Tag Archives: favorite

Nov27

Let’s Dish: Thanksgiving Food

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Let’s Dish: Thanksgiving Food

Hello!! I have literally been looking forward to Thanksgiving since last Thanksgiving. And, when Thanksgiving is over, I eagerly await Christmas because my family just does Thanksgiving dinner Round Two. In case you haven’t noticed, I freaking LOVE Thanksgiving food and it makes me sad that I only get to indulge in this passion twice a year lol. And, indulge I shall. Let’s Dish on some Thanksgiving staples that I will definitely be going in for seconds (or tenths!) on:

ALL The Yes:

Green Bean Casserole:

There are some people who absolutely detest green bean casserole and that’s fine – you can just give it all to me! This is one of my designated dishes to prepare and, I hate to brag, but I knock it out of the park every time. It is SO easy to make, tastes divine, and is my all time favorite Thanksgiving food.

Stuffing:

Stuffing is also one of the sides on my To Cook list and, once again, I hate to toot my own horn but it is always bomb AF. I load mine up with celery, onions, tons of garlic, and freestyle the herbs. The trick is to not make it too dry or moist so I am very careful when adding in the vegetable stock. I also add a few pads of butter over top of the stuffing before sticking it in the oven and it has never not turned out just right.

Any Form of Potatoes:

Potatoes are a beautiful thing, aren’t they? No matter how they’re made, I like it all! My mom makes the best homemade mashed potatoes and it is the perfect blend of not too creamy but not too chunky either. And, of course, I can’t get enough of sweet potatoes! While I prefer them plain with a bit of butter, my mother-in-law makes a dynamite sweet potato casserole that I always look forward to. 🙂

ALL The No:

Turkey:

As a vegetarian, turkey is a very obvious no. However, even if I did it meat it would still be a no lol. I genuinely don’t even remember what turkey tastes like. What I do know, is that I don’t think I ever liked it because it was never on my plate when I was a kid!

Cranberry Sauce:

Is it weird that I have never tried cranberry sauce? Guys, I just can’t do it. It’s not so much the way it looks, although that is part of it. It’s mainly a texture thing. It’s one of those foods that I know for a fact I won’t like so I don’t bother. And, at thirty years old, I don’t plan on bothering because I’ve lasted this long without it.

Pumpkin Pie:

HARD no. The only time I have ever tried pumpkin pie is when one of my old client’s brother insisted I take a bite. It was awful! The flavor. The texture. Everything. Even with half a canister of whipped cream on one bite!! I mean, if you like baby food then what a treat lol.

Side dishes reign supreme on my Thanksgiving and I simply can’t wait to dig in! 😀

What is your favorite and least favorite Thanksgiving food? What are your plans for the holiday? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov23

Cake In A Can

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Cake In A Can

Howdy!! Johnny and I have been on a sparkling water kick for a while now and we really enjoy testing out different brands and flavors. My Top Three are Orange & Vanilla by Polar, Peach Bellini by Bubly, and Fruit Punch by Waterloo. Johnny, on the other hand, is fondest of the Pino Colada by Waterloo. Out of all of the popular brands, the one we don’t drink too frequently is La Croix. After this week, however, we experienced a major game changer because we are obsessed with their Limoncello sparkling water!

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The only time I have had real Limoncello was years ago and I thought it tasted just like lemonade. I was expecting a lemony flavor during the taste test of the La Croix rendition and my thoughts were confirmed when it smelled exactly like Mr. Clean lol. You can imagine my surprise when I took my first sip and it didn’t taste anything like lemon at all. In fact, it didn’t taste like any type of beverage I have ever had before. Johnny described the flavor as “cake” and I truly can’t think of a better way to say it!

