My Least Favorite Holiday

I'm just gonna come out and say it: I am the Anti-Valentine. There ya have it!

Ever since I started dating, I've hated this holiday. It seems all fun and mushy gooshy when your young and in love.  As you get older and into more serious relationships, to me it seems pathetic.
Here is why:
This is an easy way for guys to get out of doing things for their significant others. Everything is planned for them: the cards, candy, stuffed animals... even restaurants have set menus and prices that include roses and champagne. They literally have to put zero effort into it.
This holiday is pure competition between people, mainly women. Who got the best whatever, where you went, how big it is/was... Now that sounds like a grand ol' day to me, said no one ever.

Sir Dan and I don't celebrate Valentine's Day. I don't need chocolates- and I'm sure most women don't considering it's a month after the new year. I don't need a stuffed bear. And flowers are beautiful- but we are never home to enjoy them. We go out to eat whenever we feel like it- when the prices aren't jacked up.
We also celebrate our love for each other  each and every day. I don't need 1 day out of 365 to show my love for my husband... and I know he loves me every second of every day.

Just something to think about.

One Month Worth of Catching Up

Today I am sitting here, snuggled on the couch waiting for our internet to not suck, deciding maybe I can't just let my lil' ol' blog disappear. And with such awesome news to update ya'll (yup I'm southern now) on, I figured I'd write a post and fill it up with a lot of pictures.
The last time I stopped by these ol' parts was right before the holidays. Wow the holidays seem like forever and a day ago. We were fortunate enough to celebrate all our Christmas's over the  course of a few weeks and we actually just celebrated Hannuaka yesterday. I did make my Christmas List and my top one came true! My mom, sister, grandma, and I are going to see CHER!!! I'm still beyond excited.  My parents also got another chiweenie puppy that I call my own....... 

My brother and sister in law also got me this awesome thing called 'the selfie' It's a corded shutter button that you plug in to your phones headphone jack, turn the camera on, and you can push the button to take the picture! It's the best.

obviously taken with the selfie

New Years was also a ball of fun. We headed up to northern CT in the freezing cold and went out to dinner with my sisters fiances family. My parents also treated us to a night at the Hampton Inn which was the best. And we also played flip cup outside in the freezing cold.

The new year came and went. I watched people's resolutions come and go. Except for one person: Sir Dans. Every year he vows to himself (and me, but more himself) that he will get a teaching job. And every year I watch his dream fade away. Except for this year. A week or so into the new year he got a call... an interview was set up for a position in our areas school system. He was super nervous but I calmed him down and told him to be himself!!!  Don't just answer the questions they already know, be spontaneous. He came home and said it was the best interview he's ever had, but that they had a lot more candidates to see. Well, they impressed them so much, the next day he received an email from the director that  he got the job! I cried when I saw the email. This man does/will do anything for anybody else, cough send me to school full time for my dream cough, over himself. FINALLY this guy gets to live out his dream. The last two weeks have been so exciting. He filled out the paperwork, got fingerprinted, and this morning I sent him off to his First Day of School.

Tell me he's not handsome... #stud It is bittersweet though- In yet another effort to put his needs aside, he's working 2 full time jobs... He'll teach during the school day, have about an hour break to change, and then work 3 shift still at the Home Depot. The income will be great, but he will be exhausted. Not to mention we won't see each other at all Monday-Saturday. We'll have about an hour in the mornings, but thats it. I also will be bringing him dinner when I can  to say a quick hello and see how his day went. I am still super excited for him. And separation makes the heart grow fonder, right?
So far: I've cleaned the entire downstairs... and not like a little, like moved things around, did a quick vacuum with our new awesome cordless Shark ($30 at Walmart for quick clean ups), reorganized, and was done by 8:15am. 
Sir Dans 32nd birthday was also celebrated. I was scheduled to work that night, but the manager let me go so I wouldn't be  a wife in the doghouse (much appreciated) and surprised him at a local wing place: get as many free wings as you are old. From there we went out to our fave local bar and drank... well we all drank and took shots for Dan (he doesn't drink, at all). Poor guy: the only person who has to drive drunk people around on his special days.

And the last and final thing: I took my state boards this past weekend. Talk about stress.ful.  I signed up back in December for this test and literally studied like no other, not even like myself when I was in college. I want to pass this test on the first go- plus I took it before I graduated and should find out whether I passed right before I graduate. Score (if I pass). For the last 3-4 weeks, I've literally done nothing but study and last week, every free second I was studying.

So I decided to plan a celebratory Dan-got-a-job-Nicoles-done-studying get together at the same local bar to just unwind and not have to worry about anything! And it was awesome!!! Friends and family came out to celebrate- we danced, took shots, and celebrated.

I have 2 more weeks of school before I graduate :) I'm nervous and excited. In 2 weeks I will find out if I am a licensed cosmetologist and if I have a job where I want to work :) Fingers crossed and positive thoughts would be wonderful. Here's a couple pictures of some awesome clients: (cause what's a Nicole post without hair pics)

The Fabulous Karla

And that's it for now :) Obviously I have a thing for blonds..........