Friday, February 14, 2014

Why Valentine's Day is not so Bad!

Disclaimer: I have nothing against my friends who are in a relationship. I just want to make the single people in my life smile J

Valentine’s Day is expensive!
Dinner: $15 (If you are just paying for yourself)
Movie: $12 (I need to have a serious talk with my local movie theatre)
Flowers: Ranges between $5-$50
Chocolate: $30 (If we are talking about See’s Candy).

Life is too short!! Love yourself and be happy.
It may seem silly when you think to “love yourself”. But it can be one of the best things you can do for yourself. Don’t feel like “nobody loves me because I don’t have a Valentine”. Be happy with your relationship status. It keeps you available and it gives you the opportunity to love yourself.

Candy is GOOD!
You may not have a boyfriend (or girlfriend) but you have CHOCOLATE!!

It’s just another day...
You were not given the day off from school because of it, so is it really a legitimate holiday?  It just gives couples an excuse to buy each other presents, give each other extra kisses and post an Instagram photo with their significant other with the caption “My one and only valentine #love”.

Restaurants are CROWDED on this day!
Do you know how hard it is to find a table for two on Valentine’s Day? A few years ago my family decided we were all going to go have dinner on Valentine’s Day. We walked into PF Chang’s and put our name in. We waited for a few minutes and then we were seated. As our food was being brought out, I remember looking towards the waiting area and seeing the couples that put their name in before us still waiting for a table. How ridiculous! If I were one of those couples, I would show my significant other how to make a delicious homemade meal! How fun!


Celebrate the love of family and friends!
I get it. Its hard seeing all the posts on your social media accounts of couples kissing or holding hands. But have you ever thought of celebrating the love of your family and friends? One of my friends posted a picture of some cheap candy she received from her father. In her caption she explained the tradition of her dad giving her candy every year on Valentines Day. Her post warmed my heart! We were each given a family that loves us. So instead of receiving flowers from your “boo thang” send some to your mom because she loves you.
So grab those flowers for your mom and your favorite Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and invite some of your single friends over for a movie night. You will save a bundle. And that money you saved can go towards your next mini-vacation (If you know anything about me, you know that I LOVE mini-vacations).


Thank you to both my parents who have made me feel so loved on this day. You guys are my world.

mini-vacation: noun. A 2-4 day vacation that is taken by plane, boat, or car. Usually includes your best friend and a backpack.

YOU ARE LOVED



Life Through The Shelby Lens

Greetings!
Some of you are probably wondering why I decided to start a blog. Well as a freshman in college, I want to start a new hobby. In high school my established hobby was being a part of theatre. Yes you read that right. I love to sing (loudly), dance and act. I was constantly busy with rehearsal and my whole life revolved around putting on a show. However my first semester as a college student I spent all my time doing school work, going on mini-vactaions, babysitting and tutoring young kids. As much as I enjoy all of those things, I do not consider them "hobbies". By the way, going on mini-vacations is not considered a hobby either, because it is clearly just a bonus!
I started to evaluate what I really enjoy doing. I came to the conclusion that I wanted to find a way to express myself. Over the past year I have developed a love for writing. I even considered changing my major to English (crazy huh). If I would have told my 15-year-old self that I would be an English major, it would give 15-year-old Shelby a good laugh. Instead of changing my major I am instead going to satisfy that desire to write, by starting a blog.
If you know me you know that I have a crazy way of thinking. Sometimes I try to explain something but I end up talking in circles. Writing for me is easier because I have time to strategize what I want to say. My crazy stories and conversation style tends to make people wonder what's really going on in my head. So as a reader you get a sneak peak of my life through The Shelby Lens.
Enjoy.