Mazatlan!

2.19.2016

If you haven’t been to Mexico, you’re missing out. Unless of course you don’t like drinking fruity cocktails on a beach, in fabulous weather with spectacular views, while eating tacos and some amazing shrimp ceviche. And if you’re not the kind of person who likes that sort of thing, then you’re no friend of mine. That, and you should probably have yourself checked for possible insanity.

All kidding aside, Mexico is one of my favorite travel destinations. I know that a lot of people have qualms about visiting the country after they hear some of the media stories about it, but I choose to look at it in a different way. More crimes against Americans happen in America on a daily basis than crimes against tourists on Mexican vacations. So you have two choices. Sit at home on your couch, where the chances are better that nothing will ever happen to you, or travel the world and see what it has to offer you. Get out there. Take the plunge. Nothing will ever happen to you if you stay at home. And I mean that in more ways than one.

My husband and I don’t always get to spend holidays together. With his job, he’s working them no matter what if they fall on certain days of the week. This presents us with a little bit of built-in appreciation for the holidays we do get to spend together. It’s much easier to take advantage of our time together, and to be that much more grateful for it when we can. This made our trip to Mazatlan a no-brainer for us. I had a three-day weekend (Thank You Presidents!), and Valentine’s Day happened to fall on his day off. We booked a quick trip to Mexico and off we went.

We landed in Mazatlan, grabbed a Pacifico at the airport, and jumped in a taxi. I couldn’t resist taking some photos during the ride to the hotel, which led to “the unfortunate incident” of the trip. We arrived at the hotel, I jumped out, grabbed my bag, and went to check-in. Leaving my cell phone in the taxi. While we held out hope that it would be returned, I wasn’t naive enough to forget that we were in a foreign country and the chances were slim. But I had two choices: Spend hours thinking about everything that was in my phone that was now, very lost. Or getting a margarita, heading to the beach, and letting bygones be bygones.

I made my choice. I wasn’t going to let this ruin my trip. I changed into my suit, grabbed a drink, and took my book (and husband) to the beach to relax. We still had each other, we were healthy, and we had a gorgeous day in Mazatlan to spend together. Things could be much worse.

Besides the incident, we had such a relaxing trip. We spent our daylight hours reading on the beach, drinking cocktails, and going for swims in the pool. We watched the sunsets from the beach bars, eating the best shrimp we’ve ever had (Mazatlan is known for their shrimp), drinking Pacifico’s (which happen to be bottled there). We spent time with each other, enjoying the company. We weren’t going to take any minute for granted.

We definitely want to come back to Mazatlan when we have a little more time to spend. We didn’t get out as much as we would have liked, but did find a few amazing locales to spend a few bucks. I mean, with $1.50 Pacificos, you don’t need to spend much. That, and all the tequila shots my husband took. The second this guy lands his feet on Mexican soil, he turns from Brendan to “Javi.” He smokes cigars, takes down shots of tequila, and lives in his element. He would swim with the sharks if I’d let him. Which I won’t. Ever.

Eventually the sun set on our last night, and we had to get ready to come back to the States. It was a short trip, but it was worth every penny. We had a great time, and while we had a minor setback, everything worked itself out in the long run. Here’s to our next trip to Mexico! ‘Til next time Mazatlan!

DIY, Holidays!

S’more Love

2.12.2016

I think I may have saved the best Valentine for last. I mean, Rubber Duckies are cool. And Valentine Love Banners are even cooler. But do you know what’s even better? S’mores. Because who doesn’t love the perfect combination of gooey marshmellow, crunchy graham crackers, and melty chocolate. Even if “melty” isn’t a word. It’s a word now.

I am not a huge fan of Peeps. When they were only around for Easter, it wasn’t too much to deal with. But now they’re everywhere: Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Easter? They’re like creepy clowns popping up in my nightmares. It’s just too much. What’s next? President’s Day Peeps?

