a day of love.

happy valentine's day. 

i love him because:

1. he is my best friend. 

there's no one i'd rather share life's adventures with, than him. 

2. he is completely selfless, loyal and honest.

3. he's patient above measure.  

4. jealousy doesn't exist in his world; he's confident in who he is.

5. he's loves with the upmost sincerity.

6. he tells me i am beautiful. often. 

7. his testimony is solid, important to him and a part of his every day life.

8. he laughs often whether with me or at me.

his laugh is contagious and always lifts my spirits. 

9. he loves gelato, speaks another language, wears socks to bed,

tends to spoil me rotten, is a hard working student, lover of the stock market,

wears bowties, could live off vegetables, sings in the shower {heart melter, i tell you},

is a proud dog parent, drinks tea daily and is my number one fan at the ballet.

10. he is a dreamer, a go-getter and has high expectations.

he wants the most out of life, marriage, love and the future.

what more can i ask for?

i am totally smitten, completely in love and extremely lucky.

i am hoping you all have a lovely valentine's day.

hugs, kisses, roses, romantic dinner dates, cuddles, hearts, dessert...

i hope it's full of all those things and more. 

today is a day for love-

so, share your heart with someone-

but, also let yourself surrender to being loved by someone.

they are both equally important. 

as a side note, 

here are a few things i am totally loving today:

this love story- it will melt your heart.  

the things i wrote in last year's valentine's post. 

this andy warhol piece of art. 

need a yummy sugar cookie recipe? click here.

wanting this comfy top; love the big heart. 

xoxo

hi-ho, hi-ho it's off to school i go.

the focus is on school this week.

 this semester has finally settled into the full swing of things;

tests are being thrown right and left,

teachers are suddenly in their strict moods,

waking up for class is becoming a bigger chore,

i'm starting to see less and less of lovebird

and the piling up of homework seems to be creating mountains.

life is crazy when in school.

or maybe life is crazy due to trowing school on top of my already

overbooked and busy schedule...?

regardless, school is a happy place for me.

some people are just made for school, and i'm one of those.

lovebird on the other hand- is counting down every last second.

he's a little over school, to put it politely. 

that being said, i'm so glad we are both in school-

bettering ourselves, our brains and our futures.

cheers to being students.

if only i could somehow figure out how add an extra 

hour in the day for cuddling, instead of doing homework.

then, life would be too good to be true. 

far far away.

what a weekend.

a long, drawn out, lazy weekend.

lazy, because we intended it to be that way.

my body felt like it went through the ringer this week, {thank you, ballet}

and i was craving some much needed down time with lovebird.

we almost spent every waking moment together,

minus lovebird's hours at work.

it's in those moments when you realize that

doing nothing with the one you love is far better than anything else.

it's as if you drift off into this land that seems to only exist rarely, due to 

the perplexity of life's busy schedule. 

however, when you do drift off... 

it's complete bliss.

lovebird and i managed to have a weekend of that complete bliss;

which included puppy shopping, barnes and nobel reading, lunch dates,

cuddles sessions, a tasty sunday dinner, back tickles and a long nap time.

sometimes i wish i could just permanently move to this far off land;

but, then i remember that reality is a good thing-

being busy is a good thing;

hardly seeing lovebird during the week can even be a good thing,

and running place to place, from thing to thing can be a good things too...

because it's when life grants you those moments 

of nothingness with the one you love,

it's then, and only then, you truly appreciate that land of far off bliss. 

our weekend was blissful.

we "flew" back from this far off land last night and hit the 

ground running with another full week of business ahead! 

the thrills of life are endless;

and thank goodness those moment of bliss are infinite too. 

the secret is: 

to embrace them when you get the chance. 

how was your weekend!? 

xoxo

"oh, the places you go."

time for an announcement:

we have a little trip planned.

okay, i lie... it's kind of a big trip.

we are going to italy!

i repeat, italy. 

i'll let you in on a deep secret of mine:

traveling to italy has been a big hope, dream and fantasy of mine.

in fact, lovebird originally booked our honeymoon there,

but i vetoed {quite literally, canceled} that grand plan back in the days.

shocking right? 

you see, back then i wanted to enjoy being newlyweds-  we were just barely mr. and mrs.

i wanted my new hubby all to myself as we relaxed on a beach after a crazy summer of wedding planning.

now however, i'm ready for the thrill of italy.

i no longer want to sit and relax on a beach with lovebird-

but rather walk the streets of italy until our feet hurt,

eat gelato until our bellies ache, 

and visit the historical museums, monuments and churches.

i want to eat pasta like lady and the tramp,

travel by train with backpacks making many stops,

and spend every waking minute laughing and exploring with lovebird.

obviously, i am still in the honeymoon/newlywed stage of life.

but, i'm completely okay with that.

what better way to spend our days being madly in love 

than in the romantic cities of italy.

we are beyond excited.

so now, let the recommendations and suggestions begin:

we are looking to anything and everything!

i'd love to hear about your trips, experiences and knowledge of italy!

or if you know of any lovely italian bloggers, please leave the link below! 

xoxo

seconds, please?

we had a weekend full of nothing but food.

or rather little food dates. 

