Valentine’s Day Recap!

February 16, 2014 by Christine Skari

Happy Sunday, friends! I hope everyone is having a great weekend :). I’m linking up to Marvelous In My Monday to share my marvelous V-Day date!

Here’s a quick recap of my Valentine’s Day!

The day started with waking up around 7, getting some work done, then leaving for the gym at around 10:30. I had a great workout and finished just in time to get to my biology class (which is conveniently located just 2 minutes away by bike). After my class, I headed back to my apartment to shower, study, and relax before a fun night out!

Kyle greeted me with a few gorgeous gifts as well! One really sweet thing about Kyle is how much effort and love he puts into picking out the perfect gifts. He customized both the pillow and glass etching for me and I love how original they are!

Though we weren’t going out to the same restaurants with our dates, I got ready with my friend, Tiana, and snagged a picture with her before leaving around 6:40 for the drive into the mountains. Isn’t she gorgeous?!

Also, I ended up going with the dusty pink lace dress for the night! I was torn between two outfits, and at the last minute chose to go with this one. I love how it draped flatteringly on my body type and how romantic it looked. Thanks for all of your input!

Since we had a reservation, we were seated immediately and dished up some warm, homemade bread. For our starters, Kyle ordered the lobster bisque and I got the house salad. My main course included mouthwatering BBQ ribs with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus, while Kyle got a juicy steak. Both were delicious! Dessert included a tasting platter with a fruit tart, dense dark chocolate brownie, and sugar cookie- all enjoyed with coffee!

I didn’t snag too many pictures from the dinner since I wanted to concentrate on enjoying my time with Kyle, so here are the few that I took!

I had a wonderful time and am always so thankful to get to spend some special alone time with Kyle. Thanks for a great night, love!

Hope all of you are enjoying your weekend :).

A Love Note to Kyle

February 13, 2014 by Christine Skari

To the guy who can’t drive in the car without holding my hand…

To the guy who puts up and even loves my small quirks and corny personality…

To the guy who works tirelessly to make me feel special and so, so loved…

To the guy who has the most wholesome and benevolent soul of anyone I’ve ever met…

To the guy who always has me laughing and can make any bad day into a wonderful one…

To the guy I can, without a single doubt, imagine spending the rest of my life with…

I want to remind you that I consider every day I get to spend with you a gift, and that I cherish and love you more than I could ever possibly hope to express.

You are everything I could want in a man and I feel blessed to know you!

If you haven’t gotten the message yet, I love you with all my heart ;).

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Whether you already have a significant other or are still waiting for your Prince/Princess Charming, I hope you have a great day filled with chocolate, wine, and all the other fabulous things in life.

Liebster Award!

February 13, 2014 by Christine Skari

A few days ago, Miranda from Lovely Wife Lovely Life nominated me for the Liebster Award and I thought it would be a fun and relaxing way to write today’s post! Here are the questions she asked:

1. If you were an animal, what would you be?

Uhh, hello Mr. Obvious! Remember when I started bawling after I fed a giraffe? It was a very emotional moment for me.

2. What was your favorite movie as a kid?

Call me a serious kid, but I’ve always LOVED Forest Gump. One of my all time favorite movies!

3. Pancakes or waffles?

Waffles! The Norwegian kind smothered with sour cream and jam. Don’t judge it till you try it :).

Source

4. Would you rather: never have to do your makeup again or never have to do your nails again?

This one is super easy for me. I hardly ever have my nails painted because I’m too cheap to pay for one and whenever I try to do them myself, I either get bored halfway through and lament starting in the first place or touch everything in site and mess them up when they’re drying (cue lamenting round #2).

5. What’s your favorite month of the year?

June! Not only is it my birthday month, but the weather is gorgeous, I have a break from college, and I get to travel the world!

6. Would you rather: workout at 5 am or workout at 11 pm?

5 am. By the time 11 rolls around, nothing can get me motivated to go and exercise.

7. What is your dream career?

Full-time blogger! Not sure if Apple of My Eye will ever reach a point where it can support me full-time, so I guess I’ll settle with my goal of becoming a physical therapist.

8. If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it?

Roll around in it. Make it rain. Something along those lines.

9. What is your favorite comfort food?

A beef soup my mom makes. Mhmm.

10. What is your guilty pleasure?

Netflix marathons. Making Kyle look at pictures of giraffes with me or watch Youtube videos of babies laughing. (<—- WATCH THIS. OMG!!!!)

Anyways, that was a ton of fun and I need to run to my French class! Thanks again for the nomination, Miranda!

Lately…

February 11, 2014 by Christine Skari

Lately… I’ve been absolutely swamped with work.

The college I go to is on the quarter system, so our classes are extremely fast-paced and we have a constant flow of midterms. My schedule has been revolving around waking up around 6-7 a.m, classes, studying, essays, more studying, and bed around 12-1. Repeat. Luckily, I’ll have a few days of more of a break this upcoming weekend before I have to get ready for midterms round #2.Lately… I haven’t been exercising.

And you know what? That’s perfectly okay. Sometimes sleep is more important than worrying about working out and it’s fine to take a week off when I’m crazy busy.

Lately… I had a weekend night out to relax!

My parents, Grandma, and cousin came up to visit last Saturday and we went to a fantastic restaurant called The Lark. It was a family-style restaurant where you order a massive amount of food and everyone shares. That’s my kind of place!

We took our good friend Ryan along with us and he shared a few sentimental moments with Kyle. Guess I have some competition?

Lately… I’ve been eating a glorious amount of chocolate.

Because nothing goes better with the coffee I’ve been gulping down (my veins are swimming with it lately) and See’s candy is just too good to pass up!

Lately… I’ve been really looking forward to Valentine’s Day!

Kyle and I have a secluded restaurant up in the mountains called Cold Spring Tavern that is our “special place” and that we go to for anniversaries/celebrations/etc. I can’t wait to get all dressed up in a new outfit! I recently ordered these two off of Tobi, and can’t decide which one to wear. Help!

And that’s all that’s new! Time to get back to the grind.

Healthier Glazed Chocolate Muffins

February 9, 2014 by Christine Skari

On a rainy day, there isn’t anything more comforting to me than a morning spent with a hot cup of coffee, a sweet treat, and a good book. There’s a sort of magic to it. I sit at the kitchen table by a closed window, watching droplets race down the glass, and sip on a strong brew punctuated with bites of its soulmate, chocolate. It’s the kind of peace that makes your heart sing and overflow with a simple and quiet sort of happiness. I’m perfectly content and want nothing more than to hold on to that feeling of a seemingly slowed-down world, where nothing matters but the dripping of both the rain outside and the coffee brewing in its pot.

And that’s where these Healthier Glazed Chocolate Muffins come into play:

I love them because they let me savor those types of mornings and play the important role of balancing that bitter sip of caffeine with a perfectly sweet bite of chocolate-glazed deliciousness. They have a fluffy inside that Kyle raves about and they give you a satisfying chocolate-y kick without leaving you with an aching sweet tooth.

Not to mention they’re made with whole wheat flour, no butter, and greek yogurt! Delicious and healthier for you than a giant grocery store muffin. Yum.