:::Valentines:::

I LOVE love.

Love is beautiful.

It never fails.

It casts out all fear.

It always protects.

It always trusts.

It perseveres til' the end.

It shows patience and kindness.

It makes ugly things beautiful.

It always forgives.

Valentine's Day is a day of Love.

Although this "holiday" is nothing but a commercialized, sometimes ridiculous overly emphasized celebration, I can't help but have a special place for it in my heart.

I love Valentine's Day.

Everything about it, every phase of life it touches, makes me happy!!
Rewind with me if you will...

Elementary School: Kids make cute little valentines day boxes and share valentines, which are nothing more than cute, encouraging little notes like "you rock!" or "you're so awesome!" Candy is spread around and shared and it is probably the best day of the year for everyone.

Middle School: I love the Candy Hearts that are so treasured in this phase of life: "Be Mine." "U R HAWT." "BABE." Haha!! In my middle school years, I was obsessed with a series of book called the Christy Miller Series... I don't know if you know about these books but candy hearts always remind me of Christy Miller because that's how her man, Todd, proposed to her. Three Candy Hearts that said, "Marry me. Marry me. Marry me." :) I associate candy hearts with middle school and while I'm in NO way naive to the heartbreak, emotions, and cruelty that most kids love to spread on valentines day in this society - I also really treasure the times where that ONE boy gives a flower to a girl who's never gotten one before... just because.

High School: Where things get "serious." :) Hopefully if you have your drivers license by then, Valentines Day can look completely different! Dates, school dances, creativity runs wild in adolescent boys with cars, and it's a totally fun phase. I remember my high school valentines - sometimes they were my best friends, and some times they were my "flings," but either way high school was a fun phase of life to celebrate Valentines!

When I think about these phases - I'm just reminded of HOW FAST TIME FLIES.....

Because those phases were 4+ years ago for me... and now I'm here!

Marriage: Valentine's Day goes to a WHOLE new level. Romance, passion, happiness. It's truly a beautiful, beautiful thing.

My sweet husband absolutely SPOILED me today! We slept in, woke up late and made a delicious breakfast together, then hung out around the house doing whatever :) then he surprised me and took me to see the JUSTIN BEIBER MOVIE!!! (which I HIGHLY RECOMMEND and GREATLY ENJOYED btw!!!)

Now, the reason that is SO special is because he had made it very clear to me that if I ever see that movie, he would NOT be with me haha. So the fact that he not only surprised me, but sat with me and watched it, was evidence that he's pretty crazy about me :) (fun feeling.)

THEN we came home, and got all dolled up for a delicious 5 course candlelight dinner!! Thanks to Billy's Uncle Jason for introducing us to the lifestyle of 5 course fine dining, we've become quite accustomed to them and REALLY enjoy them!

::photo break::

My handsome man at Dinner :)

Me LOVING my dinner :)

Back home after Dinner ::: i love this man.

SO... that was a blast.

Then we went on a late night Walmart run (a favorite activity of ours) and got Moscato Wine (also a favorite.) and some ingredients to put our homemade ice cream maker to GOOD USE tomorrow!! I can't wait to share how it went!!

And now... he's setting up another surprise for me.

I'm in the office and he's locked himself in our bedroom for the past 30 minutes and has commanded that I STAY AWAY from that area... I don't know what he's doing in there... but I can smell candle smoke.... ;)

*sigh*

I'm spoiled. I'm grateful. I'm aware that we're truly blessed to have this Valentines Day together, and I'm aware (through the circumstances of some of our close friends at the moment) that we mostlikely will not be able to make a DAYS celebration of it in future years.

But I'm so grateful we've had this whole day together... before Billy starts Pilot Training and before I start working full time... to love and be loved.

Love keeps me alive.

The Love that the SAVIOR gives me keeps me alive.

It's not only His love that sustains me, but the blessings that He's given me from that love.

The way my husband loves me is TRUE LOVE.

He is my greatest delight this side of heaven.

I'm blessed to be his and will forever be grateful for the opportunity to walk next to him during our lifetimes.

I want to end with one of my favorite Qutoes on "Love."

Spoken from St. Augustine himself.

I hope it fills your heart with joy and peace and HOPE as it does mine.

"Love is a temporary madness.

It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides.

And when it subsides you have to make a decision.

You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.

Because this is what love is.

Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion.

That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are.

Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.

Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two."

-St. Augustine

I hope you feel SO loved today, truly, completely, absolutely loved.

Because you were created in the image of God, and that's the way He LOVES you.


Happy Valentines Day.