14 Romantic Outings for Valentine's Day & Every Day ~ Modern Lifestyles

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

14 Romantic Outings for Valentine's Day & Every Day

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Happy Upcoming Valentine's Day!

Since I'm an incurable romantic, as is my husband Steve, February as the Month of Love is one of my favorite months! But we don't just celebrate romantic living in February--my husband and I consciously choose to live romantically as a way of life.

What does that mean, anyway?

In a nutshell, we feel it means being constantly open to the exuberance of life around us and focusing on the positive, good, and beautiful, even when one's life circumstances might not seem so beautiful. What I know for sure, and practice based on my own varied life experiences, both beautiful and hard ones, is that in every situation, there's always something good and beautiful that can be focused on, and doing little kindnesses for your mate, your family, and yourself will smooth life's hard circumstances a bit, as will including small celebrations every day.

My hubby and I also believe in being thoughtful mates, and we have always given each other little tokens of love, so this year we decided to buy two decorative boxes we call our "love boxes" to remind us to write a little note of thanks or praise or appreciation to each other now and then and stick them in our boxes. (Remember Valentine's Day boxes when we were kids? I thought so!) These notes, like all the love letters and cards we have given each other during our nearly 34 years of marriage, and the three years of dating before that, along with our photo collages and albums of our happy times consciously making memories together, will be our most precious possessions when inevitably "death do us part." How to create a photo collage gallery wall.

14 Romantic San Diego, CA Outings for Valentine's Day & Every Day

As of January 4, 2014, I have lived in San Diego, CA for 15 years and enjoy it as any romantic's dream city! To that end, I've written a long blog post, complete with links, of 14 Romantic San Diego Outings. Perhaps you can't jet off to San Diego before Valentine's Day this year, but maybe you can plan a trip here for sometime in the future, and my photo tour with links and resources will help you. 'Til then, why not come up with your own list of 14 romantic outings in your town or city?! If you write your own blog post on this topic for your city, please leave a comment here on my blog with a link so I can share it with my readers. You can do this! And should you visit beautiful San Diego, please write to me and tell me what you thought, and did for fun in case there's something I have missed and want to try!

Master Bedroom Mess or Love Nest?

If your master bedroom needs some decluttering and decorating tweaks before Valentine's Day, check out my articles, Master Bedroom Mess or Love Nest and Decorate Your Bedroom Like a Bed & Breakfast Inn. And by the way, even if you're single, I think you deserve a cozy and romantic bedroom space for yourself, so why not give this a try?!

What's on Your Valentine's Day Menu?

I've decided to make us a cozy and romantic homemade dinner at home for Valentine's Day this year. I've been planning the table setting in my head, and have come up with a simple menu, buying all the ingredients ahead of time. This kind of celebration doesn't have to be elaborate. You can make it festive with the dishes and linens and napkin rings you already have on hand just by using a little creativity and a $10 bouquet of flowers from the grocery store. (Red linens from Christmas will do, for instance.) Here's my menu:

Crockpot Beef Brisket Dijon (modified from this recipe for lamp chops)
Penne Asparagus Pasta
Green salad with mandarin oranges, craisins, sliced mushrooms, blue cheese crumbles, and walnuts tossed with orange dressing made from one fresh squeezed orange and 1/2 cup flax oil shaken together
Simple Bread
Perrier with a lime twist
Martinelli's "faux" champagne
Godiva chocolates for dessert
Coffee & tea in these cute "his & hers" mugs I just found!

Easy to do if you plan ahead!

Speaking of Lifestyle Love

I am always greatly touched when I receive an email or blog comment from one of my readers like this:

"Thank you for the blessing and encouragement to live well and beautifully, even though we have never met. I am so glad I found you! Hugs, Rachel"

Blog Updates & Changes

I've been working diligently on updating my website and blog to make it easier for you to find my free how-to articles and posts, and to enjoy the travel photos etc. I also have a new Buy My Books page, complete with descriptions and what readers say. Stay tuned for more blog changes! And huge thanks to my talented web designer, Julia, who has been very patient with my creative blog brain since 2007!

I hope you celebrate Valentine's Day, and every day, romantically and with love!

Kathryn :)