Not a sign of weakness, but a sign of release.

Headband: c/o House of Garland

Cardigan: Forever 21

Leggings: H&M

Necklace: c/o Loopsway

Purse: c/o LuLu*s

Heels: Madden Girl

Phew.

What a week, what a week.
I would say I'm looking forward to the weekend to finally relax, but sadly, my hectic week is carrying over to the weekend because I'm so far behind on multiple projects and errands. I need these next few days to play catch up so I don't drown in my To-Do List next week.

Last night I woke up in the middle of the night because my knee was just not having it and I couldn't find a comfortable position to sleep in. Me tossing and turning in bed of course led to waking up Connor, who took upon his husband duties and asked me if there was anything he could do for me I seriously love this kid.

You know those moments where one bad thing kind of sets off all those other bad things you've been tucking away, and you kind of just finally break down? Well, I had one of those moments.
After the tears and venting, and when I finally calmed down, Connor and I turned on the TV (due to the fact that we were wide awake by then) and shared a bag of chips yes, we pigged out at 4 in the morning, whoops, then slept for the next two hours before our alarms went off.

Over the years I've come to learn something about "those moments" that I occasionally come across.
I've learned that those moments are not a sign of weakness.
It's a sign of release.

A release of all those things that has been weighing you down.
Elsa said it best: let it gooooooooo
It's okay to be vulnerable sometimes.
and it's absolutely okay to have a good cry every once in a while.
maybe even eat a whole bag of chips in bed.

So keep that in mind next time you have a "moment."
:)

ANYWAY,
enough of that deep, emotional stuff.

How you liking my headband?
It's from the absolutely adorable Etsy shop, House of Garland. They sell a wide variety of unique headbands and every single one of them is to die for! Seriously, I'm in love with my Nikki headband--it's so dang cute!
House of Garland is offering 30% off with the code: BLOGLOVE30 so definitely take advantage of that while you can because the store only has a limited amount of each headband! If you love a certain headband, BUY IT NOW because someone else could beat you to it!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Cheers.

I'm being kidnapped for Valentine's Day...

Cardigan: c/o toADORN

Dress: c/o LuLu*s

Headband: J. Crew [similar]

Heels: Madden Girl

Yep, you read right.

My husband is blindfolding me, throwing me in the trunk, and driving to an undisclosed location for Lover's Day.

Just kidding.

Sort of.

When we got hitched, my husband and I decided to take turns planning Valentine's Day every year. Last year, I kind of set the bar high by turning our tiny apartment into an intimate, private restaurant that served our favorite Thai food and homemade chocolate-covered strawberries.

Last year's set-up:

I went a little crazy with the hanging streamers but hey, Connor was speechless. :)
Okay Ariel, get off your high horse now.

This year, Connor has decided to take the surprise element to a whole 'nother level. He has not told me anything about what we are doing for V-day. A funny fact about Connor is that he cannot keep a secret from me. I swear, I don't bully them out of him, he just tells me everything! (just kidding, sometimes I'm a bully)
So I've actually been extremely impressed with how well he's been holding up! Of course, to relieve some of the stress, he's told pretty much everyone else (his co-workers, our friends, even MY BOSS) where and what we are doing.

So yesterday, he finally wrote me this adorable note:

"Ariel,

[insert cheesy pet name here], I wanted to do something extra special for you this year for Valentine's Day! Since we have been together I have been uptight with money and often turned down opportunities to travel because it is too expensive. So this weekend we are going on a road trip!!! Now I won't tell you where we are going until we are out of Provo, but I realize that you need time to prepare so below are listed some points that you can use to pack.

-We will be gone for 5 days and 4 nights

-It will be warm where we are going (it is south)

-Bring your running shoes because we might go on a hike

-There will be a pool

-It is supposed to be sunny!! (still pack a sweater!)

I have emailed [your boss] so don't worry about work. We will be leaving at 3:00 PM tomorrow!

[insert cutely drawn heart] U!

-Your Valentine! (Connor Hamilton)"

Yes, he made sure I knew the note was from him (as opposed to another valentine).

Oh how I love this boy.

So basically, my husband is sweetly and kindly kidnapping me.

And I'm totally okay with it.

Ahhhhhh, but the anticipation!!!

I guess I just have to wait till after 3 today to figure out where we are going!

Any guesses?

If you're as curious as I am, you can follow my Instagram to find out where in the world we end up!!!

Happy Lover's Day my lovelies.

And for my homies with a lonely heart this eve, grab some fellow lonelies and party it up like it's nobody's business.

Cheers.