The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner opened its doors to a new artisan this Valentine’s Day season: Cupid Concierge.

Specializing in the creation of unique romantic experiences, the Cupid Concierge promises to deliver a Valentine’s Day experience that stretches far beyond the traditional into the exceptional, ensuring each guest’s stay is a unique luxury experience.

The Cupid Concierge package begins with a Ritz-Carlton romance package, which includes chocolate covered strawberries, French Rose Sparkling Wine, breakfast for two, valet parking and a rose petal turndown. After receiving a reservation, the Cupid Concierge will connect with the guest to explore how to personalize the Valentine’s Day experience, with options that include specialty truffles, bubble baths, spa treatments, cooking classes and Dom Pérignon. 

The package options also include reservations at the hotel’s many dining events that run from Valentine’s Day to Saturday, February 16. The hotel’s traditional Valentine’s Dinner in Bistro ($125 per person, exclusive of tax and gratuity) features many indulgent items, including Champagne Poached Oyster, Heart Shaped Lobster Ravioli, Seared Chilean Sea Bass and Rose Water Panna Cotta. On February 15 and 16, the Pastry Chefs will create an exquisite Chocolate Buffet for guests to enjoy over live music in Entyse Wine Bar & Lounge, and on Saturday, February 16, Executive Chef Matthew Morrison will invite couples into his kitchen for an intimate gourmet  cooking class.

Throughout the week, The Day Spa will feature a Valentine’s Enhancement Menu that includes a welcome cocktail and pastry treat with each treatment and will offer two specialty treatments: the Sweet Treat Valentines Facial, a rejuvenating experience to reveal youthful skin, and a luxurious Rose Petal Massage. The Day Spa will also host a girls-only night of Martinis and Manicures on February 12 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.Interested couples can contact the Cupid Concierge at (703) 506-4300, option nine, to speak to the Cupid Concierge or visit the hotel’s Calendar of Events to learn more.

Did you ever watch Desperate Housewives? I'm not embarrassed to admit that I loved the show. Not that it was the best acting/script/storyline ever, but I will never forget when Lynette had a breakdown because she realized she was "in a rut" with Tom. I vividly recall being an early twenty-something sitting on a leather couch I snagged off Craigslist and promising myself that I never, ever, ever would find myself "in a rut" like that old couple on TV.

Maintaining a date night ritual, especially when you have kids, is a great way to keep the spark going in your relationship.  But a ritual doesn't need to be a routine. If you and your man hit the town every Friday, try to change it up and avoid doing the cliche dinner and a movie every time. Keep each other on your toes and avoid the ruts by surprising each other with novel date ideas every week.

Need some ideas? I got you covered.

Watch a meteor shower together.
Grab a few coats, blankets, popcorn, and wine and spread out on your lawn or a big open space during the next meteor shower. Find upcoming ones here. There's usually one every few weeks.

Go adventure dining.
Head out to an area that is heavily populated with restaurants and then stop in at each one for each part of your meal. Stick with all one theme, like Asian cuisine, or mix it up. Rate the food, service and atmosphere as you go.

Have a picnic on your floor.
Want to save money? Change up date night by staying in. Spread out a blanket on your living room floor, make a dinner consisting of finger foods, turn the lights down low and light some candles.

Take a trip to a novelty store. *GASP!*
If date night has become a little routine, your bedroom sessions may have too. Spice it up by taking a trip to a novelty store together. Pick out some new toys, videos or lingerie for the two of you to try.  Need some ideas of what to get? Head over to Adameve.com.  I'm sure you'll be find a way to end the date.

Watch sky rockets in flight.
Head over to the observation deck at Dulles or Reagan International Airport. It's great any time of day and exciting to watch the planes land. One of my favorite spots is Gravelly Point. Take a blanket and look over the Potomac and monuments while watching the low-flying planes above you.  Talk about past vacations or fictitious ones you would like to go on.

Get your boat on.
Go kayaking down the Potomac river--well once it gets warm again. There's no reason to limit your dates to night time. Venture out during the day and do exciting outdoor activities. Dock your boat and grab a drink a riverside bar.

