Christmas in Florida Florida Spencer and I started dating at the end of 2010. 2010! Our very first New Year's Eve was partly spent having dinner at the Tampa (pour one out, the location is now luxury condos on the Courtney Campbell Causeway) Chart House. We subsequently spent many family holidays and date nights at that spot. While we are always looking for our next unique date night, at the end of the day we are both beyond sentimental, and a few chain restaurants hold speci

On the jumbotron at the World Series Nikki's favorite sport to watch is either football or hockey. My favorite sport to watch is probably basketball. But our favorite sport to attend in person is definitely baseball. Our most recent home stadium - Oriole Park at Camden Yards Throughout our relationship, attending baseball games has never lost its allure. In contrast to other sporting events, they are slower paced and more quiet. The fans are not as row

At port in Skagway. We are not "cruise people." The only ones we had been interested in are those European river cruises they always advertise on PBS. However, when a local casino notified us of a "buy one - get one" promotion, we decided to give this a chance. We ended up booking the NCL Encore 7-day Alaska Round-Trip Seattle: Glacier Bay, Skagway & Juneau (spoiler alert: there's always a promotion and the casino's offer did not make much of a difference in pricing). We had

Here is a little peek into how we plan our trips. There are many different ways this occurs, and it is always changing based on the type of trip we are planning. The Hook Sometimes it is a bucket-list item (like Peru and Machu Picchu) or a romantic getaway (like an all-inclusive resort), and other times it is for a specific event that we build a trip around. Such was the case in our most recent trip to NYC. Spencer is a very talented pianist, and his current favorite is an Ic

The beautiful Inner Harbor in Baltimore. I think Baltimore is my favorite place I have ever lived. There is always something amazing going on. We recently stayed home for a full week (we normally travel during Spencer's off weeks) so I packed it full of fun, local activities. Date One Such a wonderful museum. We didn't plan enough time to see all of the treasures, we will be back. First up we went to the Baltimore Museum of Art . We were fortunate to get tickets to see Amy Sh

The Head and The Hand I am an avid reader. I love reading all different kinds of books and visiting bookstores. I was researching unique date nights in Philadelphia and stumbled upon The Head and The Hand . Now that is a book smile. From the website: Date Night Standard Package Includes: 90 exclusive minutes to browse the bookstore for 2 people* Opportunity to BYOF/BYOB (Bring Your Own Food/Beverages) or have them delivered** A complimentary serving of wine or beer per person

Chihuly Collection We recently revisted St. Petersburg, Florida. The town where we fell in love - always special, always changing. As part of a larger family trip, we just had 24 hours to explore. Our focus in recent years has been downtown. For affordability and walkability, we continue to stay at the Hollander . It is convenient and comfortable, has a decent bar and displays some local history. Hollander Hotel Enjoying the Florida winter weather, we took a lovely evening s

I was such a late bloomer in the love department. I used to call this part of February as "Hell Week". My birthday pushes right into V-Day, it was a single lady nightmare. I am grateful for the many, many years at the schoolhouse when my teaching team would buy me cake and lunch and listen to my lonely whining. Then Spencer proposed to me on my birthday, and now I basically celebrate the entire month of February. Here are a few memorable sweet treats! Just Like Homer It is ki

Sleeping Beauty Castle I was fortunate to grow up 90 minutes to Orlando by car. And my parents were kind enough to indulge my childhood fantasies by bringing me to Disney World countless times. From a visit in 1990 At a certain age, the allure starts to fade. After many years of annual theme parks, resorts and rides, I grew up and branched out. I found love, marriage and the greater world. But those early Disney impressions remain indelible. So I was especially happy and exci

I love travel planning almost as much as I love actual travel. Here are a few trips we have coming up this year. Philadelphia Book Date Night!!! I can't wait. We are taking advantage of train travel and visiting places in the great northeast. I will be spending my birthday in Philly this year. We are excited about a private bookstore date night experience! NYC The hardest part of planning a trip to NYC? Picking restaurants, there are so many. We will be heading back to New Yo

Statue of Liberty New York City is one of those places. Everyone in the world knows it. Everyone who visits can make it their own. For a twelve-year-old boy, NYC could do no wrong. I was fortunate to have a mother and uncle who adored the theater, appreciated the museums and loved the big city vibe. They brought me along, almost every springtime, for several years into adulthood. What better way to learn about culture and the world at large? How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

Date Nights for Two in Charm City

One of our favorite things to do when at home and when traveling is to eat. To say that we are foodies is an understatement. Even when we...

Ten states. Two love birds. One grand adventure. This summer we moved from Arizona to Maryland. A nice long road trip is a sweet and...

I have read way, way too many romance novels. I have seen an inordinate amount of rom coms. Sex and the City is my favorite show. The books and shows, they kept me company through the decades on my lonely island. My heart has always been romantic. To say I am a late bloomer in the love department is quite the understatement. When my sweetheart did finally show up, he made all of those painful years worth the wait. Suddenly, all of those little odd quirks and personality trai

I can't fully impart how much I love college basketball. I started watching NCAA hoops when I was in college. I was a Jordan-era Bulls...

2025 We love all different kinds of travel. I am always planning, sometimes a year or more in advance, while other times a random idea...

The view from Kentucky I can't fully explain how much fun we had in The Queen City. It was a random trip; we decided to catch as many NFL...

I have always loved basketball. Watching the All-Star Saturday night events has been a sports night favorite for me for as long as I can...

Full disclosure: I love me some Bravo TV. If you haven’t seen Southern Charm , you are missing out on all that is right (and borderline...