My boyfriend has been working a lot lately, so to spend some time together and reconnect, he took me on a date to the Mountain State Fair.

Blogging about my obsession with county fairs is becoming a yearly tradition it seems, and looking back at the pictures I took from last year I'm shooting myself in the foot for not taking my DSLR and relying on lower quality iPhone pictures, because WOW what a difference. However with that being said, this year we managed to hit up the fair on the special day when they were offering a "pay 20 bucks, ride whatever you like" deal so I'm thankful for not having to have worried about the safety of my Canon while I rode rides.

It was a little cloudy this year, but luckily the rain held off and we stayed safe and dry. All in all, we had a great time and I look forward to going again next year. I also now feel inspired to drop the iPhone a little more often and pick up my DSLR camera in order to capture more memories like these as summer starts changing into fall.

the "V" word.

It's February and you know what that means.

Oh, Valentine's Day. There is no other holiday that people seem to have such bipolar emotions about. Everyone either loves it or absolutely loathes it. And in most cases, it depends on the relationship status of the individual.

Now, I have a boyfriend, so maybe this is all biased. But my boyfriend and I don't celebrate Valentine's Day. Last year, I threw on a pair of heels and we went out to get pizza and that was the extent of our Valentine's Day extravaganza. 

Personally, I have very mixed feelings about the holiday. I just don't really see the point in dedicating one day of the year to expressing your love for your significant other, because I think you should be doing that every day of the year.

However, there is a huge part of me (the Notebook watching, Country Love Songs singing, embarrassingly gushy part), that loves the idea behind Valentine's Day. I love the fact that there is a day in the worst, coldest, and most depressed month of the year where people look for ways to warm each other's hearts. I think Valentine's Day is a day to celebrate all the different kinds of love and the idea that love exists.

And as a true believer that love exists, I am choosing this year to welcome the dreaded holiday. I won't be buying my boyfriend a giant stuffed monkey that says "I Love You," but I will probably spend the day with him. I might make him a card or maybe something like this. I will call my parents. I will send my best friend a heartfelt text, or maybe send her a letter. I will try to find some old school Valentines to give to my hallmates, like the ones you send in Elementary school. I will probably eat a whole bag of Dove dark chocolate. I will paint my nails a sparkly pink and twirl around in my favorite dress and maybe even watch The Notebook.

all images can be found here.