…to wanna take a back road

…to be too sexy for your shirt (just don’t be too sexy for it in public, ladies)

…to wanna shoop (the Salt-N-Pepa, Whitney or Cher way)

…to want a Sunday kind of love

…to make it clap

…to put a ring on it

…to step back (if you’re dancin’ kinda close)

…to be walking on sunshine

…to  just wanna have fun (whether you’re a girl, or boy)

…to stay forever young

Happy Friday everyone! Enjoy the weekend.

When I think about being happy, I think about small things, like watching How I Met Your Mother with Colin, making my nephew Declan laugh, hearing my grandfather say ‘I love you’ when we end our phone calls, giving my sister Kelly a hug when I haven’t seen her in a while, etc…So many nice thoughts come to mind when I think about happiness.

I also think about bigger things, like our wedding day coming up in September, my supportive and amazing family, my great circle of friends, my education, my home, my job — I could go on and on. I have so much to be thankful for, so many blessings in my life — but sometimes I struggle with happiness. It’s not always easy to just be happy — no matter who you are, or what cards you’ve been dealt. Being happy is very much based on how we see things, then interpret them, and overall how we let them affect us on a daily basis.

I recently heard about the documentary called HAPPY and was very intrigued. I saw that they were screening it in Boston, so Colin and I went to go see it. It is a story about real-life people from around the world — who they are, and what happiness means to them. This movie goes into new scientific findings from the field of “positive psychology”, and the role our brain plays within our happiness story.

Here are some of the important questions this movie asks / covers, “Does money make you HAPPY? Kids and family? Your work? Do you live in a world that values and promotes happiness and well-being? Are we in the midst of a happiness revolution?” (Source).

I am so glad I got a chance to see this movie. It was thought-provoking, and really inspiring. I laughed, cried, and definitely thought more about what makes me happy and why. Even though I live a great life and am usually a pretty happy person — I know I could always try harder to appreciate all the good in my world. I strive to lead a happy life. I want to feel fulfilled, to be healthy, to embrace the positive and turn the negative away. It’s not always easy, but it’s a work in progress, and a cause I am definitely committed to!

You should absolutely check HAPPY out — it is perfect for all ages. Feel free to browse their website and social media pages (Facebook, Twitter) — also check out this blog post on Maria Shriver’s site, it’s great. Most importantly, please think about purchasing the DVD on iTunes. It is SO WORTH the $9.99. Enjoy!

I love happy photos:

Valentine’s Day has come and gone. Flowers that women have received at the office are wilting away on their desks, and all the chocolates have been devoured (at least in our home they have!). This brings me to an interesting question…would you rather receive flowers from your significant other for a special occasion (Valentine’s Day, birthday, anniversary)? Or would you rather be surprised with flowers on a random day of the week? (I guess another option could be ‘Or would you rather receive them both for special occasions, and on random days of the week’, but come on people — let’s be realistic!).

I think flowers are sweet any which way you look at it, so they are a DO in my book. I’ve gotten them from Colin on special occasions, and on random days — and I’ve enjoyed them both equally. No matter what it is I receive — flowers, a card, a gift — I must say, I mostly appreciate Colin’s thoughtfulness. It’s nice to know someone’s thinking about you whether it’s a holiday or not!

The folks over at Frugal Dad put together a great infographic all about giving someone flowers and I thought it would be fun to share! Even though Valentine’s Day is over, I’m thinking this might remind the guys out there that flowers are nice 365 days a year (or 366 days in this year’s case — don’t forget about Leap Day!).

Oh, and just as a side note — Colin, if I ever get black or yellow flowers from you (according to this infographic) — you are in trouble.

Source: http://frugaldad.com

…to immediately put on a pair of sweats when you get home from a long day of work
…to be mad when you see someone with two free hands, talking on a headset (come onnn)
…to love a movie you swore you were going to hate
…to be disappointed when your lunch order gets messed up
…to be ridiculously excited for Amanda Knox’s memoir
…to be a nerd
…to have a love/hate relationship with money
…to practice your Academy Award acceptance speech (even if you don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of ever coming close to winning one)
…to play rock, paper, scissors with your significant other in order to choose what you’re going to watch on TV
…to wanna dance with somebody

Colin and I are off to Vermont after work today (wish us luck in the ski / school vacation / President’s Day weekend traffic, please!). We have lots of wedding stuff to do tomorrow at Stratton which I am very excited for! Will have to do a wedding update type post soon…

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend.