The only saving grace for Peeps is that they can be used in S’mores. Which makes them perfect for my Valentines this year. To make up for the Peeps inclusion, I added a Ghirardelli square. Because there’s definitely not many things better than Ghirardelli chocolate.

Print your S’more Love tag here.

After you make all of your Valentine treats with these fabulous ideas, enjoy your holiday weekend! If you’re lucky enough to have a three day (like me!), hopefully you can get out and do something fun! If not, just follow me on Snapchat. I’ll be sure to post some fun snaps from Mazatlan. You can live vicariously through me. Trust me, it’ll be fun. And if not, well you didn’t waste too much time, now did you? Username: shauna841505

DIY, Holidays!

How much do I love thee?

2.11.2016

Let me count down the ways that I love you! In case I don’t show you enough how much I love you, I present to you….(drumroll please)….The Hourly Love Banner. For each hour of your day on Valentine’s Day, you can take out a little note card with a proclamation of my undying love and affection. And while all of my proclamations may seem like they’re directed towards a fresh, 100% pure beef, unfrozen hamburger patty….trust me, they are really written for you. You have a lot in common with my favorite meal: you’re always fresh, you’re always consistent, and you always satisfy me. These are reasons why I love you. And they just so happen to be reasons why I love In N Out too.

Now, I know that I’m not the only Valentine’s Freak out there. I can’t possibly be the only woman that loves to go overboard with love notes, heart decals, and sweet treats. I do, however, know that some of my friends are not nearly as obnoxious about it as I happen to be (which…to be fair…my husband happens to tell me he appreciates). So for those friends, I thought I’d throw them a little lifeline. Hence my Hourly Love Banner. Which I just named. It’s a great name, isn’t it?

Simply print the banner, cut out the hearts, and string into a banner. It does require a little bit of time, which we all know is very valuable these days. So that’s why your Valentine will appreciate it even more. Especially when you can talk your creative friend into cutting and stringing it for you. Which my friend just so happened to do.

If you don’t have the space for an hourly banner, just hand your Valentine the hearts each hour. Which also happens to be the way I plan on doing it. In Mexico. On the beach. With a cocktail in my hand. Trip #2 of 2016 here I come!

Print your hourly hearts here.

Print your note card hearts here.

After printing the hourly hearts, you will need to create a back pocket for them. I traced mine onto white cardstock and used a glue stick to adhere. Trim to size! Good luck. I couldn’t have made it any easier for you.

DIY, Holidays!

Rubber Ducky Valentines!

2.08.2016

Remember back in grade school, when you made a Valentine Mailbox, and everyone in your class gave you a Valentine? Then you grew up and had to “adult” and all the fun was taken out of Valentine’s Day. You had to trade in your Valentine Mailbox for a work desk stacked with things that needed to get done. I wish we could bring back the Valentine Mailbox to our grown up jobs. I would love to spend Friday taking in Valentine’s from all of my co-workers. I’d hope that we’ve graduated from paper Valentine’s to things like cheeseburgers, slices of pizza, cupcakes, etc. I would even settle for some coffee and wine. Why can’t we all just adopt this way of celebrating? I will gladly accept your food and drinks, and in exchange I will give you this adorable little rubber ducky.

This isn’t just any regular rubber ducky. It’s a miniature one. And it’s adorable. Who wouldn’t want a eenie meenie tiny rubber ducky? It is worth at least five cheeseburgers. Plus, it comes with it’s own adorable little tag. Clearly it’s even better than the cheeseburgers.

In case you have come over to the bright side, and realized how amazing these little rubber duckies are, you can find your own pack at Michael’s. Then print the tag below, and you’ve got an adorable little Valentine to give to all of your favorite friends or co-workers! Hopefully all of my co-workers will read this and decide to bring me cheeseburgers and pizza on Friday. They should not be worried that I am traveling to Mexico on Saturday and will be spending the weekend in a bikini. Puhhhlease. It’s worth it.