{what!? this never happens}

friday was my the last day of spring break for me,

and lovebird's school just so happen to have the day off, thanks to "pacific day".

so... we took advantage of that free time we never seem to have and

 drove to a nearby town to grab a bite. a yummy bite.

saturday came way to quickly.

but we embraced it again with a little dinner date.

{that didn't feel so little after eating one too many breadsticks}

since that didn't seem to be enough, we took it one step further- 

and went on a second dinner date out of town with some lovely friends.

don't worry. we didn't eat a second dinner.

we just shared a scrumptious dessert.

then sunday came way to quickly.

since we don't go out on sundays, {this is why}

we stayed in a for a yummy home cooked dinner date. 

which of course ended with 'just a taste' of our favorite gelato. 

you can't go wrong when dates revolve around food.

especially when they end with dessert. 

or maybe that's just my opinion, since i seem to have an odd love for food.

i'm hoping your weekend was full of delicious dinner dates.

if so, do share with me. 

i'd love to hear what you had on your plate this weekend.

{pun intended, or course} 

xoxo

p.s. did you enter the giveaway below!?

spring break, baby!

hello to a new week.

{a spring break week.}

my mother is in town,

so blogging will have to be on 

the back burner for a couple more days.

{so sorry}

i hope you had a lovely easter.

we sure did.

even though it was spent mostly indoors due to lovebird being so sick.

a day full of church, an easter dinner, cuddles, movies

and a drive to the country roads to visit the baby cows.

i promise to post pictures as soon as i get the time.

until then, have a happy week- 

i can't wait to read up on your fun weekends.

xo

instagram weekend.

 happy monday.

i hope you had a lovely weekend.

we sure did.

but, once again- it just wasn't long enough.

we played a little putt putt.

{aka miniature golf}

i had a little ballet performance.

lovebird worked. however, not as mush as normal.

watched conference. so inspiring.

we ate fire balls, like we used to in the sixth grade.

saw the jelly belly truck.

{of course i had to take a picture}

and took a nice sunday drive out on the country roads.

what did you do?

i hope something fun.

xoxo

p.s. follow me on instagram. user name: eleasejane.

before and after.

happy weekend.

it's finally here. yippee!

i am embracing this weekend like no other.

the heavens opened up:

i don't have school or dance today.

  what!? this never happens. i mean never. 

a big thanks to cesar chavez- you're the reason we don't have school.

lovebird got the night off work, which means date night! finally.

and it's conference weekend. what could be better? 

nothing, i tell you.

so... lately i've been thinking about life before and after lovebird.

it's kind of strange how easily you adapt when you are instantly 

immersed in the ways of someone else's life.

some or small things. and some are big. 

here are the small ones: 

before i met lovebird:

1. i never flossed my teeth. not once. never, i repeat.

{no cavities either! knock on wood.}

2. i showered just once a day. like a normal person.

3. i didn't eat my veggies. in fact, i hated them.

4. i drove a stick shift car. 

{technically i still do}

5. i said my prayers alone at night.

6. i drank milk. and lots of it.

7. i didn't have a worry in the world about strangers.

8. living on my own was lonesome and boring.

9. i knew nothing about jewish people or bulgarians. 

10. i never cracked my knuckles.

after i met lovebird:

1. i floss my teeth nightly. can't miss a night or i feel gross.

2. i shower twice a day. 

because now i realize, i probably should after dancing 6 hours. whoops!

 lovebird is an insane clean freak when it comes to showering.

3. i eat more veggies than carbs {my beloved bread} now.

i crave those green things. 

4. i drive his car more than my own.

"the white night". it's automatic, and i love it.

5. we say our prayers together. always.

6. we don't buy milk. period.

lovebird is lactose intolerant.

we do however, guzzle almond milk. yum.

7. i am now aware and somewhat paranoid about "strangers".

i am reminded the world isn't as safe as i dream it to be.

especially where i live. 

8. life is full of companionship.

every adventure is together now matter how big or small. 