I met Elizabeth from On Tap for Today through blogging — but we also had a mutual friend — her brother! The Boston blogging scene is a small world, people. Elizabeth’s brother Chris is Colin’s sister Liz’s good friend who we went to Merrimack with. Anyway, Elizabeth is fabulous and she recently tagged me in her ’11 Things’ post – so here I go…(it’s a really fun idea!)

Here are the rules:

1. Post these rules.
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
3. Answer the questions the person who tagged you set for you in their post.
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5. Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them.
6. No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people.

Ok, so here are 11 very random things about me:

1. I had to get stitches in my chin when I was little because I fell while using my jeans as a jump rope (I was smart)
2. I won Student of the Year three times in grammar school (despite the jeans incident…)
3. I played Varsity Basketball for four years in high school
4. I also played on the Varsity Badminton team one year (I was so bad! But the skirts were cute…)
5. I went to Catholic school all my life — Pre-K through college
6. My middle name is Mary
7. On 9/15/12 (our wedding day), my initials will be CMT — Country Music Television, baby
8. When I lived in Hawaii I hitchhiked multiple times. When I think about it now I’m nervous for my former self (why would we do that?!)
9. I was recruited to play basketball at Cornell, West Point and a few other schools. Didn’t have it in me though!
10. I spent the year after college volunteering in Chicago
11. I’ve been in the audience of the Maury Povich show, the John Edwards show, the Carson Daly show, Oprah, and the Nate Berkus show (yes, if you haven’t figured it out yet, I am strange)

‘One Love’ — Bob Marley

2. What is your favorite local restaurant?
Ooh there are so many good ones, but I will have to go with…Russell House Tavern

3. What day of the week were you born?
Tuesday — which is my least favorite day of the week now — wonder what that means?

4. Tea or coffee?
COFFEE.

Tricky. But going to have to go with pants

6. Where would you go on your ideal vacation?
Tuscany

7. What’s your favorite day of the week?
Friday — you have the whole weekend to look forward to!

8. Are you an early bird or a night owl?
I was born a night owl. Although, I’ll always strive to be an early bird (I’m convinced I can be!)

9. What is your favorite sport to watch?
Basketball, hands down.

10. Do you have a secret talent?
Memorizing words to songs comes very easily to me. Too bad I don’t have a good voice — could have been a super star!

11. What is your go-to workout song?
‘Fantasy’ — Mariah Carey, or ‘Love on Top’ — Beyoncé. I love my divas.

Now, tag, you’re it!

Kelly from The Daily Snip, Michelle from the Economical Eater, Bethany from The Young Profashional, Karen from Twenty Fit, Chelsee and Susie from We are not Martha, Annelise from Quarterlife Lifestyle, Kate from A Little Yoga, Katie from Oscartini, Renee from Eat. Live. Blog, Megan from Delicious Dishings, and Kristen from Indulge Inspire Imbibe.

And here are the 11 questions I have for those I’ve tagged:

1. First thing that comes to mind when you read the word: work…
2. Fill in the blank: Today is __________.
3. Beer, wine, or a cocktail?
4. Favorite holiday?
5. Guilty pleasure?
6. Celebrity crush growing up?
7. Food or meal you couldn’t live without?
8. Have you ever had a dream with a famous guest star? Who was it?
9. What did you want to be when you grew up?
10. Favorite song to belt out in the car?
11. First concert?

For the most part, when the topic of Valentine’s Day comes up, very strong opinions are voiced; you either love it, or you hate it. Maybe you’re in a new, exciting relationship and can’t wait for it, or maybe you’ve just ended a relationship or have been single for a while and you’re dreading it. Either way, whether you’re happily celebrating over candlelight or cursing all of those ‘lovey-dovey’ fools in relationships — I hope you have fun!

Area Four in Kendall Square (500 Technology Square, Cambridge) is celebrating Valentine’s Day with “Bloody” Heart Pizzas, Breakup Banana Splits, and more. Here’s what they have going on:

“Bloody” Heart Pizza
Beef hearts, tomato sauce, caramelized onions, house made mozzarella, pecorino gremolata — Small $15; Large $23.50

Breakup Banana Split
Caramelized bananas, homemade vanilla  and chocolate soft serve, brandied cherries and homemade chocolate, marshmallow and salted caramel sauces — $10/person; up to 10 people

Beer Goggles
A beer and two shots (choice of Four Roses Bourbon or French Martini shots) — $16

Cocktails by the Pitcher — $35/each

Aphrodi-tea
Citrus Vodka, Sour, Vermouth, St. Germain, Mint Simple Syrup, Black Tea

Petal Punch
Silver Tequila, Peach Liqueur, Pomegranate liqueur, Chamomile Tea

Last Resort
Vodka, Vanilla Liqueur, Campari, Cucumber/Lemon/Lime Juice, Moscato D’Asti, Prosecco

Potion #9
Sparkling Rosé, Strawberry Syrup, Kiwi Purée, Lime Juice

Check out Area Four on Facebook and Twitter.

