Happy Valentine’s Day

February 7, 2016 / azlotnik / Leave a comment

I’ve always loved Valentine’s Day. Some may say it’s a conspiracy for the greeting card companies, but I think of it as a day to let people know that you love them. Although, you should also do this throughout the year, of course! My brother was born on Valentine’s Day, so it’s always had two meanings for our family. I’m sure, having a Valentine’s birthday is difficult as an adult. Everyone wants to go out on dates with their Valentine, and you just want to celebrate your birthday.

As a child, I loved going to school on Valentine’s Day. I enjoyed making mailboxes, handing out cards and candy, and getting lots of Valentines. It was always the best day. The Room Mom would come, and we’d always have a party. I continued this tradition of giving Valentines in middle school and embarrassingly in the beginning of high school as well. I had been known to give suggestive Valentines to boys I liked, but now looking back on it the thought makes me cringe a little.

At home, my parents would give me a Valentine’s Day present, usually a stuffed animal or something red and pink. We would give my brother his presents and then do Valentines presents. I usually got my parents a little something too. Now, I send them a card since we don’t live in the same state anymore.

Beautiful Valentine’s Tulips, 2009

Once I met my husband in college, I always had a Valentine. I remember our first Valentine’s Day. We had just been dating for three months. We ate at Longhorn for a lunch date and Ryan got me the most beautiful flowers I have ever received. Pink roses. He also gave me a stuffed bear that said “Hottie.” I think it sang a song too. I loved it at the time but looking back, we both think it’s pretty tacky. This is our 11^th Valentine’s Day together and here are some of my favorite Valentine’s memories with my husband:

I remember:

Having lunch V-day dates in College
Ordering from Chile’s to go when we didn’t want to eat out and couldn’t decide what to do for dinner.
The year we got in a fight because he was late getting my present.
All the wonderful gifts he’s gotten me, such as flowers, the “Hottie” bear and our beloved bear from Chicago, my butterfly “designer” necklace, candy, owl jewelry, and so much more!
The time he sent me beautiful tulips to my house.
Two years ago, when we spent Valentine’s Day celebrating our friends’ marriage at their rehearsal dinner.
Last year, when we had brunch at our favorite spot, Reveille, because my husband was photographing my co-worker’s Valentine’s Day wedding later that day.

V-Day Gifts 2015

My husband’s birthday is three days before Valentine’s Day. We usually celebrate my husband’s and brother’s birthdays together since they are so close. Lately, we go out the four of us — me, my husband, my brother and my sister-in-law — to celebrate. Since my parents live in Texas, they are unable to celebrate the family February birthdays. Next year, they should be moved back and we will all celebrate together once again.

I always try to keep presents for my husband’s birthday and Valentine’s Day separate, getting him gifts set aside for each holiday. This can get expensive, especially after Chanukah and Christmas. We usually set a price limit and use Amazon Wish Lists to let each other know what we would like. This year, my husband made a BIG birthday purchase, so he said not got get him anything. I wanted to get him something for V-Day anyway, so we compromised on candy.

This year, I think we will continue the brunch tradition and dine at Reveille. We’ll do something else fun during the day as well. On February 14^th, hold your loved ones close and let that special someone know how you feel. I can’t wait to see what V-Day 2016 has in store for us! Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

V-Day 2009

V-Day 2010, Chicago

Bear! 2010 in Chicago

Trick or Treat

October 30, 2015 / azlotnik / Leave a comment

“Trick or Treat, Smell my Feet, Give me Something good to Eat.”