Put a cork in it.
Virginia is known for some pretty fabulous, award-winning wineries. Grab your man and chart out a few that are close to each other and then make a day of it. Drink responsibly!  Hike amongst the grapes, learn about pairings and buy a bottle or two. 

Get Educated.
Take a class together. Whether it be a dance class, painting class, boxing class or even a motorcycle riding class. There's so many options, surely you can find one that interests the both of you. You can bond over this new, shared experience and maybe even pick up a new hobby that the two of you can do together.

Use some of the ideas and build your own. Keep it fun by keeping secret what the date will consist of. Just remember to think creatively and keep an open mind!

Feel free to share your favorite "outside the box" date ideas in the comments section!

Last weekend, B was swept away and spoiled by my parents. In turn, I, too, was spoiled with a whole day of freedom. We ended up snagging DREAM SEATS to the skins game! HAIL YEAH! We usually go to one or two games a year, but this was probably the best game we had ever been to. RGIII ran his record-setting touchdown right into our end zone. The crowd was insane!

Since it was a 4pm game, the night was still young when we left FedEx and we decided to further our date by stopping by one of our favorite sushi spots in Shirlington. Bonsai has a great outdoor seating area and it was the perfect night for it.

Of course, being kid-free, we couldn't end the night there. There has been such great hype about the World of Beer that opened up in Ballston so we checked it out... however, I was not impressed. At all. I guess if I wanted to spend $10 a beer, receive bad service (i'm pretty sure our waitress was drunk and/or high), and eat from their menu of basically pretzels and sausage.... no thanks.

Regardless of the last stop, what an awesome Sunday Funday we had! huge shout out to my mom and dad for making it possible! xo

by Jenn Plant
What a beautiful day to travel to Millwood, Virginia for the Shenandoah Valley Wine and Music Festival. I fully expected a crisp autumn day but as the sun broke through the clouds, it warmed up nicely and ended up being absolutely perfect.
For our third date, David and I made our way to the fenced off area where the local wineries had set up their tents. There were ten Virginia wineries on location that day, none of which I had ever had the pleasure of drinking before. And was I in for a treat! David, being a chef, had already tried a few of the local wines, but most were new to him as well.

It was $20 for a commemorative glass and unlimited tastings. From super sweet whites to extra dry reds and every possibility in between. One winery had us try the “Kiss of the Devil” made from 30 varieties of peppers, including ghost chilies! They claim it’s “better for basting than tasting” - David and I tried it anyway. It was definitely hot and would be great in a chili recipe. We also discovered the beauty of mulled wine. Think hot apple cider and your favorite red wine. A few of the wineries had their own spin on the sensational drink, but all with the same basic ingredients.

Red Wine. Apple juice. Mulling spices. Keep on low in crock pot. Quick. Easy. Fantasticly delicious. Perfect for the upcoming holiday season. I plan on making large quantities of this and I may or may not share with my family.

After sampling most of the wines, David and I walked around the beautiful property at Long Branch. The paved walkway took us around the historic home and we found ourselves in one of the most beautiful and picturesque places we’d ever seen. Rolling hills, a small pond and horses running in the fields before us; it was absolutely gorgeous. We sat under a tree and simply enjoyed each other’s company and the scenery for almost two hours. Whether it’s another wine festival or maybe a tour of the historic home, I’m hoping that we will be able to visit Long Branch again very soon.

Here’s to an amazing third date and hopefully a fourth. Cheers!

A few of our favorites from the day:

Unicorn Winery
Amissville, VA
www.unicornwinery.com
We liked their Traminette 2011 and Chamboucin 2010

Barren Ridge Vineyards
Fishersville, VA
www.barrenridgevineyards.com
We loved the 2011 Red Barren and 2010 Harmony

Horton Cellars
Gordonsville, VA
www.hvwine.com
Mix their Chocolate and White Chocolate dessert wine for a bit of heaven in your mouth!