And are you still thinking of something to get your significant other? Col and I usually just do something small for one another, but if you’re looking to go all-out, here are a couple of ideas!

Guys — honestly, you can never go wrong with jewels. Gemvara has a ton of amazing stuff. I love the Naked Pave Petit Pendant from Naked Gems. It’s beautiful and can be customized with your choice of one or two different gemstones (17 total gemstones available) and your favorite metal (prices vary depending on the combo of gem/metal).

Daily Grommet has good ideas too:

The Objects with Purpose Dahlia Candle — a large three wick candle scented with organic rose and lychee. But this is not ordinary candle, it has magical powers — while it’s burning it melts into a perfume and body butter. Very cool!

This is a clever little gift (also found on Daily Grommet) — Moultonology Garden Bon Bons. These are little seed balls which are presented as chocolate truffles. All you have to do is place the Garden Bon Bons on top of soil, water, and watch them grow! Just make sure your significant other doesn’t eat them before you get a chance to explain.

One more fun Daily Grommet idea — Zipbuds Tangle-Resistant Earbuds which are headphones that have zipper integrated cabling. The zipper is substantial enough to resist knots so they won’t get tangled! Plus they are noise isolating which is such a key factor with headphones if you ask me.

Need a creative date idea? Passes to SkyZone would be fun and different. SkyZone is New England’s only indoor trampoline park with locations in Boston (91B Sprague Street, Boston) and Everett (69 Norman Street Suite 1B, Everett).

This past weekend was wonderful. It consisted of a relaxing Friday night of Chipotle, wine and How I Met Your Mother. Then, a productive Saturday picking out a bridesmaid dress (so pretty!). Followed by a fun Sunday split between hiking (more on that later in the week) and eating delicious food / watching the Super Bowl at Meg and Matt’s house. Congrats to the NY Giants!

Saturday Colin whipped up some delicious pizzas, and we decided to pair it with – what else? (other than wine!) – a variety of Sam Adams beer. We taste-tested Alpine Spring, Mighty Oak, Irish Red, Black Lager, Whitewater IPA and the classic Boston Lager. Sometimes the stronger lagers and IPAs are a bit much for me so Colin tends to drink those (he loves them!). I usually enjoy the lighter, more citrusy beers – the Alpine Spring was my favorite! So refreshing and flavorful.

More about my favorite, Alpine Spring (courtesy of Samuel Adams):

“Brewed especially for the season, this bright citrusy unfiltered lager is both satisfying and refreshing. It’s the perfect transition from winter’s heavier brews to the lighter beers of summer. Borne of our brewers’ many trips to Germany, Alpine Spring features a unique blend of lager attributes: the balanced maltiness and hoppiness of a Helles, the smoothness and slightly higher alcohol of a traditional spring bock, and the unfiltered appearance of a Kellerbier. The beer is brewed with Tettnang Noble hops to add a unique, bright orange-citrusy aroma and flavor.”

To find out more about all of the beers mentioned in this post, please visit the Samuel Adams beer guide – cheers!

…to believe in signs (I’m pretty sure I got one from my Nana last night)

…to get your hopes up (hey, it’s hard not to do sometimes)

…to only pay attention to the Super Bowl because either A: you’re very interested in winning your office’s pool, B: you love the snacks or C: the commercials, duh

…to truly love and appreciate the fact that the Improper Bostonian is free

…to count down the hours…minutes…seconds…to the start of the weekend

…to melt at the sound of a southern accent

…to  treat yourself to lunch on a Friday afternoon (I’m talking to you, delicious turkey sandwich with lettuce tomato and pickles on toasted bread)

…to hope Madonna sings her old classics and not all new shizz we don’t know the words to yet

…to be sad for Demi Moore

…to to be scared of the word ‘change’. But…to also be excited, happy, nervous, ready, etc. That word can conjure up a million different things for all different people

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you have a wonderful Super Bowl weekend. Eat lots of great food and enjoy lots of great company.

Side note, if you’re not a member of Eversave yet and are interested in signing up, let me know. I have some special Friends and Family codes to give out worth $5 each ($5 off? Not too shabby!). Email me at [email protected] if you’re interested!