Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to all, especially my loved ones in NYC! I'm thrilled about my upcoming celebration with my big sister - we will show our sisterly love by going to a Madonna concert at Yankee Stadium in September. In the mean time, I'm also super excited that my other valentine (my lovely, handsome, and thoughtful boyfriend) surprised me with Harry and David chocolates and is visiting me this weekend! Looking forward to using up some Groupons to yummy restaurants to give him a taste of DC!

By the way, last weekend's Galentine's Day sip and swap party/Bridesmaids screening was a success! The below photo of our leftover clothes to donate to a local women's shelter proves it - don't be alarmed by the shadow of our living room chair!

Here are a few fun links to celebrate this highly commercialized-love fest:

Washington Post valentine declarations – romantic reader-submitted, D.C.-themed one-liners (I knew Washingtonians had to have some heart and/or emotion despite all evidence to the contrary based on how our government functions!)

New York Times Modern Love columns – my absolute favorite feature of the Sunday NYT; the perfect accoutrement to the underlying and often-underemphasized foundation for this holiday... actually celebrating our loved ones (as opposed to just buying them gifts, cards, and candy).

How to Say Those Three Little Words Onscreen - I just saw two incredibly different romantic comedies (This Means War, which was fantastic and combined action, comedy, and the buddy system to create a very satisfying film - and The Vow, which based on my expectations, lacked depth in the sense that I was not invested in the characters' love story), and this video features classic and blog-appropriate love scenes

(impressively condensed into four minutes).

Grateful Weekend

I'm back! And now living in Washington, DC.

Welcome to my first Grateful Weekend post, a new section in which I'll count down the top five things I'm most grateful for about why weekends are so wonderful.

Here goes my favorite things about this weekend:

1) Yesterday afternoon I started off the weekend with a visit to the doctor - something I usually dread - and I'm happy to report that I'm healthy!

2) Following this somewhat-stressful appointment, I enjoyed a quiet night in complete with some wine, a messily-done manicure, and a Redbox (the only downside to the evening was that I watched I Don't Know How She Does It - which really should be called I Don't Know How I Sat Through It - and I'm annoyed that I will never get those two hours back).

3) This morning it was about to snow but absolutely gorgeous and sunny out, so I bundled up and went to a new gym class. I loved how it combined yoga, pilates, and ab work to upbeat music - a nice way to mark my first workout of the new year (yeah, it's mid-February).

4) My fantastic roommate and I spent the day watching chick flicks, baking, and setting up for our swanky swap party and movie night tonight. We asked our friends to help us celebrate "Galentine's Day" by emptying their closets and drawers, and joining us for a girl's night in with yummy hors d'oeuvres, desserts, and girly cocktails. To round out the night, we'll finish with a viewing of the fabulous Bridesmaids. The best part of this event is that all unclaimed items will be donated to women in need at a local women's shelter - so not only will we walk away with something recycled, but we can also feel good that other women out there are also getting something that will hopefully brighten their day too!

5) Last and sort of least, I tried out a new Shabbat service on Friday that was not my scene at all - and even though I didn't have the best time, I really appreciated that the friendly girl sitting next to me performed a mitzvah by helping to guide me through when I realized that there was no transliteration and since I don't read Hebrew, I was completely lost. So thank you, whoever you are!

Stay tuned for more - and photos from this weekend!