Written by Candace on May 22, 2013 | 5 Comments

Kyle+Lauren
Engaged

Kyle was a student at Stanford University when Lauren walked into his dorm room and into his life.

While trying to spend an evening studying, a beautiful brunette with a gorgeous smile, kept coming in and out of his room. That was Lauren who had strategically stored her drinks in his refrigerator. Kyle tried his best to ignore her, but Lauren wasn’t the type to be discouraged. She was interested in getting to know him and wasn’t going to give up that easily.

When their group of friends took a trip to Chipotle, Lauren and Kyle finally got to talk. Lauren mentioned something about a proposal or marriage, just as a joke, which only made Kyle want to distance himself even more. He made sure to sit at the opposite end of the table.

Little did they know the significance that joke would be in their lives. Kyle soon found Lauren irresistible and he in fact did offer her a proposal of marriage. The two are now engaged and will be getting married this July.

Kyle and Lauren, we cannot wait for your upcoming wedding! I’m so excited that Kyle wasn’t scared for too long because you guys are the cutest together. I likewise scared Vitaliy a bit when we first met, but when it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. We wish you both a lifetime of love and laughter!

Lauren and Kyle decided to do their engagement pictures where it all began – on the campus of Stanford University.

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Written by Candace on May 20, 2013 | 3 Comments

Angel Island
Bike Ride

When I have someone coming for a visit, I love playing tour guide but I do try to avoid the areas that attract the most tourists. My favorite location to share with people currently is Angel Island, but I’m shocked at how many of my local friends have never been.

Ladies and Gentleman, whether you are local to the area or a first time visitor, Angel Island is absolutely ideal for a date. Take notes, or pin this link, then go make plans with the special person in your life.

Date Idea: Biking and exploring Angel Island

Highlights: 360 degree views of the bay, historical sights, architectural gems, beautiful bike ride, freedom to explore, picnic areas, beachfront, a little cafe, and so much more.

The Deets: Visitor Info, Ferry Options, and Bike Rentals.

After visiting a few times now, here are a few of our personal recommendations.

We love taking the ferry from Tiburon. Coming from the Peninsula, we enjoy the exciting drive over the Golden Gate Bridge and are thankful to avoid traffic and parking in San Francisco. Tiburon has a parking lot where you can park for about $10. But if you don’t mind the trek, you can usually find a spot up the hill into the neighborhood for free.

Research the weather, but wear layers no matter what. Like any location near the bay, the weather can get pretty chilly because of the wind. But with an active bike ride and if the sun makes an appearance, you’ll want to be able to remove layers.

Bring your own lunch instead of eating at the cafe. There are picnic tables scattered throughout the island, but if the weather is warm enough, we recommend picnicking at the little beach located about halfway around the island.

The bike ride can get a little challenging at times so if your date is not into bike riding or outdoors this may not be the ideal date. I don’t do a lot of biking, but I really enjoy the ride. Don’t rush through the ride, take breaks and enjoy the views, and be sure to plan for a long break for lunch. If biking is not your thing, there are also segways, scooters, and tram tours available for rent. And of course, you can always run or walk the island too.

To save money on rentals, you are allowed to bring your own bike on the ferry and onto the island. Due to the terrain, roller skates, roller blades, skateboards, scooters, and personal segways, are prohibited. We like to bring our own bikes so that we’re not rushing back in order to save money on the rentals. They can get expensive!

Be sure to keep track of time. You don’t want to miss your ferry to the island and you don’t want to miss the last ferry going home.

Have you ever been to Angel Island? I’ll definitely be going back so feel free to leave any of your own tips in the comments. But if you are reading this and you’ve never been to Angel Island, stop what you’re doing and put it on the calendar now.

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Written by Candace on May 17, 2013 | 3 Comments

How To Keep Newness In A Relationship

I don’t know about you, but sometimes our date nights can be so predictable.

When life gets busy and we’re exhausted, we end up doing the usual dinner and a movie. There’s nothing wrong with that and it’s still one of our favorite things to do together, but keeping things fresh and new can really make a difference to a relationship that is anything but. Though the location and experience isn’t the most important aspect of a date night, doing something the other person enjoys can help express your love and care for them without you having to say a word.

When Vitaliy and I were dating, we were constantly doing fun and spontaneous things together. To be quite honest, I didn’t care what we were doing as long as I was next to him. But after 6 years of marriage, things are different. That curiosity and excitement, the newness of the relationship, has worn off. It used to worry me and I’d wonder if I was falling out of love with Vitaliy. Thankfully, I’ve learned that love is a choice and that curiosity and excitement comes with consistently getting to know the other person.

What a person liked a year ago may not be what they like today. Their likes may have changed or they may have new passions now. In order to add some newness to our date nights and to continue getting to know each other, Vitaliy and I sat down and each made a list of date night ideas we’d personally like. Now, when we’re too tired to think of something more original than dinner and a movie, we can pull out our lists and grab an idea and run with it.

Living near the San Francisco airport with amazing views of the bay, one of the items on Vitaliy’s list was to go watch the airplanes one evening. The weather has finally been warm enough so we set out to enjoy one of Vitaily’s date night ideas of choice. We quickly learned that this was not an original idea as the area was filled with other couples. We just happened to be the only couple under the age of 50. But if I’m still happy sitting next to Vitaliy watching airplanes 20 years from now, then I will know that I’ve accomplished something worthwhile in my life.

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