I'm looking forward to this year's "Hallmark holidays" because frankly, it's been a tough month for our family. We had to say good-bye to two beloved souls very recently. My father-in-law passed very suddenly and our 15-year-old pup, Carolina, went to doggie heaven. We feel both losses in such a tremendously deep way because we loved them both so dearly.
So, this year, I say, bring on the Valentine's cards and roses… the heart-shaped candy and chocolates… and let's bust out the red and pink craft paper… I'm ready for a bright spot!
Do you have any Valentine's Day traditions? In our family, my husband, Grant, always gets our daughters something special to wear. We all love exchanging cards, both store-bought and homemade. And our girls get very excited to make a special Valentine for each of their classmates. If you need some last minute ideas, here's a crafty blog that I love to follow for family-friendly, heart-felt inspiration.
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This weekend I was invited to a friend's birthday party, but to my complete surprise, when all the guests arrived, it was a DINNER PARTY CHALLENGE concept! What?! Each guest chose an apron and rolled inside was an envelope of cash. On the envelope was printed the course you were in charge of… I got "MAIN." And it was all FRENCH-themed. We quickly teamed up with the other guests who were assigned our same course, planned our menu item and bolted to the store. We had 1 hour to shop and 1 hour to cook! For 12 people! We went with "Quick Coq Au Vin" and I'm proud to say that Karen, Dan and I crushed it. We also enjoyed a citrus spinach salad with champagne vinaigrette and haricot vert with risotto! What a unique and special night in our friends' brand new kitchen. Happy birthday, Meg! And thank you to her husband, Daniel, for his expertise behind the bar.
Another bright spot on the horizon for me, is our upcoming trip to Walt Disney World. We've been planning it for a full year (with the expert help of Lindsay Meyer at Travelmation!) If you're intimidated by the whole world of Disney, you're not alone. I was terrified, but she made it all extra simple.
I hope this note finds you in a good place… Remember to tell the ones you love how you feel about them. Tomorrow isn't a guarantee.
As always, I love when you reach out on social (@jennhobby) and keep listening to Star 94, Atlanta's Feel Good Station.
With love, Jenn