9. i now love his jewish background.

and i now love the people of bulgaria as if i knew them like he does.

10. cracking my knuckles is a daily ritual. 

shame on me. 

i love that i've integrated his ways into my ways.

after all, what's his is mine. and what's mine is his.

hope you have a lovely weekend yourself.

and i'm curious... is there anything you do or don't do now

that you life with your prince charming? 

xoxo

snoooooze.

we are so guilty:

guilty of sleeping in. 

we have been studying our little brains out and

working/dancing our little legs off.

our bodies felt heavy this morning.

so heavy, we decided to press snooze one too many times.

it was oh-so-nice.

we haven't had the "luxury" of doing such a thing since christmas break.

we're continuing with our slow place this morning

{why not?}

and we're headed to go get a yummy warm drink.

it's cold here today.

sleeping in and warm drinks are definitely justified.  

cheers to sleeping in, thursday's, lovers,

warm drinks with whip cream on top 

and no make-up mornings. 

xo

our {little} weekend.

happy weekend.

we've been awfully busy over.

a weekend full of dance, work, errands, homework and church.

that's a typical weekend for us.

we were just saying today, that we are in need of a "real" weekend;

the kind where you sleep in until who knows when.

you eat breakfast in bed, 

not feeling rushed to go to dance or work.

one where you stay in your pj's all day until you have to 

get ready for a lovely dinner date out on the town.

where you stay up way too late laughing, talking and sharing gelato.

and finally go to bed because you're eyelids are heavy;

heavy from laughter and exhaustion from play time.

okay, back to reality: 

maybe we'll be lucky to have one of those weekends

once the semester and dance season is over.

our fingers are crossed. and our hopes are high.

although, our weekend was pretty rockin' 

due to one small event....

the hunger games.

we absolutely loved it.

{and feel slightly awesome because we know the director.}

we've been waiting and anticipating this weekend for quite awhile.

we are so happy the movie lived up to all of our expectations. 

did you race to the theater to see it too? 

if not, snap to it- you must see it!

{but, please read the book first. that's a must.}

oh, and do note:

if you get motion sickness easily- don't sit too close.

lovebird had to get up and change seats half way through.

he left me by myself.

which, turned out to be a good thing.

why? because i cried my eyes out a few times-

and he always makes fun of me for being such a girl.

look who's the girl now...

he can't stand a little running through the forest. 

"boom roasted"

have a lovely sunday night.

"may the odds be ever in your favor."

but seriously: TGIF.

oh, happy friday.

so far so good, right?

minus the parking ticket i received at school today.

that's what happens when life is too busy to realize you grabbed lovebird's

school parking pass instead of yours. 

bummer.

if i'm going to be honest with you-

life has been a little rocky lately.

i've been getting parking tickets in all areas of my life.

and lovebird keeps reminding me- parking tickets are paid off and forgotten.

will these "problem" just go away and be forgotten?

will they sort themselves out? 

i sure hope so.

but, without trials- we don't know happiness.

and i'm certainly happy that today is friday.

weekends always bring happiness.

mainly because i get an extra hour to sleep in with lovebird on saturday.

{sleep in, as in 8:00. it's better than nothing- i'll take it!}

bring on the weekend!

xo

{little} love notes.

little {love notes} to the things that remind me of valentine's day:

dear cupid: i have a gut feeling your middle name is fate. i love what you stand for and what you do for people. fate is a propelling force in keeping the world in constant motion. fate is real. fate is evident. and fate is magical.

dear red roses and chocolate: you're expected and somewhat cliche. i'd actually prefer white ones. but, if you're asking, i'd really prefer pink tulips all together on that special day in february. the only time i enjoy a bouquet of red ones, is on stage after a performance. they remind me of ballerinas and all things serious; like a funeral or a gesture of sympathy. as for the chocolates? lovebird knows me too well. chocolate is my weakness. i have it almost daily. so on valentines, i'd prefer a hand written love note, a bouquet of tulips and a night full of kisses instead of the expected.

dear date night: i can't wait to see what lovebird surprises me with. will he take me to our favorite restaurant? or will he take me somewhere new? i can't wait to escape the typical tuesday night by enjoying a candle lit dinner while chitchatting about why we are crazy about one another. 

dear unfortunate events:february 14th in years past hasn't been full of hearts, kisses, love, cupid, romance and joy. in fact, i've experienced some ruff times on this special day of love. just a few examples: my grandma passed away late in the night february 13th when i was just eight years old. my mom didn't have the heart to tell me until the next day. my best friend also passed away on valentine's day my sophomore year in high school. i broke up with my first serious boyfriend on v-day, which also happened to be his birthday. i only bring these events up, because they have shaped me into the person i am today. valentine's has had different meanings in the past- and will continue to remain important in years to come. i am thankful for this special day of love, because it means much more to me now and is a yearly reminder of how important loving those around you truly is. 