It’s something most of us grew up saying on Halloween. I always loved Dressing up into costumes and going trick or treating. My costumes were hardly ever scary though. As a child, I loved the idea of ringing my neighbor’s door bell and then getting free candy. This post is a tribute to Halloween’s of the past, in a more simple time when kids could trick or treat without their parents and not worry about anything bad happening. I grew up in the 80’s and 90’s, so I have a lot of fond memories of Halloween back in the day. I looked all over my mom’s old photo albums to find pictures of my costumes from when I was little. Here is some of what I found:

A bunny for my first Halloween

Me as a clown at 1 year old. My brother was Charlie Brown

A clown, yet again, 2 years old

Bobbing for apples at the neighborhood party

Cheerleader

Bride

Arabian Princess

Here are some of my favorite Halloween memories:

When I was in Kindergarten dressed as a Rock Star and went to the Halloween festival at my school, Topeka Drive Elementary in Northridge, California
Being a pumpkin for who knows how many years in a row. I put a pillow in my stomach!
All the neighborhood Halloween parties at our friends’ house in the neighborhood I grew up in. We bobbed for apples, decorated pumpkins and one year we tried to make a haunted house with a graveyard. Didn’t work out so well…
The year where it snowed on Halloween and instead of being a fairy princess, I had to trick or treat around the neighborhood in a heavy jacket with my face painted.
Going trick or treating in huge neighborhoods with our parents driving us around in their minivans. One time we took the seats out and sat in the back. My friend’s dad opened the trunk and my friend fell out and hit the pavement! (She was OK though).
In seventh grade, I was Tin Woman and went trick or treating with my friends who were all characters from the Wizard of Oz. I duct taped my old Jeans and wore a silver shirt and we painted my face silver. I also had a funnel and an ax. That year, we went out in one of the nice neighborhoods and I was so excited that they gave us full size candy bars.
In ninth grade, I went to a lot of Halloween parties and dressed as a French Maid as well as went trick or treating.
Well, in tenth grade, I didn’t think I was too old to trick or treat, but actually was. I went as a devil and got tricked on. Some guys drove past me in the street and threw an open container of cottage cheese at me! I cried. That was the last time I went trick or treating lol!
Over the years I was a bride, a cheerleader, a bunny among other costumes.
In college, I went as angel freshman year and went to a sorority mixer at a bar in Athens, when I was attending the University of Georgia.
When I attended college at Kennesaw State, I went to a lot of fraternity Halloween parties. That next year I was a fallen angel. Aka sexy angel. After I met my boyfriend, now husband, we started doing couples costumes. One year, I was a playboy bunny and Ryan was Hugh Hefner, but in his dad’s robe he looked like Ward Cleaver!
The next year we went as Doctor Basler and his sexy nurse. The year after that I was having trouble finding a good costume so I ended up just picking whatever I could find that fit and went as a fairy with wings. Ryan reinvented his costume and went as an Army Doctor in his camouflage scrubs.
In 2010, after college, we dressed up as a Flapper and a Gangsta. That was a really fun year. We went to a Halloween party at a restaurant. No more college parties for us…
Now, for Halloween, we don’t really do much. One year, after my husband and I moved in together, we found out some very sad news on Halloween. My husband’s cousin has passed away. That was a very sad evening for us. Ronny you are missed.
We live in my parents’ house while they are in Texas and we do have a few trick or treaters who come to our door. We decorate a little bit, and since it is a small neighborhood, there are not that many door bell rings.
This year, Halloween is on a Saturday, so I will be re-doing my Day of the Dead makeup and being a sugar skull when the kids come to our door. We bought pumpkins and will decorate them by painting them. Carving is not my thing. See below for my inspirations.
At my work, we are allowed to dress up for Halloween. Since it has to be professional attire, I dressed up in a skirt and blouse with my bunny accessories.
What will Halloween have in store for us next year? We should be living in our new house by then, so hopefully a new location will bring more trick or treaters.

Playboy Bunny and Hef

Army Doctor and a Fairy

Dr. Basler and his sexy nurse

My fairy costume

The medical team

Flapper!

Gangsta!

At Halloween Dinner

Pumpkin Inspiration:

Hope you have a Happy Halloween!

My Interfaith Holiday Celebration

December 12, 2014 / azlotnik / 1 Comment

Hanukkah 2010

It’s here again — the holiday season. A time we look forward to all year. There are Christmas trees all lit up and decorated, Menorahs with burning candles glistening in the windows, holiday music is playing in all the stores, people go frantic trying to find the right gifts for their loved ones and everyone is in the holiday spirit.