The La Croix Limoncello has a really full bodied vanilla flavor. It seriously tastes like drinking ice cream! If you are not a fan of vanilla, you are going to hate it. If you’re like me and can’t get enough of vanilla flavor, you are in for a huge treat. I have been looking forward to cracking open a La Croix after work every day for the past week and my deepest regret is that we drank the last one yesterday. This flavor has flipped my original Top Three on its head and has skyrocketed into the lead as the best sparkling water I have ever had. I cannot recommend it enough. 😀

Love sparkling water? Love vanilla? You simply HAVE to try the La Croix Limoncello. You will thank me later!!!

Are you a sparkling water fan? What is your favorite brand and flavor? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov22

Pattern Pop OOTD

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Pattern Pop OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! We have had an incredibly mild November in good ol’ Akron, Ohio and I’m honestly pretty annoyed by it lol. I just want to wear my cold weather clothes consistently without having a heatstroke, damnit! This past weekend after several warm days, the temperature took a slight drop and I was SO excited to break out one of my favorite statement jackets. It was short lived because we have had sixty plus degree days since, but it was great while it lasted! Check it out:

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Who? What? Wear?

Snakeskin Print Trench Coat: Stella Luce, TJMaxx

Black Sweater: Shrinking Violet, TJMaxx

Skinny Jeans: 1822 Denim, TJMaxx

Platform Boots: Olivia Miller, TJMaxx

I’m pretty sure the teardrop earrings are from Target!

As you all know, I am a jacket fanatic. While I do have a lot of heavier options that I love, my main preference is a light trench coat or topper jacket. They are very appealing to me from a lazy perspective because they aren’t thick enough to be too warm so you don’t necessarily have to take them off once you reach your destination. Meaning that you could literally wear the worst outfit ever underneath and no one would know! The snakeskin trench by Stella Luce is perfect for this because its warmth factor is that of a slightly thick cardigan making it ideal for all purpose wear. Even if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t want to take it off because it’s such an eye catching statement.

When you have a piece as bold as a full fledged snakeskin print trench coat, the rest of the outfit basically builds itself. Could you imagine pairing this coat with anything other than basic essentials? Me either! It would form a cacophonous outfit rather than a cohesive one. So, I slipped on my go tos for underneath. Black skinnies were a given as well as a black sweater too. The sweater by Shrinking Violet was just what I needed to wear below the trench coat because it is incredibly thin. It works so well for layering purposes and I highly recommend finding simple staples to come in with the assist when you are styling a look featuring a statement item.

Finally, it was time for shoes and accessories. As the trench coat hits below my mid calf, a shoe with a pattern was simply not an option. Once again, we want cohesiveness not cacophony! I chose my platform boots by Olivia Miller to keep the color palette intact and offer a pop outside of the snakeskin pattern with the huge silver chains. With no open real estate for bracelets or necklaces, I put on one of my favorite teardrop pairs of jet black dangly gemstones. They allowed for further elongation of the neck, which was important to play up since minimal skin was shown in this look. With that, I was ready to take on the day!

Since I haven’t been able to dip into my coat collection as much as I would like, I was in love with this Pattern Pop OOTD. There is nothing better than wearing one of your all time favorite things!

What is your favorite pattern? What is your favorite style of jacket? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov18

Funko Pop Albums

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Funko Pop Albums

Hello! A few weekends ago I went with Johnny and my brother to Akron Comicon and a wonderful time was had by all. It is a tradition of ours and we look forward to it every year. It was so much fun to see all of the vendors, cosplayers, and D-list celebrities and we all walked away with a little something something for ourselves too. I recently learned of the Funko Pop Albums collection when I purchased a Britney Spears one for my sister earlier that week. There were plenty of them at Comicon too and Johnny and I simply had to get these to display by our record player:

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When I saw the Albums Funkos being peddled, I immediately locked eyes on Alice Cooper. Johnny and I are huge, avid fans of his. In fact, we plan on being Alice Cooper and Cold Ethyl for next Halloween! I honestly don’t think we have ever come down from the joy of seeing him in concert a few months back so the Welcome To My Nightmare Funko was as good as ours. It looks perfect in our record corner where we frequently play his vinyls. And, if you haven’t seen the 1975 TV special that Alice Cooper did with Vincent Price called The Nightmare – watch it and thank me later. It is one of mine and Johnny’s favorite things in the world and we quote it constantly.

