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.

DIY Project Life Album 1: 2007-2008

Ever since Sal and I started dating, I've been wanting to start a scrapbook... mind you, we started dating seven years ago in December of 2007. There were many, many failed attempts at starting a book filled with all of our adventures, but they were left with empty pages. Scrapbooks also require a ton of extra accessories to make it look presentable, and cute - whether it's borders and card stock, or adornments to add to pages to represent holidays and events. It can be quite pricy in the end, and then you have a huge mess on your workspace, and nowhere to put anything.

I'm not sure how I stumbled upon Project Life, but I am sure glad I did. I might've been googling easy ways to scrapbook, and it was definitely one of the first hits. Becky Higgins, the creator of Project Life, is seriously a godsend for all of us scrapbook challenged people. She has created a super simple, affordable way to document life in albums, but not those albums filled with picture after picture... you know the kind I'm talking about, the albums that your grandparents or even parents used to make you flip through every time you went to their house.

Project Life is "an ultra simple, uber-stylish solution to getting your photos off your phone and computer, out of boxes, and into albums. Gone are the days of cutting, pasting, buying oodles of supplies, and spending hours on an album. Or even hours on just one page." The process is easy, you head on over to Becky Higgins (or Amazon), and choose a Project Life Album, select a Core Kit full of designed cards, and buy the photo pocket pages. When you receive them, all you do is slip the photos and cards into the pages, place the pages into your album, and you have a beautiful book that's  wonderful to look at, filled with your memories! They even have a digital app for all of you in love with the digital world. I have not purchased the app, nor have I made an album through it.

Sal and I started our first album once I had the album, pages, pictures, and cards. I ordered most of it on Amazon, but thankfully, they just put a Hobby Lobby in my neighborhood and I was able to score some awesome designer cards from them (can anyone say 40% coupon!). We worked together a little bit every week; there were some nights when I would work on it by myself, but it was so easy and in a way, therapeutic, looking back on our first year as a couple, and seeing how young we really looked at the time. Pictures are funny that way... during a single moment you see the situation a certain way,  and then looking back on it, it's completely different. We've come a long way in the seven years since, so it was fun to put together.

Even during our first year together, we went through a ton of things from MDW and Prom, a good amount of Mets games, plenty of Holidays, and our first anniversary. There was no telling if we were going to last though because we were young, and we would always joke about "next year." We made it next year though, and five more after that. 

Putting this album together was so easy, and I will never look back on scrapbooking 'the old fashioned way.' The pages come together so well, and look beautiful. I could flip through this album all day, and not just because they bring back such amazingly, happy memories, but because the pages are eye catching, and I can feel the love pouring out onto the pages. Anyone can put these together, but even if you have the same kit as your neighbor, I doubt the pages will look the same. Every page can feel like a new day, and every memory can come alive with the help of Project Life. I cannot wait to display these in our house. 

One down, six to go. Here's a sneak peak into year two - 2009. 

Where Has Christmas Gone?

Is it just me, or is everyone else not over the fact that Christmas has come and gone so quickly? I feel like every year, the excitement over Christmas starts right after Thanksgiving, and then we blink and it's gone. I was one of those people that listened to 106.7 FM radio the day after our feast, up until the day after Christmas. I loved hearing the Christmas music on my way to and from work. I was probably that person that you passed while driving, singing at the top of her lungs and dancing. In my opinion, the music makes the holiday that much better, that much more cheerful.

Like last year, I spent Christmas Eve at the hospital, packing up bags of toys for the boys and girls to wake up to on Christmas morning. It's more work than you think, but well worth it, even if I don't see their smiles in the morning or hear their squels, I know they're happy. 

I rushed home that afternoon to make it back to my house before our guests arrived for Christmas Eve dinner. We have not let any year go by without this holiday tradition. I was home in no time, changing and getting ready for the night ahead. As my brother lit the sternos and the smells of the food lingered in the air, my stomach growled and I couldn't wait for the night to start! Guests slowly started to arrive, and the night slipped on by. Our conversations filled the house, and our bellies grew full. We lasted all night without taking pictures by the tree, another tradition that I'm sure my boyfriend could live without, but as people started leaving, we called them one by one over to our tree to take pictures. Taking pictures is something I won't ever give up, because they last forever and I love looking back over the years at events I've been to, experiences I've gone through, and people I've spent time with. 

