and whyyyyyy exactly do i love valentine's day, do you ask? :D

well, for one, 72 years ago today, my grandpa jim and grandma hazel eloped in a blizzard. they got married valentine's day 1948 with the pastor's coffee table as their altar, each of their best friends as witnesses.

and for two, i made my husband wait until valentine's day to propose.

so today, valentine's day 2020, is our five-year engagerversary!!

(and by "wait to propose" i do mean wait-- we'd already booked the garden venue. and unbeknownst to him, i'd already bought the dress, too. teehee. what i'm most grateful for is that my complete and utter dread of a flashmob was only in my imagination. the actual proposal was subtle and private and perfect. although he did have a friend surreptitiously taking pictures in the hedges. sneaky muffin.)

(& also yes, my engagement ring is an antique purple flower. i'm still obsessed with it.)

for three: as a kid, i was obsessed with decorating the paper lunch bag that you taped to the side of your desk to collect valentines from your classmates. and also obsessed with spending hours upon hours psychoanalyzing whether or not “shawn d.” meant anything by giving you the smiling cheeseburger card that said "you're cute" or if he actually just put it in that little white envelope at random because his mom made him.

(i also used to alphabetize those tiny li'l valentine's day cards. keeping them in a recipe box, filing them by the name of their givers for all of my elementary years. ocd & hopeless romantic even at an early age? YOU BEtChA!) ;D

all those reasons to say:

i sure hope you're having a WONDERFUL celebration of love today.

friends, family, ice cream, cake, and chocolate. ooh, and coffee & cookies, too. :) maybe you even have somebody to kiss.

(it's okay if not. i waited more than 30 years for a romantic heart day, and it was worth every agonizing second.)

with much peace, and ALL THE LOVE, and lots of colours and stories to you today as ever,

*hallie :)