candy | pieces of april blog

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, 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.