What Johnny was drawn to wasn’t Alice Cooper but Angus Young. Highway To Hell by AC/DC is one of his desert island record choices and also features his favorite form of Angus: Lil Devil lol. We got the biggest kick out of the little Funko in his likeness! Johnny dressed up as Angus Young during our very first Halloween together as a couple and it sounds silly but this Funko makes me highly sentimental. His band at the time was playing a Halloween show and I will never forget Johnny in his schoolboy getup duck walking across the stage! All Halloweens are my favorite, but that one holds an extra special place in my heart. ❤

Alice Cooper, Angus Young, and Funko Albums – oh my! We absolutely love the newest additions to our knick knack shelves!

Do you collect anything? What are some of your desert island albums? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov13

SO Excited!!!

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SO Excited!!!

Hello!! My favorite place in my neck of the woods has got to be Playhouse Square in Cleveland, hands down. I have seen countless amazing shows there with Johnny, friends, and family and have the fondest memories of each and every visit. Playhouse Square dates with Johnny are something I revel in and I consider our Valentine’s Day date of 2023 to be one of the best. That was when we saw Hadestown together and it skyrocketed into one of our all time favorite musicals.

Since seeing the show at Playhouse Square, we must have said over a million times that we would love to see Hadestown again. As fortune would have it, I received an email from EJ Thomas Hall in Akron for their spring lineup and Hadestown was on the bill. Does EJ Thomas hold a candle to Playhouse Square in terms of overall experience? IE: Venue, theater size, visibility of the stage. Absolutely not. But, I saw Jesus Christ Superstar there and it was a phenomenal effort for what it was. In fact, there were some parts of the show that I liked better than the Playhouse Square production of it that Johnny and I saw. (Also one of the best nights ever!!)

Although EJ Thomas isn’t my preferred venue, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for Johnny and I to enjoy Hadestown once more. I ordered us our tickets this weekend and scored awesome seats: Smack dab in the middle of the third row on the balcony. The best part? We will be seeing it the week after Valentine’s Day so it will be like a do over of our treasured V-Day date two years prior. This past week, I have been really trying to make space in my schedule for fun and purchasing these tickets was the perfect way to dip my toes in the water. We can’t wait!!

If Hadestown is playing in your area, RUN to go see it. You can thank me later when it becomes your favorite musical too. I am so lucky to be able to see this show twice for Valentine’s Day with my main squeeze!

What is your favorite musical? What is the best date you have ever been on? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep21

Fall Family Fun

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Fall Family Fun

Hello!! I am a fall girl through and through. The weather, the fashion, the holidays – it is just the best! Fall is when your favorite elder emo couple thrives because we do not do well in the hot weather whatsoever. Johnny and I both get burned to a crisp and I always end up feeling nauseous from being in the heat too long (medication side effects). As soon as that brisk weather hits, we are ready for all of the activities and it’s even more fun with our families and sweet nieces in tow. Here are some of the outings I hope to have as well as some other ideas too:

Apple Picking:

Apple picking is SO obvious but it needs to be said as it is quite possibly my favorite autumn activity. It truly is a fall staple and there are so many gorgeous orchards in my neck of the woods. Apple picking is such a wholesome outing and there is nothing better than taking a leisurely stroll amongst the trees. If the orchards in your area are similar to mine, there are also sure to be lots of kid friendly attractions too – hay rides, petting zoos, crafts, games, etc. These extra bonuses will make for a day that your whole family, young and old, can enjoy together.

Glass Blowing:

There are several glass blowing studios nearby to me and it is something that I have always wanted to try! Now, especially, because I have seen countless ads on Facebook from said studios offering classes for glass blown pumpkins. While this isn’t an ideal activity for younger kiddos, it would be great for teens or a date night. Johnny and I already have countless pumpkin related Halloween decor but nothing handmade by us so I would love to get a class scheduled and learn something new.