I slipped into a dreamless sleep that night, with a smile on my face as I looked forward to Christmas morning. No matter how old I am, I think I'll continue to wake up early and excited on Christmas. I spent the morning in my pjs with my family. We opened presents, and then put on Christmas movies all morning. I scored a few workout outfits (VSX & Asics), as well as tons of gift cards and fitness related items. 

My mom cooked us our usual Christmas morning breakfast - eggs, bacon, toast, and of course, cinnamon rolls. I ate everything, throwing my "lean, clean , and green" rule book out for the day. Life is all about balance, and if you can't have a cinnamon roll drenched in frosting, what kind of life are you living?! 

After breakfast, we continued to watch movies. I even got my dad to watch Frozen. Thanks to my job, I was able to sing every song that came on. He just loved that, ha. Later that evening, I finally got dressed (before I fell asleep on the couch) and headed to Sal's house to spend time with his family. I went just in time to enjoy  dinner, which was delicious. They could spend all day at the table, first slowly enjoying appetizers, then moving onto courses, and eventually settling down with dessert - it could last hours, which is nice and all, but not something I like to do - I mean who wants to wait all day to eat or spend all day eating? 

Sal and I didn't exchange gifts again this year, instead we plan on using the money we would have spent (and then some) on a trip far, far away, just the two of us. I'm thinking some place tropical? 

It was the perfect balance of food, family, and memory making, and I honestly would not have had it any other way. 

As much as I wish it was still the holiday season, I'll tell you one thing I don't miss about Christmas being over, holiday traffic. 

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! 

The 'Marry A Munson' Wedding

Sal and I have two friends that were to be married in September. It was going to be the wedding of the year, and we knew that we just had to attend once we received the invitation in the mail. Although we hadn't really hung out with them too often recently, due to one thing or another, we were still friends, and we weren't about to miss the day they wed. The wedding wasn't too far from our houses, but we decided to get a room for the night anyways, fully preparing for the night ahead. I also scheduled a hair appointment that afternoon with Sal's dad, who is a great hairdresser. We packed our bags, and hung our attire in the car, and headed to his dad's salon. I had plans of just doing all curls, but Sal insisted that after I curl it, I pull it all to one side, like I had done for a previous wedding. After getting so many compliments at the wedding, not only for my dress, but my hair, I had to admit that he was right, and that putting it to the side had been a great choice. 

We headed over to the hotel afterwards, excited for the night to begin. We received our welcome bags, and found our room. We quickly changed and got ready for the wedding. 

We headed down the hall so Sal could enjoy a beer with his buddy, catching a few plays of the football game that was on. We walked down to the where they were holding the ceremony. Unfortunately, it rained and the ceremony could not be held outside, but they made it work inside, and it was absolutely beautiful. They had one of their very close friends as the justice of the peace, making the ceremony even more special. 

We followed the happily married couple out of the ceremony area and into the area of the cocktail hour, where we enjoyed simple appetizers and delicious food that only hinted of what was to come. It wasn't only the food that we were enjoying though, but the drinks that were made, especially from the tequila fountain, which I kept refilling from. What can I say? I'm a tequila girl. Soon after we found ourselves moving back into the room that had been previously filled with ceremony chairs, and now had tables, a large dance floor, and a red carpet for pictures to be taken. It was stunning. 

We drank. We danced. We laughed until we thought we couldn't anymore. The party went on for what felt like hours and hours. I didn't catch the bouquet, though I tried. When one of our friends that is in a long term relationship caught it, the boys made sure that her boyfriend got the garter, by lifting him up high in the air. It was hilarious, and even more funny to watch him take the garter off his girlfriend. I lost Sal several times during the night, and although I didn't know too many people, I made friends with the ones who were at our table, and hung around on the dance floor far often than I thought I would. New found confidence, a sexy dress, and comfortable heels will do that to you. 

Sal ended up passing his cowboy hat around, that had been originally brought for the bride and groom's pictures. It probably ended up on everyone's head that night, and in a ton of pictures. I surprisingly did not get caught wearing it, thank gosh. He just kept heading to the red carpet to either photobomb a picture or snap a few wearing the cowboy hat. 

Dinner was delicious, and I did not want it to end. When I drink, I get hungry, and that's never a good thing. Dessert was even better, cake and ice cream, but not just any ice cream - cookie dough! I've never had that at a wedding, so I was speechless when the man listed the flavors available. We weren't done partying after the DJ played the last song, instead we headed to the bar. Sal wanted to go to the room real fast though, and had almost forgotten his cowboy hat, which had been the hit of the party. We were already in the elevator when he remembered to go back and grab it. Getting back to the room for this hat was hilariously caught on video, though I cut it right before the best part (Sal's fall!) to try and open the door.

