valentine's day love

I've never really cared much for Valentine's day.

I really like the concept of expressing your appreciation and love for those important to you, I just feel like it should be done more frequently than the one day a year, surrounded by pink and red hearts, prix fixe dinners, and velveted boxes of chocolates.  To me, the Valentine's day with which we are most familiar is a bit contrived and very heavily marketed.

That said, I still like to make a nod to the spirit of Valentine's day.  Some years, I have sent "valentines" to my friends and family, sharing with them some of the things I love (like the smell of freshly ground coffee, or the sound of rain on the rooftops), asking them to consider what they love around them.  Other years, I send a simple text to those important to me, simply wishing them a happy day.

This year, my sweetheart and I headed to a place that has a very special place in both of our hearts. There, we spent time with family and friends, played in the mountains, and simply enjoyed being together.  The fact that this fell on Valentine's day is purely coincidence.