Movie Night:

Johnny and I try to watch as many scary movies as humanly possible during spooky season and we both really look forward to it. Movie nights are simple, yes, but they can be as extra as you wish. You could set up twinkling orange and purple lights and a blanket fort and make all of the treats! A caramel apple station with a variety of topping options will be sure to please. You can also find recipes for mocktails that will look like a bubbling brew and serve them in potion bottles for the full effect. Revisit Disney channel movie classics for younger kiddos or cool claymation flicks like Coraline or Paranorman for your teens!

Decorate:

Mine and Johnny’s main qualm with apartment living is that we don’t have a yard to decorate for Halloween, so please decorate in our honor. This is something that the whole family can pitch in on. Littles could make paper chains, paper bag owls, and paint pictures for the indoors. Older helpers can work outside to create Halloween magic! Set a budget per person, visit local discount stores, and see what you can come up with. Who knows, your house just might be the best decorated one on the block.

Scavenger Hunt:

Speaking of decorations, if your neighborhood or surrounding areas boasts well decorated homes – turn it into a scavenger hunt. Make a list of what you are looking for, grab some travel mugs of hot apple cider, and hit the road to see what you can see. And play the Monster Mash on repeat, obvi! This is the perfect activity for when you just feel like getting out of the house on a chilly night. After your drive, take a superlative style vote for best decorated, scariest, and silliest. You also might get some inspiration for your own home’s decor!

Johnny and I have emerged from our coffins and are ready to enjoy a fun and full fall together and with our families. It really is the happiest time of the year!

What is your favorite fall activity? What are you dressing up as for Halloween? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug7

JC Comics Haul Pt. 2

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JC Comics Haul Pt. 2

Hello! During a visit a few weeks ago to the best comic shop in my neck of the woods, JC’s, I was introduced to a horror series called Nailbiter. It is about solving the mystery of why a small town has a double digit amount of serial killers. The owner of the store convinced me to give it a go with the promise that I would love it. So, I went ahead and purchased Volume One and Two. He was so right because I devoured both volumes and couldn’t wait to return to the store to get volumes three through eight that were special ordered for me. I picked them up this past weekend and cannot wait to sink my teeth into them! Check it out:

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I consider myself to be a pretty frugal person. Other than the every few months or so trip to TJMaxx and a meal or two out with Johnny in a month, I really don’t spend much on anything but necessities. This massive haul of the completed set of Nailbiter was a major treat yoself purchase for me and it was a thrill because I don’t do something like this very often. I was SO excited to have the entire collection and I was able to justify buying it all in one fell swoop. I’d much rather have the next volumes in the series readily available as opposed to going back to JC’s every time I need a new one. I have a feeling I’ll be back at the store soon enough once I’m done with the series! 😀

Back in my theater days, I used to love going to bookstores and buying new plays to read. It felt like I was spoiling myself and I remember rushing home to crack open my new purchases. This haul brought me back to that wonderful sense of anticipation when you just know you are about to read something good. These past few months have been trying times for yours truly between the stress of work and life in general and getting back into graphic novels has really given me something to look forward to. I considered my Nailbiter haul as a reward to myself for completing three successful months as Tim Misny’s social media manager and all of the hard work I’ve put in to make this job possible. Nothing says “celebrate” to me like a bagful of books… or new clothes… or shoes. 🙂

Johnny and I are definitely in our treat yoself era. Graphic novels for me and records for him. It is a joy to be able to invest in our hobbies and our time off of work is infinitely more pleasurable because of it!

How do you treat yourself? What is your favorite thing to shop for? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul25

Flower Child OOTD

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Flower Child OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! Today, we’re going to take a look at a look that I wore for a date day with Johnny this past Saturday. We enjoyed lunch with our favorite neighbor and then headed to downtown Cuyahoga Falls to do some shopping at the Jenks Building. The Jenks is a hub for local artists and musicians. It is an eclectic location that offers a little bit of everything and I wanted to dress the part. I admit that I had a case of “styler’s block” when I began creating this look. Then, it came to me in a vision and I am obsessed with the end result! Check it out:

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Who? What? Wear?