I grew up Jewish, and I celebrate Hanukkah. When I was younger, I used to be offended when someone would wish me a Merry Christmas. I thought, why can’t you just say Happy Holidays? It’s funny — now that I celebrate Christmas with my husband, I don’t mind at all. I never thought I would ever decorate a Christmas tree or let alone have one in my home. But, I like to incorporate my husband’s traditions into our lives, so we have a tree in our home along with my menorahs and the Hanukkah decorations.

I celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas and here are some of our traditions:

Hanukkah:

When I was a kid, we celebrated Hanukkah in the traditional way. We had 8 nights of lighting candles and received one or two presents each night — some big and some small gifts. We always had potato latkes at least once during Hanukkah. It falls on a different day every year since the holiday goes by the Jewish calendar. Now that we’re all grown up, we have one big Hanukkah celebration on one night. And, since my parents live in Texas and won’t be in town for Hanukkah, we will have a “belated” Hanukkah celebration before New Year’s. We did that last year as well. We make latkes and sing to the Fiddler on the Roof soundtrack. Our favorite song is called Matchmaker. We sing and dance while we cook. We exchange presents with my family and sometimes there are so many it takes over an hour to open them all. This year, I think my husband and I are going to try and light the candles every night during Hanukkah. Hanukkah falls on December 16 — 24 this year.

Not many people who aren’t Jewish know the story of Hanukkah. It isn’t even one of the most significant Jewish Holidays. Click here for the story of Hanukkah. You will learn about the Maccabees and the miracle of the oil.

Making Latkes 2011

Presents Hanukkah 2011

Christmas:

Every Christmas, we go over to my in-law’s house on Christmas Eve. We bring presents over and put them under the tree. We spend the night, and in the morning open all of the presents and our stockings. Then, we usually have a big breakfast (Southern Style). We spend the day together and have a big Christmas dinner with ham and all the fixings. Sometimes we eat it for a late lunch. My in-laws are not very religious and they don’t go to church. So, this is how they celebrate the holiday. It’s a great way to celebrate indeed!

Christmas 2009

Christmas 2011

Christmas 2013

Presents:

I like to get ahead of the game in regard to presents for the holidays. I strive to get all of my presents wrapped and under the tree at least by mid December. So far, I have bought all of my Hanukkah/Christmas gifts for my family and friends except for one item. I mainly buy for my family now and sometimes I buy things for my friends. When I was in school, I always bought presents for my friends, but as adults we don’t really want to exchange holiday presents anymore. But, we still have many gift-giving occasions, such as birthdays and weddings.

My husband and I have always given each other one big gift for Hanukkah and one big gift for Christmas. We usually make Amazon universal wish lists for each other. That way we know we are getting each other what we really want. It really has worked out well for us.

Presents and Tree 2014

Tree and Decorations:

This past weekend we put up our tree. When we first got the tree, we lived in an apartment. We decided to get a 4-foot tree since we did not have that much room. Since it was my first tree, we wanted to incorporate Hanukkah into the tradition. So we got all blue, white and silver ornaments. Glass and plastic balls, glittery icicle ornaments, a sequined silver tree skirt and a blue glittery gold star topper. We call it the Chrismahanukkah tree. Now that we are in a house, we still use the same tree. I imagine when we get our own house; we will buy a bigger tree and more ornaments. All of the presents don’t usually fit under the tree, so we put a large majority of them on the fireplace next to the tree. I also decorate for Hanukkah and we have a lot of decorations all over the house. I’m really happy with how our house looks all decorated right now.

The Future:

One day when we have children, I’d like to incorporate both holidays (Hanukkah and Christmas) into our children’s lives. I’m not quite sure how we would do that yet. But, I would like to have the traditions we do now live on by passing them down to our children and then one day to their children.

We’re ready for this holiday season! Are you? How do you celebrate the holidays? Leave me a comment below.