Category: Sex Romance Relationships

We’ve found that the best way to reward ourselves for reaching the sea is with a stay at the Inn on Schoolhouse Creek. The inn is tucked against gardens and deep woods, with a private path to an ocean cove… But the main appeal is that you will never, ever feel the stamp of the cookie-cutter here. Every accommodation is different – we especially loved the little stand-alone cabin with an observation deck (the better to listen to courting critters and watch a slowed-down world go by). During our last stay, my wife and I found that the private hot tub has its own benefits: The warm water freed up our joints, which led to some moves we hadn’t practiced for awhile. It was nice to pretend to be a 20-year-old again! Probably everybody who comes here feels like a 20-year-old for the night.

Every Valentine’s day, my husband Jaya brings me truffles from The Candy House of Davis, a wonderful chocolatier in Davis, CA. Each box comes with a card, picturing each of the 30 different kinds of truffles they make by hand. By comparing the way the truffle looks to the picture, you can find out what flavor ganache is inside. Whether it be Irish Creame, Decadence, Grand Marnier or White Russian, each one is so beautiful I almost want to save them… but of course, I never do. Each one I taste is more delicious than the one before.

Thank goodness I discovered Dagoba. Fair Trade, Organic and award-winning, Dagoba’s unique “chocolate alchemy” combines flavors in innovative, tantalizing ways. Dagoba chocolate tastes genuine—that is, biting into a small piece, the first taste is chocolate, rather than sugar. Its authentic musky flavor sings of forests and unspoiled wilderness, invariably lifting my spirits. I’ve come to prefer my chocolate dark & spicy, and Dagoba’s Xocolatl, accented with cocoa nibs and chile peppers, satisfies my cravings. My husband isn’t as adventurous and fancies less intense varietals, such as New Moon, the best of bittersweet.

For wedding favors, I love Vosges’ adorable takeout containers which can include truffles like the Black Pearl (ginger + wasabi + dark chocolate + black sesame seeds). Their two-piece truffle boxes can be customized with your names or message and your choice of ribbon colors. And, you can feel good about Vosges’ green commitment.

Unlike my colleagues Lisa and Meredith, I didn’t even think about what chocolate my significant other would be. Instead, I grilled my poor boyfriend on what kind of chocolate he thinks I’d be. After vetoing every type of chocolate he came up with (“What? Really? Where the hell did you get that idea?”), the answer dawned on me while I was restocking on shampoo at the drugstore. An M&M! Or is it an M?

Woodhouse Chocolates makes so many delicious sweet treats that everyone will find a fave. They’ve become my go-to gift when I want to send something to a person I really adore and their Valentine’s gift boxes are sure to wow your honey (or, your friend. Why don’t we girls start sending Valentine’s Day chocolates to each other? Good idea, huh?). Each box is gorgeously wrapped and shipped very carefully with special cold inserts to make sure your gift arrives as perfect as it was sent. Trés chic!

If my husband were a piece of chocolate (yes, there are times I wish that. That’s not weird, is it?), I’m pretty sure he’d be a Smoked Salt Caramel from Fran’s Chocolates. I don’t know ya’ll well enough to go into the details of why I think that, but let me just say the salt dusting on top makes the flavors in these chocolates so much more complex than any other fine chocolate I’ve tasted, and that’s a very good thing.

Everyone likes to talk about how stressful wedding planning is, but there’s plenty to enjoy. For example, looking for a wedding location gives you the excuse to try out different locales with a pre-wedding date—just the two of you. I was reminded of this last week as my husband and I shared some cozy bench time outside the Ferry Building. (Cheap date: we were craving the fig paste, arugula & CowGirl Creamery cheese sandwiches from Acme Bread, plus steaming cups from Peet’s.)