Crochet Top: Rebellion Again, TJMaxx

Trapeze Pants: Patrons Of Peace, TJMaxx

Lace Up Heels: BCBG, TJMaxx

Butterfly Sunglasses: A Signature Antiques

I think the turquoise cross earrings are from Target!

It is very easy for me to fall into the trap of having “nothing to wear” during the summertime because my wardrobe is more curated to cold weather. When dressing for the summer, my main concern is staying cool while looking cute. However, I can only wear so many shorts and tops combos until I grow bored with it. I was definitely hitting a wall so I really needed to take the time and shop in my own personal boutique for inspiration. Saturday was hot but not unbearably so. With that in mind and expanding my horizons a bit further, my eyes landed on my Patrons Of Peace trapeze pants and I knew we were in business.

I think these pants are just the tops. I love the colors, the pattern, and the way the breezy fabric moves. They are incredibly comfortable and so unique in the sense that these pants could be viewed as a maxi skirt depending on how they lay when you look at me. But what to pair them with? Originally, I started out with a white tank top tucked in and that did nothing for me. This was problematic because a majority of my clothes have some type of color or pattern that would clash with the pants. So, back to my boutique I went.

Before browsing my selection, I took the time to really look at the colors in the patterns of the pants to narrow down my options of what I could wear to accommodate them. Everything I had in jewel or burnt shades wasn’t going to work so I focused on the cream hues of the flowers. This brought me to my crochet top by Rebellion Again and I knew I had a winner. It might not have been a perfect match in color but it was close enough. Just like the pants, this top offered movement. The best part? The flower pattern on both the top and bottom worked in tandem and created a look with a lot of visual interest.

Next, it was onto shoes and accessories. For shoes, I went with a pair of lace up heels by BCBG. They are old as dirt, but I will never part with them as they are highly sentimental. They are one of the first pairs of heels I vividly remember buying at TJMaxx! I wanted a simple pair of shoes since this fit featured top to bottom patterns and they were just right. For accessories, I chose a pair of dangly turquoise crosses for a pop of color. And, of course, this was an ideal outfit to break out my new butterfly sunglasses that I got while antiquing with Johnny. They added some super 70s flare, bonus bling, and were exactly what I needed to complete the look!

My Flower Child OOTD is, easily, one of my favorite looks that I have styled this summer. If I had an entire closet full of clothes like this, maybe I would like summertime styling a bit more!

What is something in your closet that you can’t part with? What are your favorite accessories to shop for? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul22

Lil Red Fun Facts

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Lil Red Fun Facts

Hello! I turned thirty in June and it is so weird to be in a brand new decade. I swear, things that happened literal years ago feel like they just happened yesterday and I know I am technically an adult but I still feel like a teenager! It’s honestly hard to wrap my head around it at times. Despite feeling way younger than I am, my blog is a firm reminder of my age because I started it when I was twenty and will have my ten year blogaversary in September. With that and my new decade in mind, I thought it would be cool to update my fun facts as a freshly turned dirty thirty year old. Let’s get to it:

No Kids For Me:

Johnny and I have been together for over five years now and married for three of them. We get asked ridiculously often if we are ever going to have kids and the answer is still a resounding HARD NO. We are extremely happy with our lives sans children and the desire for parenthood is just not there. However, we are very proud to be the Fun Aunt and Uncle to our nieces and nephew and that is plenty for us. We also love being pet parents to the best bunnies in the whole world, Melvin and Penelope!

The Grind Don’t Stop:

I have been self employed for close to a decade between being an Independent Provider, blog jobs, and social media management. I also recently accepted a job as the social media manager to Tim Misny and it has been amazing! I have an extremely busy schedule, but it is the best kind of busy. I am so lucky to be able to do what I genuinely enjoy every day and it rarely feels like work. I take a lot of pride in the jobs I created for myself and am always excited to see where each work day takes me.