Peaks of Otter Winery
Bedford, VA
www.peaksofotterwinery.com
If you dare – Try the Kiss The Devil Chili Pepper Wine

by Jenn Plant
With all of the upcoming fall festivals, there are so many exciting places to visit in this area. Apple picking, pumpkin patches, haunted houses and corn mazes are abundant this time of year. My daughter and I absolutely adore autumn and all the baking, cooking and decorating that goes along with it. In fact, we’ve already baked two apple pies and we are working on perfecting our white chicken chili recipe for the next cool night.

I would love to have someone to share this time of year of with so I signed up for an online dating account. It’s a free site that claims it’s the “best dating site on Earth” and the “Google of online dating”. I uploaded a few photos of myself, answered almost 600 of their personality questions (I answer them, a few at a time, while I’m lying in bed waiting for the insomnia to go away) and wrote a fairly cute and quite accurate self-summary. And then the waiting game begins. The site matches you with potential suitors according to your answers to the personality questions. And you can filter thru the matches based on age, location, etc. etc. etc. In the three weeks my account has been active; I’ve been contacted over 30 times.

It’s kind of exhilarating to open up the website and see your little inbox lit up in pink meaning you have new messages waiting to be read. Granted, a few of the messages were asking me what kind of panties I was wearing or if I’d be willing to stop by a complete strangers house for a quickie. Right…. Let me just get right on that. Honestly, do women fall into that trap? Does that actually work for some men?

I received a message from a guy (we’ll call him Forrest) whose message was so silly, I couldn’t help but respond. We have been talking via text and phone calls almost every day since he first contacted me. We are meeting next Saturday. Out of all the other men that have written to me on the site, I’m pretty excited about this one.  He’s a father of two and the chef manager at a retirement community. That speaks volumes to me about his personality and demeanor. He’s also managed to dodge all of my absolute “deal-breakers”. Not to mention, he has incredible blue eyes, makes me laugh all the time and hello, did I mention he can cook? Oh and he’s kind of handy. What’s not like?

I am trying not to get too wrapped up in the excitement of meeting someone new. But the thought of spending a chilly afternoon up on Skyline Drive drinking warm apple cider gives me just a few butterflies in my belly. Who knows where next Saturday will take me? I’m really looking forward to finding out.

by Jenn Plant
Dating as a single mom can be a daunting task. Trying to juggle work, school, play dates, laundry, lunches, housecleaning and homework is enough to keep any parent’s schedule full. As a single parent, it can be difficult to find the time to enjoy a private life of your own. It is necessary and healthy to want a social life outside of play dates at the park and movie nights with your child.

Don’t get me wrong. I adore every moment I spend with my daughter. And we do have fun together. We are always going hiking, visiting a museum or a new park or spending hours doing crafts. Any parent of a little girl will know that not a day can go by without some form of art class. Glitter & glue, anyone?  No really, PLEASE take the glitter and glue away! But there comes a time when I need to focus on me. Without an occasional night out, I can get a little stir crazy. And let’s face it, we all need a little somethin’ somethin’ every once in a while.

Looking for a relationship, whether it be casual or something more serious, takes on a whole new meaning when you add children to the mix. You can’t just invite that hot guy you met at the bar to come over for a night and re-live your college days. Not with little Annie sleeping in the room next door. And do you really want to go to a bar? Where do you even meet a guy who you may want to spend some quality time with? What about online dating? Isn’t the internet just filled with psycho-stalkers who will try to steal your identity and leave your body in a refrigerator?

The truth is, I don’t really know. But in the three years since my divorce, I’ve met some good guys and I’ve met some bad ones. Okay, let’s be honest, A LOT of bad ones. Like the time my date hid me in his bathroom when his long-term girlfriend stopped by for a quickie. Yes, that actually happened.

I invite you to read along as I share my journey back into the dating world. And who knows, maybe dating with children isn’t nearly as scary as I thought. Northern Virginia is full of great places to meet new people and there are always events happening here. I am determined to have a great time exploring all that NOVA has to offer… and maybe I’ll meet a great guy along the way.