Getting Into The Spirit

Guys, Valentine's Day is coming....

...I think about this and imagine a Godzilla-sized, pink-and-red clad, heart shaped candy-wielding monster coming to get me and publicly force me to prove my love for Jake. But, I'm luckily dating one of the most creative and spontaneous guys literally around and he always comes up with some great ideas for Valentine's Day!

Note: I'm not bragging about my Valentine's experiences. In the past, I've usually loathed them, and I kind of do today. I'm just trying to share my unusual experiences to show you Valentine's doesn't have to be boring!

As a result of all the cool shit we get up to on our journey together, I've started keeping a box of souvenirs! This all ties together I promise. I thought it would be a cool idea to pull an item from the box and maybe share it's story. It just happens that the item I picked came from our Valentine's Day celebration last year!

When we Arrived

For Valentine's Day last year, Jake took me to a local winery in the Ontario countryside...Okay, this sounds super fancy already but it was February so that means that the countryside wasn't very visually appealing...unless you like an endless snow tundra...

Anyway.

We went to this delightful, small winery in Jordan, Ontario named Creekside Estate and stayed at

Cooper's Cottage

Inn on the Twenty. We spent the first night at a great local pub (I think literally the only other place besides the winery in town...I kid you not, this place was tiny), got drunk on cheap beer and played pool while a 3 man band played to the almost empty bar. The next day was full of sightseeing the area and exploring around us. We wound up in St. Catharines, which was pretty adorable; loads of little shops and restaurants, cute little places to go and be super Canadian. 

Unfortunately, it was literally freezing and we ran from place to place to keep warm. We decided to attend a movie playing at the local theater. And when I say theater, I mean like play theater not movie theater. Turns out the local theater goes unused in Shaw Festival off-season, so what better way to keep it in use than to show movies?! We saw Silver Linings Playbook that afternoon a midst the swarms of older patrons and middle aged couples. 

Breakfast!

Before the show, there was a set up of wine and pastries, all raising money for local organizations and providing a fun atmosphere than a normal movie theater. We arrived slightly early, battling the cars to parking spots and rushing through the snow to find warmth inside. After downing a glass of wine each while watching the slowly drifting snow, we all shuffled into the theater and the movie began. 

There's something so amazing about that weekend. This ticket stub will hold a place in my heart for ages to come! I hope everyone has a pleasant Valentine's Day, and if not, then I hope you have a great time bashing the vile day with your close girlfriends and hopefully one of many bottles of wine!

And just remember that memories are greater than presents!