Anniversary on a Budget

How do you plan a meaningful romantic trip when you're almost broke?

We didn't celebrate our 2 year or 3 year anniversary because of money issues. Mostly him trying to pay back his step-dad. So this year I was hoping to do something special without a huge price tag. Wine tasting sounded romantic. But how romantic can things get when all you can afford is a cheap hotel in town? Maybe we'll be lame and just go sleep in a crappy hotel out of town. I have no idea. Tips, tricks, hints, cheat codes anyone? CRT + $ doesn't make money spray out of my computer huh?

There's a few things to consider here. Amount of money, age by the date of our anniversary, and well, basically just amount of money. I'll be turning 21 on the 10th and our anniversary is 2 weeks later on the 29th. So I suppose we have no age restrictions to consider anymore, how convenient. If only there was a birthday coupon for these things.

"Best Southern CA Romantic Getaways"
"CA Vacation Guide"
"Top 10 Romantic Hotels in Orange County"
"Laguna Cliffs" - $269 per night
"Catalina Island"

Promising? Palm Springs' Old Ranch Hotel or Rendezous

Reading the News

Here's a few articles I thought were interesting and a bit entertaining as I browsed the internet. Reading the news and keeping up with current affairs is good for you. It's much better than staring at your Facebook page seeing what your neighbor did last weekend. Plus news is good for conversation, especially when your mom asks, "so what did you learn today?" after sleeping through your class lecture on accident.

World -
Mexico issues travel alert over new Arizona law
Scottish police once believed in Loch Ness monster
China lifts travel ban against people with HIV

Local (CA) -
Playboy's Hugh Hefner helps rescue Hollywood sign
Laguna Beach adds 300 goats to workforce
Union: Strike sends message to other districts

College & Jobs -
6 Mistakes New Grads Make in Their First Jobs
College hookups aren't as common as people think
Popping Pills a Popular Way to Boost Brain Power

Tech -
Facebook's expansion triggers political backlash
We Have Met the Enemy and He Is PowerPoint
Latest MacBook Pro CPU runs so hot it can boil water

Health -
Bad habits can age you by 12 years, study suggests
Casual Sex Increasing in U.S.
More U.S. babies born with syphilis, report finds

Beauty -
Timeless Fashion and Beauty Secrets Your Mother Knew (and Should Have Shared)
How to bronze without overdoing it
The Best Bathing Suits Under $40
8 Style Secrets to Never Looking Fat Again Without Dieting

Here Comes the Rain Again

Finally! The weather has stopped spazzing out for once and chosen to be winter. It rarely rains in Southern California to begin with, so we need it pretty bad. There's always someone saying that "we're in a drought", but we live in a natural desert. Sorry if your lawn isn't perfectly green all the time. Here's the forecast for the rest of the week (sadly this is harsh weather for us, we're wimps)

Personally, I like watching and listening to the rain. But if I have to go out into it, I hate it. The whole wet and cold thing---not so into it. But hey, it's better than living somewhere with 3 feet of snow or a hurricane on the way. I'll try and be happy with the minimal sprinkles here that we call the "pouring rain". In fact, I'm pretty sure that our rain is nothing compared to other places in the world. Sure it's supposed to rain for the next whole week, but in some places it rains everyday. Rocksie looks confused. "Hey why is water falling from the sky? " If she has to go outside to go to the bathroom, then I'll plastic wrap her like always. Golden retrievers + rain = very stinky...then the whole house stinks.

Random thought, I've never been kissed in the rain---probably because me and my boyfriend don't like standing in the rain---maybe I'll give that a try while it's pouring this week. We might even make a Disneyland trip while all the lame tourists are hiding in their hotels haha.