A Few Of My Favorite Things:

My favorite things have really not changed all that much. I am still a horror and true crime aficionado, Mexican and Indian food will always reign supreme, and my days are not complete without a can or two of Diet Coke. The newest addition to my favorites is coffee. It’s not like I didn’t like it before. However, my Keurig perished during the Great Kitchen Flood of 2022 and I never bothered replacing it. For Valentine’s Day this year, Johnny got me a new one and now I don’t know how I survived so long without a morning cup of coffee (or ten lol). My go to KCup is Green Mountain’s French Vanilla and it is my favorite way to kick start the day.

Biggest Wish:

Johnny and I never had a honeymoon and that is definitely my biggest wish. More than anything, we would want a European honeymoon and often talk about all of the adventures we would have. At this point, though, traveling anywhere would be nice! This is easier said than done because Johnny has a normal schedule at his job and limited time off while I make my days up as I go along. Some day we will get to go out and explore the world and I can’t wait!

Guilty Pleasure:

There is nothing better to me than sitting on the couch, putting the TV on, and vegging out. I am obsessed with reality TV and am an avid viewer of basically everything on TLC. Give me ALL of the 90 Day Fiance! My most recent guilty pleasure has got to be Degrassi. I have been rewatching the show from the very beginning and only have two seasons left. Degrassi was mine and my sister’s jam in high school and it is amazing to me how hard the episodes still hit as an adult. I have definitely shed several tears over it and keep going back for more every time I get the chance. This is primarily when Johnny is running errands because he refuses to watch with me lol.

I’m Looking Forward To:

As of now, what I am looking forward to the most is the fall season. I have been over summer since it started and have been manifesting fifty degree days whenever I step foot outside. Fall is my favorite time of year – the fashion, SOUP, weather, and Halloween! Johnny and I already have our costume idea picked out and are planning on Candy Land inspired characters. Lord Licorice for him and a Candy Queen for me. All I need to do is actually find a costume and we are in business. I think it’s going to be adorable!

A new decade yes, but I am still the same old Lil Red as you can see. Some things don’t change all that much!

What are some fun facts about you? What is one of your goals for 2024? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

May7

Midweek Date Night

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Midweek Date Night

Hello! Johnny and I have very demanding schedules for work and we both tend to be up around three in the morning most days of the week. Because of this, it is extremely rare for us to do anything during the work week because we are too tired. Not to mention that we both go to bed around six o’clock lol. On Monday, I accepted a new job as Tim Misny’s social media manager. On Tuesday, Johnny asked if I wanted to go to our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Meson, on Wednesday to celebrate. I was absolutely shook when he brought it up and happily accepted his offer!

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All day on Wednesday, I was looking forward to our date night and was using all of my strength to will time into going faster. We left for El Meson as soon as I got home from work and I was buzzing the whole way there. I literally can’t remember the last time we did a dinner date during the week! At the restaurant, we were having so much fun sipping on tasty margs and feeling dizzy with delight over my new opportunity. Our first date was on a Thursday and I told Johnny that this felt like our first date.

After we finished our meal, Johnny asked for a to go cup for the rest of his margarita. I realized I needed one too and followed our server to the bar to ask him for one more. As I returned to our table, I got stopped by a few people sitting at the bar. One of the ladies asked if Johnny and I were on our first date because we both looked so happy. She couldn’t believe it when I told her that we have been together for almost five years and I actually just told Johnny that our evening felt like our first date. We both got a little weepy about it and it was so incredibly sweet. Then, Johnny and I joked that we were just really good at faking our happiness lol – classic!

I truly did have all of the first date feels during our celebratory dinner date and I love that this was apparent to other El Meson patrons. I felt so spoiled to be taken out to my favorite restaurant and am so thankful to have such a stand up guy! ❤

What was the best first date you have been on? What is your favorite restaurant? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah