversaries for the past seven years, including a cruise around the city, trips to Rockefeller Center, and delicious dinners. He turned to Groupon, which turned out to be such a great decision. He knows how much I love wine, being that we have been to many wineries and wine trails, so he typed in "dinner and wine." Turns out Groupon was offering a deal for the Wine Bar in NYC - 6 wines to taste, 2 cheese plates, two entrees, and a bottle of wine to take home for a price that no one could have passed up. He quickly bought it, made reservations, and picked me up on the night of our anniversary with flowers in his hand, after we went to kickboxing and showered up. 

We arrived in the city a little earlier than our reservations, so we strolled to the resturant after finding parking. They took us as soon as we arrived, and even though we ended up sitting at the bar, we were more than happy to pass up a table, because we had much more space at the bar, and it was definitely more comfortable. 

We immediately started off with our wine tasting, paired nicely with a cheese plate. Another wine, and we placed our orders... Another wine and our orders arrived - skirt steak for Sal and chicken Milanese for me. It was by far, the best chicken Milanese I've ever had, especially paired with the wine we were given. Even though the deal didn't include a dessert, we decided to have one anyways... We chose two cannolis, the perfect way to end such a good dinner.

The wine hit us as we wrapped up our meals, but we just kept enjoying one another's company, and eventually found ourselves heading towards the tree with our bottle of wine in tow - somewhere Sal vowed he would not go this year. 

It wasn't cold, but even if it was I don't think I would have paid any attention to it.  The magic and wonder of Christmas in NYC is enough to make anyone forget about the cold... It's as if you're a child in Disney and even after hours of running around the park, you don't feel your legs hurting. We took our annual pictures by the tree, we watched the video displayed on the nearby building, and we walked hand in hand admiring the lights in every tree, the decorated window displays, and the overgrown holiday soldiers, ornaments, and Christmas lights. We didn't leave though until Sal bought and ate his dirty water dogs. I, for one, passed those up rather quickly... 

We fell in love a little deeper and our bonds grew a little stronger that night. These last 7 years together were beyond words, here's to another 7 more after that... 7, 7, 7, 7! 

Dinner at the Mohawk House

After seeing a friend's post about a great restaurant [Mohawk House] near me, I was intrigued. The food, the views, the atmosphere, it all seemed great. The next time Sal and I had a date night, I suggested it. Even though it took us awhile to get there because our GPS has failed us, we eventually arrived and had our car valeted. We were worried because we were not dressed for the type of place that valets cars, but after asking the man that parked our car, he assured us that we were fine.

We walked in and asked for a table for two, and was quickly brought to the left side, where we noticed right away that something was different. My friend's pictures that I saw had been dark, and what she had recommended wasn't on the menu. The atmosphere was clean and crisp where we sat, and I felt underdressed. We were served our bread, but I kept mentioning to Sal how out of place I felt, even though we could have had a perfectly nice dinner. It was expensive and I wasn't about to spend that kind of money on dinner, at least not when we've been trying to save for the future. 

I grabbed my phone out at the dinner table, something I never do when we're on a date and searched the restaurant's website. With one click I realized that there were two sides to the restaurant, and we had sat on the dinner side instead of the bar and lounge side. Sal worried about telling our waiter we wanted to switch sides because he would ultimately lose the table, but when I want something, Sal knows by now that it will be given. We kindly asked the waiter if we could sit on the other side and when we walked over there, I immediately relaxed, although not until we apologized to our waiter multiple times. The atmosphere was much calmer and enjoyable. We excitedly grabbed the menus, having heard a lot about the food, and ordered quickly. With a glass of wine in our hands we clinked glasses, because what's wine without celebrating something. 

We ordered the mussles to start which were out of this world. Thanks to Sal I've actually been eating mussels for a couple of years now... I don't know why I was so nervous to eat them - I mean if you pay not attention to what they look like, the taste is great! I got the chicken sandwich with an arugula salad for dinner, and Sal enjoyed the burger with fries. I took half of mine home to enjoy for lunch the next day. The food was delicious, and I would definitely go back.

We were mistaken in thinking that the restaurant was actually on the lake, so we drove to the lake nearby, the lake that we normally run our Turkey Trots next to, and found an ice cream shop. I most certainly enjoyed cookie dough ice cream, because I just can't ever resist ice cream... It's my weakness. We talked out in the chilly spring air until they started packing up the chairs, that's when we knew we had to head back home.

The whole car ride home we held hands; those are the nights I wish never ended.

Fajita Night

Whenever Sal asks to cook for me, I let him. Since we don't live together, he doesn't cook for me as often as I would like, but it's just enough, for now at least. After our usual CKO session, I decided that I was going to spoil myself by getting a mani and a pedi. I never get my nails done, but need to get a pedicure almost every month in the summer. Sal was all for me taking the morning for myself, but suggested that he make dinner for the two of us, which is fine by me. I love watching him cook, and helping annoying him, in any way I can. He went out and bought the ingredients, as my feet were soaking in the tub. I think the best part of those pedicures are the foot massages, but they always seem to go so fast.


My little morning seemed to fly by, and pretty soon, I was back at home, smelling fajitas cooking on the stove. I was able to get in some studying, while Sal marinated the meat, and began to simmer it. Studying has proved to be a lot harder to do now that I'm out of school for almost two years. It's easy to be motivated when your boyfriend makes you do it though, and you're sitting there telling yourself you can't eat that delicious smelling food unless you finish a chapter.

Sal made sangria too, cutting the fresh fruit, adding tequila, white and red wine to the pitcher. We put together a small salad to go with our fajitas. Once we laid out our spread, I began salivating. We poured our sangria in mason jars, and clinked them together. The meat looking incredible, and the peppers and onions were so colorful. I could not wait to try everything, and once I did there was no turning back. I felt like I could eat all of it, but of course I didn't. Instead, I took the fajitas to work for the next few days. I didn't even mind it, that's how good they were. I couldn't take the sangria to work, which was a shame, because even that was tasty.

Needless to say, I had to work out extra hard at CKO the next morning. It SO was worth it. 

Doin' Dishes, Wine Included

A few months back my friend, Amanda, and I had found ourselves at a ceramic painting studio on wine night. It could not have been anymore perfect, who doesn't like painting things for your home, while enjoying some gossip over wine and crackers. I don't know about you, but anything that has to do with wine, is good in my book. So we decided to go back! This time we knew what to expect so we brought our own bottle of wine, but that didn't make choosing what we were going to paint any easier. Eventually we chose, me a vase & her a summer plate.

We ate our cheese and crackers and drank a whole bottle of wine, just talking and painting. Laughing when the wine was empty, and growing hungrier by the minute. We soon cleaned up our mess, and headed to grab something to eat, because what's a date without food?!

 It is nice to do something different once in awhile though. And even if it's a pain to have to come back to pick up your painted ceramic, it gives you an excuse to see your best friend again. So when we met back up to pick up our things a few days later, we waited with excitement while they duh thorough their inventory. When we saw our creations, we couldn't help but smile! It's nice seeing something you made come to life, colors popping, letters perfectly shaped into sentences that will never fade... 

Don't just exist, live.

Dinner on the Lake

After the foam fest, and after scrubbing the mud off for what seemed like an hour... Sal suggested we grab dinner on the lake and even though I was tired and just wanted to relax, I agreed thinking what could be more relaxing than enjoying dinner with my boyfriend on the water?

We got to the restaurant and had perfect seats right on the water. No ones table was in front of us, and we could see  what seemed like miles of water! It was a breathtaking sight as the sun went down. The food wasn't that great, but it wasn't bad either. He enjoyed steak, while I tried the crab cakes. Not like what we had to eat mattered, because when we're together that's all that seems to matter to me. It's funny though because we're always trying to make sure that the other is happy and having a good time. We always do, but we always ask to make sure. 

After the sun had set, we made our way back home... But not before we stopped for ice cream, that was delicious. I swear I've tried every ice cream shops cookie dough ice cream. I can honestly tell you where the best place to go for it, and the worst place. 

When I look back on these nights though it's not the way the food tasted or the name of the restaurant we went to that sticks out in my mind, it's the way Sal made me feel... nervous, stomach filled with butterflies... beautiful, in my own skin... and so so loved. Every girl deserves to feel this way, every day.