dear red: you are my favorite color as of late. i could wear red lipstick and red shoes every day and never grow old of you. i am happy you are the chosen color to represent love. this just gives me a special excuse to indulge and deck myself out from head to toe with you. 

dear lovebird:be mine? oh- won't you please be my valentine? {обичам те повече отколкото птиците в небето} i love you more than all the birds in the sky. you're the reason i now love this holiday. being married to you is ultimate bliss. i can't imagine life without you. i love you in the morning all scruffy and sexy. i love you in the afternoon all geeky and energetic. i love you in the evening all tired and handsome. i love you every minute of every day. i'm thankful that cupid found us three years ago. i feel like we were a match made in heaven. 

dear sugar cookies: you are my favorite sugary treat on this beloved day. you know... the homemade, buttery, crumble-in-your mouth, cream cheese frosting, heart shaped ones. we all know you are to die for and simply irresistible. i'm thinking about trying this new recipe this year. you should too!

dear february: you're a special little month. quite literally. you have the least amount of days, and of those days the world is under your spell of love. we are guilty as charged: you're the month we said i love you to one another for the very first time. how romantic.

happy valentine's day to all the lover's in the world.

xoxo.

p.s. i'm featured over here on this cute blog! 

{spread your valentine love by visiting her blog!} 

another week has come and gone.

this weekend went a little like this:

1. we had a small bump in the road: a miss understanding.

which quickly was made up by going to a chick flick and eating shaved ice.

{chick flick for me + shaved ice for him = one fair trade.}

2. last minute {literally} decided to race home and celebrate valentine's day.

{unfortunately, i have dance until way late on tuesday/valentine's night}

we gave gifts, snuggled and said i love you one too many times.

is that even possible?

lovebird gave me a lovely piece of jewelry; a new charm bracelet.

i gave him a bow tie {a little valentine tradition} and concert tickets.

3. we went to church, took a nap and ate spaghetti for dinner.

my afternoon outfit consisted of: a stripe shirt, lovebird's checkered pj bottoms, 

braided pigtails, my glasses, ugg slippers, and mint green nail polish.

as you can imagine- i looked absolutely dashing.

or you may have thought i looked like pocahontas- because that's what lovebird thought. 

4. like every weekend.... they all end in hours spent doing homework.

gotta love school, right? but ironically, we both do.

i'm excited for the upcoming week.

love is in the air already. 

happy sunday.

xo.

scoop of love and laughter.

last night when the words of my textbook started blurring together into one big word, i decided it was time for a break. a break from school and life.

i was in desperate need of a break full of nothing but giggles, love and time with lovebird. 

so, i yelled into the office where he so obediently was doing his homework....

"hey, i need you to come here". 

"no you don't."

{he obviously knows me way too well. crap.}

"no, i seriously do. i need your help on my homework".

{all lies, i tell you.}

"lease, i'll kill you if you're lying."

.....

he killed me alright; killed me with tickles and kisses. 

we laid on the ground for a good two hours. 

we stayed up way past our bed time doing nothing but chitchatting. 

and listening to spotify. the new best thing since sliced bread.

{it's a real treat to find all the oldies you listed to back in the day... all for free.}

my head was propped over his as we sang "we are young". glee version, duh.

i can't describe how funny it was to lip-sync and do actions face to face. noses touching.

lovebird told me i looked like a muppet when i sang. that was nice of him. 

we were laughing so hard we were both crying and my abs felt like a million bucks. 

after we were sick to our stomachs from laughter, we decided we needed to feed them with our new favorite addiction: pistachio for him, caramel for me. 

it was a good night at home. 

nothing beats time with lovebird doing absolutely nothing- 

because it's these moments that make up our everything. 

i'll hit the books later, right?

this was well worth my time. anthropology can always wait.

after all- love and gelato will always come first. 

this one takes the cake.

it's time to let you in on another little secret: 

the honest truth: i can't buy the "good" or expensive stuff

  at the rate we lovebird goes through shower gel.

so leaving those luscious bath and body work scents behind,

we've resulted in trying a billion different kinds. 

you name it: target brand, aveeno, olay, walmart brand, aveda, suave, dove...

yep, we've gone through them all. and probably all of the different scents too.

last weekend, i made a quick trip to rite aid... 

and came across this clearance item:

i thought, "what the heck, why not?"

brought it home, and naturally placed it in the shower.

the next morning, lovebird calls out from the shower, "why did you buy baby stuff?"

 i assured him to look closely; baby brand but "adult" stuff.

after his pickiness passed, he lathered up with what has now become our favorite.

