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 :).

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.

MIMM: Anniversary Recap #2 & Other Marvels

November 11, 2013 by Christine Skari

Let’s take a look at all the marvelous things that are happening lately!

Marvelous is my 3 year anniversary date with Kyle!

Not only did he spoil me with a steak and lobster dinner at home, we also went to Cold Spring Tavern! It’s rated the top romantic getaway restaurant in Santa Barbara and it blows us away every time we go!

We started off the meal with a platter of appetizers that included charbroiled tiger shrimp, venison sausage stuffed mushrooms, and artichoke hearts which were absolutely delicious! By this point we had been feasting on so much of their warm bread that I would have felt completely satisfied with leaving dinner at that.

Our entrees came with a first course of either lobster bisque, salad, or a hearty chili, and Kyle and I decided to order the bisque and chili so we could try a bit of everything. I feel like it’s almost comical to watch us eat since we’re always swapping dishes across the table!

For his main entree, Kyle ordered the Sautéed Duck Breast which came with sautéed vegetables and unreal garlic mashed potatoes. His dish was definitely the highlight of the meal!

For my main, I ordered the Cold Spring Chicken that was superb as well. It came stuffed with an almond-raisin stuffing and smothered with a sherry, sour cream, and mushroom sauce. Yum!

We had a wonderful evening and can’t wait to head up the mountains to our little getaway soon!

(Before I forget, thank you guys SO much for the kind comments you left on my last post! You guys sure make me feel the love and Kyle adores reading compliments directed to him (even if he won’t admit it ;))

Marvelous is shopping!

Kyle humored me while I picked up a few things from Forever21. I feel like those benches were designed to hold all the poor brothers, boyfriends, and husbands. It always makes me laugh when I see a hoard of males camped out there!

Marvelous is going to the zoo today for my best friend’s birthday!

Happy birthday Kelty, I love you! I feel so blessed to have you in my life and I value your friendship more than anything. You have such a kind heart, great sense of humor, and are always there for me. I could go on and on about your wonderful qualities!

Marvelous is baking!

I’m trying out a new recipe for lightened up pumpkin bread, so stay tuned folks!

{Skinny Banana Bread Recipe}

What’s the most marvelous thing about your monday?

3 Year Anniversary Recap!

November 9, 2013 by Christine Skari

Hi guys!

I know, I know, I’ve been a bad blogger lately.

My life right now pretty much revolves around college and studying, so I feel as if there just isn’t anything interesting to blog about! (Do any of you guys get in this rut?)

Anyways, here’s an update on what’s been going on in my life lately!

On the 6th I had my 3 year anniversary with Kyle.

I didn’t get out of class till 8:30 at night, so we put off our big anniversary dinner till today. Kyle, however, offered to make dinner for me when I got back and went all out with rib eye steak and LOBSTER. It was absolutely delicious and we had leftover steak for the next day. Steak leftovers? Not bad for college students!

Not only did he cook me dinner, but he put in the extra effort to make the meal lovely and intimate with candles and flowers. I can’t even express how much I love and appreciate him!

We also exchanged anniversary gifts and I loved how thoughtful his present is. He knows I love custom things, and ordered a beautiful, handcrafted ring from Etsy for me!

{Etsy Store}

My present to him was a leather messenger bag. I swear that boy has been talking about getting one since high school, and I knew he would love the “mountain-man-y” colors and material. He loved it and has been using it everyday!

{Source}

Tonight we will be going on our “official” anniversary date to Cold Spring Tavern. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you might recognize the restaurant since we’ve gone there twice before for another anniversary and Valentine’s Day. We’ve decided that it’s “our place”!

I’m ridiculously excited for tonight and feel so unbelievably blessed to have Kyle in my life. I could go on and on about him and all of his wonderful, wonderful qualities!

These past three years have been the best of my life and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us!

Kyle, you’re my rock, the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I love you with all my heart and soul.

Two and a Half Years

May 6, 2013 by Christine Skari

Today has already been a good day, but the best is yet to come!

Last night was a late one. I had a french essay due and a history midterm, so I was immersed in work and studying my entire Sunday. I ended up going to sleep around 1 and waking up at 6:30 to finish up some last minute reviewing. However, I think my essay turned out fairly well (thanks. Tiana, for proofreading it!) and my history midterm was a breeze. I also got back my French and Chemistry midterms and am pleased with my grades. It’s been a good day!

However, things are just going to get better! Today marks our 2 1/2 year dating anniversary, so Kyle and I have plans to go out to a fancy shmancy restaurant called Cold Spring Tavern. It began as a stagecoach stop in 1886 and was chosen as the best place in California for a romantic getaway. It’s become “our place” after going there on Valentine’s Day, and I absolutely adore it. I can’t wait!

Valentine’s Day

Moving on!

Breakfast

Today started off on a good note with a delicious bowl of oatmeal. I added some raisins and honey to give it some extra flavor and a banana that I ended up cutting up and mixing in as well! As always, coffee made an appearance.

So much nommage!

Lunch

Lunch was filled to the brim with veg! I had some steamed broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots with a piece of roast chicken and sun-dried tomato bread. Raw carrots/celery with hummus and spinach dip on the side.

Workout

After a power nap I read some blogs and decided that a quick workout would be a perfect way to stretch out my legs.

I did a quick 25 (or should I say 24:59) minute workout that had my calves burning!

If you couldn’t tell by my timing, I was dying to push that stop button! It was AWESOME 😉

shweaty!

xoxo, Christine