We hung out at the bar for a little bit, until the night winded down and we were both exhausted (okay, maybe a little drunk, too). Thank gosh for the welcome bag that was filled with chips, because laying in that bed before I fell asleep, I needed something to munch on! It was the perfect way to end the night, passed out happily in bed with an empty bag of chips. 

The next morning, Sal and I headed to a local diner to cure our hangovers and fill our empty stomachs. Turns out that the chips did not fill it near enough as I had thought the night before. I must admit though, we could not stop talking about how great the wedding had been, and what a good time we had. 

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. 

If nothing else...

When Sal & I go on mini getaways, we, or should I say he, usually plans them extremely well. He asks around for good towns to go to in other states, he checks hotel websites and reviews, and always looks for things for us to do around the town. I have to admit, I'm a very lucky girl. It's not that I don't like looking for new places to go, but I must admit usually everything I plan turns out pretty bad - like buying amazing seats to see the Jets (well really Brett Favre at the time) and it DOWNPOURING, and I mean  down pouring like I've never seen. Now after spending all that money, we weren't about to leave the game, so we battled through. So since then, I'm not the planner of any getaways.

A few weeks ago, I had a longer weekend off from work, so Sal and I figured we'd go away for a few days. He suggested a few places we had already been to, but I like going to new places. So after talking we decided to go someplace close (2-3 hours away), and eventually ended up choosing Connecticut. He found a town near a wine trail and we thought we were set. We had planned to spend some time outside hiking at state parks, and enjoying wine at the different wineries. We are suckers for wine trails. Well it turned out that wineries are not open this time of year, apparently it's not the right 'season.' I get that it was early spring, but come on. We couldn't understand it, and after I groveled for a few minutes, sal was able to cheer me up. We were together, away, and that's what I needed to focus on. 

He looked online and found a state park nearby, with a waterfall, of course, so we decided to go on a hike. We wandered through the woods, forgetting our water bottles in the car, trying to figure out the trail map (we didn't, we just kept walking). We chatted and explored as if we were the only two on the earth. If nothing else, we found several water falls, and Sal got to use his GoPro to document it.

Once we found our way back to the car, making a complete circle, not forcing ourselves to go back through the same set of woods, we were starving and probably dehydrated. We decided to head back to the inn, and grab lunch at a local deli, which ended up having the best wraps, served with a piece of their homemade cake on the side! I had never seen a cuter lunch, and it was delicious - I don't know if it was because we were starving, or because they really were so delicious. We went back to the room to relax until dinner at a local Mediterranean spot, deciding to try it because we had never had that type of food before. It was interesting to say the least. We made sure to bring a bottle of wine with us.

We headed home and ended the night like every night should end - in each other's arms. 

The next morning we grabbed breakfast, and I headed to the hotel gym, while Sal hung out in the room and read. I love working out in hotels, especially when you're the only person. They have everything you need and I could look up ((Tone It Up)) workouts on my phone. We quickly got ready afterwards, and headed out to the store. We picked up salads for lunch, and found a scattergories card game, which made the afternoon fly by.

At the store we thought, "If we couldn't go to a winery, we were going to make our own, in our room." I can't take the credit for this - it was all Sal. We bought three different wines to 'taste' and picked up prosciutto, cheese, crackers, and fresh bread. We got all dressed up - i wasn't  about to let a nice outfit sit in my suitcase! Sal set up our table - made a reserved sign, put together out plate settings, and even found a tablecloth (okay, it was a towel, but you couldn't even tell)! We ordered room service, and put music on. That awkward moment came when the room service came and the guy walked in and basically told us that we were in a town that no one comes to visit... ever. If nothing else, we had our own wine tasting.

The night slipped away, and before we knew it the morning came, as did the snow. It was beautiful to the point of wearing short sleeves the day we arrived, and now on the day we were leaving, less than 48 hours later, it was snowing! It had snowed while we were sleeping, but we were still determined to get one more hike in before we left. We drove a bit, but found an incredible place to hike, well really climb the stairs right against the waterfall that seemed to be never ending. It was so icy near the waterfall, and the snow covered the ground, but we kept at it until we made it to the top. If nothing else, we built a snowman (we may have referenced Frozen).

I always get upset after vacations and mini getaways. Sal and I spend such little time together when we're home since we don't live together, and so during vacations I treasure the time so much, that I don't want it to end, but I guess that's with anything you love - you never want it to end.

If nothing else, we visited a new state. 

If nothing else, we were together.