Nick and I don’t usually make a big deal out of Valentine’s Day. In fact, our usual tradition is to eat dinner at Chipotle (or somewhere similar) on Valentine’s because it’s less crowded and we’re of the mind that we don’t need Hallmark to sell us a day to show our love. BUT, with me being away at school so much these past two years, Nick decided it would be a nice, romantic date night opportunity.About a month ago, he told me not to make any plans for Valentine’s because he already did. Nick doesn’t plan things like this very often (if ever) so I was pleasantly surprised. He wouldn’t tell me where we were going or what we were doing – except that we were going to dinner but he wouldn’t tell me where – because it was a surprise, but he did tell me I could dress up. So, only knowing that we were having dinner but nothing else, I put together two outfits and told Nick to pick the most appropriate one. I chose a nice blouse and pants for outfit #1 and a really cute dress for outfit #2.

Scroll through to see the outfits in more detail, and at the bottom, you’ll see what we did and which outfit he chose!

Outfit #1: Black and white blouse, black pixie pants, pink heels

Outfit #2: Black and white print dress, tights, and ankle boots

The Date

Our date was dinner at Taberna Tapas, a delicious and authentic Spanish restaurant serving small & large plates, including charcuterie and paella, and then a comedy show at the Carolina Theatre featuring Maria Bamford! I had mentioned to Nick as soon as I found out she was playing in our city that I wanted to go see her and he remembered! (And he doesn’t remember ANYTHING!)

And the Winner is…

The dress! Nick said he liked both outfits but this was his favorite of the two, so it’s what I wore.

We had a great time and I’m really glad we celebrated Valentine’s this year. And the best part was, as we were leaving the theatre, it was snowing! It didn’t last long, and it was REALLY cold and windy, but there was something a little magical about it.

Which look is your favorite? Did you celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Outfit 1: Blouse: miami via Francesca’s | Pants: Old Navy | Shoes: Christian Siriano via Payless | Bracelet: Old Navy | Earrings: gift from my MIL

Outfit 2: Dress: Soprano via Nordstrom Rack |Belt: Target | Tights: Banana Republic | Booties: Target | Bracelet & Necklace: Old Navy | Earrings: gift from my MIL

Linking up with More Pieces of Me | Still Being Molly | InDUFFinitely Me | Because Shanna Said So | The Pleated Poppy | Tucker Up | The Tiny Heart | Mix & Match Fashion | The Penniless Socialite

Yep, same pants again today. Since yesterday was a snow day, we didn’t leave the house meaning I can wear these pants again. Okay, let’s be real, even if I did leave and people saw me, I’d still rewear them. At least it cuts down on laundry.

I find that I’m drawn to neutrals so I wanted to give this outfit a pop of color.  I purchased this clutch from Etsy as a wedding gift to myself and then purchased five more (in varying colors and patterns) as bridesmaids’ gifts for my wedding party. They don’t hold much, and I wish there was small pocket on the inside, but I love it just the same. I picked this one out specifically because I thought it would give my outfits a bright pop of color, and I was right.

I also think fuchsia or hot pink would look really good with these rock gray pants; maybe that will be my next purchase. I almost didn’t get these pants because I wasn’t sure I would be able to wear them with much, but I’ve come up with so many outfits in my mind with them that I’ve had to write them all down so I could create them without leaving any out!

And here’s a fun one:

The weather briefly warmed up a bit and I could wear this cute skirt and thin tights without freezing my tooshie off.  Nick picked out the skirt because he has awesome taste and I know he would want me to let you know that. My favorite thing about it is the bow in the front. When I tuck my shirt into skirts, it sometimes feels too plain, like a belt is needed as a completer piece.  But this bow adds that little something extra and makes the skirt even more cute.

I wore this to have coffee and talk wedding shop with my best friend who is getting married this summer, which is so exciting! Then I wore it to dinner for Nick’s mom’s birthday. I’ve been trying to find more pieces that can be dressed up or down and this skirt is perfect for that.

I love the way the wedge ankle boots look with this outfit, but I decided to change into heels for dinner. The heels are more dressy than the boots, which is what I wanted in a dinner look. I would also wear the heels in the office for a more professional look.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s Sunday Morning Serenade, I’m a big fan of brunch. This was the outfit I wore to have brunch with Nick, our good friend (who is like a little sister to us), and her boyfriend. We went to a cute little French bistro downtown and I had delicious coffee and steak frites, which is a pan-seared steak topped with an egg and served with pommes frites (french fries) and Béarnaise sauce. Your mouth just watered, didn’t it?

So, I know I’m supposed to be participating in this 30 for 30 Challenge, but I did some unexpected shopping this weekend and wanted to wear all of my new pieces, which is what I’m doing in this outfit. The shirt and the black ankle boots are new and I figured they’d pair well with the black skirt. I also got Nick to take these photos instead of using my tripod and they turned out so much better than usual because I was able to have more fun. He’s going to have a new job from here on out!

I promise I’ll get to that challenege. Most of the pieces I chose for it are more “office wear” than casual wear but classes have started back so I’ll be able to wear the outfits in public instead of just sitting in them at my computer. Please be patient, they’re coming!