{okay, probably more my favorite}

i'm telling you, it smells delicious and truly moisturizes.

both are key if you ask me. 

lessons learned:

1. it's okay to buy "baby stuff".

 2. never judge a book by it's cover.

3. husband will devour you with kisses if you shower too close to bedtime. 

{thanks to the delicious smell that last until your next shower.} 

pretend it has postage.

merry christmas.

from: the lovebirds.

i thought i'd share this year's christmas card with you.

we're wishing you all the peace, love and joy out there. 

coat closet

i'm going to let you in on a something a little personal.

we have a coat closet. a coat closet that barely shuts.

why? because lovebird has so many jackets.

of course his answer would be that i have too many jackets. 

i've been asking him for weeks to go through his jackets and throw some out.

he still hasn't done it. so....

today upon total frustration{or rather curiosity to see how many coats he has},

i simply asked him for the hundredth time if he'd done what i'd ask. 

he said no... and next thing i know we both went racing for the closet.

as we fought for control of the closet we settled on counting our jackets first

to see who needed to get rid of some. 

i'd be ashamed if i told you the number of jackets we own.

we could clothe several families. which i feel guilty about.

i blame it on the fact that we lived in utah and needed heavy coats,

and now we live in california and need light weight jackets.

heavy coats + light weight jackets= more than enough.

plus, there's a jacket for every occasion, right?

a sweatshirt {or five} to simply hang out it.

a heavy down coat for snowy blizzards.

a jacket to wear on a cool fall day.

a blazer to wear as a fashion statement.

a fleece for comfort and warmth.

a fancy number to wear to the ballet or to church.

an old fashioned pea coat. mandatory.

something knitted. 

a pull over.

a few little-bit-nicer than a sweat shirts.

help us please.

we've counted, sorted, thrown away and settled on the fact

we won't be buying a jacket for quite sometime.

unless, of course, santa {aka midge} brings us one that's irresistible.

p.s. lovebird absolutely loves when i wear his jackets.
especially when i wear them to dance.
and yes, i am being completely sarcastic. 

school days

lovebird's school is gorgeous.

my school has geese. 

lovebird's school looks like it belongs in england.

{red brick buildings, old, cobblestone walkways, small campus.}

my campus is wide, covers space and looks just like a california university.

lovebird's school is expensive and private.

my school is is public and decently populated.

lovebird's school is 45 minutes away from home via highway 99.

mine is 30 minutes away via country roads. 

lovebird is taking four classes.

i'm taking two.

we both love school.

and i've decided we will want our future little ones to know about

our schooling days... so that's what inspired this little post. 

one word: chocolate

lovebird says: "lets go on a walk. you know, a walk to the store to get a treat."

i of course said: "brilliant idea." 

in two seconds flat, i am at the door ready to go. now waiting on him.

nothing like the thought of chocolate to get my heart rate
jumping and my blood pumping.

after all, i would never turn down the chance to walk down "lovers lane" knowing i'll end up on the candy isle with mounds of choices staring me back in the face. 

good choices; chocolately choices.

{sorry starburst and skittles, you're just not my cup of tea.}

as we take our stroll, i realize just how rare it is for lovebird to want a treat.

i'm always the one begging him to eat junk food

and he is the one claiming he's too healthy.

he rarely gives in to a treat. unless of course it's yogurt mill. 

so, this craving of his is very unusual.

however, i'm thankful for it. because i needed a treat after my loooong day.

surprisingly, i chose a twix.

and even more surprisingly, he chose a dark chocolate bar.

we walked back home, hand in hand.

engaged in deep conversation. 

[the president's speech enabled for loaded topics tonight.]

we laughed. we complained about certain people things.

and most importantly we jumped on the couch and devoured our treat. 

all 250 calories. not feeling guilty at all...

because having a husband to share an evening full of walks, conversation,
laughter, cuddles on a couch

and of course chocolate is worth ever calorie and more. 

one year.

yesterday, our day went a little like this....

1.breakfast in bed. early in the morning.

2. cuddles and snuggles.

3. pedicures. yes, the both of us.

4. massage. a hot rock, hour, rubbing massage.

5. dance. (and lovebird did a workout.)

6. dinner at conncetta. our favorite.

7. and a little romance before we fell fast asleep.

what a lovely anniversary we had.