In anticipation of Valentine’s Day and out of a deep-rooted love for all things chocolate, Andy & I did some baking this weekend. Okay, I admit, I did the baking, but Andy helped wrap & package so we could send delicious balls of love to some of the special people in our lives. The delicious balls of love were cake pops and this was the first time I’d tried my hand at making them. And, I have to admit, they came out pretty Yummy! Here’s a sneak peek…

After all of the baking & packaging was done, Andy & I curled up on the couch to watch a movie, “P.S.” I Love You,” staring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler. What a tear-jerker!!! I cried my face off, while Andy sniffled silently, pretending he wasn’t as equally affected.

Laying there on the couch next to my best friend, with Valentine’s Day fast approaching, I couldn’t help but think about love….and all its many forms.

In the beginning, everything is new & exciting. We are the best form of ourselves. Butterflies take temporary residence in our stomach and amazingly, the wonderful person we’ve fallen for can seemingly do no wrong.

Over time, we relax a little, things get more comfortable and the bad habits we pretended we didn’t have start rising to the surface. Yet love remains.

And, with more time, those quirky things about our partner that we thought were endearing in the beginning become downright annoying. We bicker more. We kiss less frequently. There are highs and lows. Yet all of this only serves to make our foundation grow stronger. And through it all love still remains.

Finding the kind of love I have with Andy has been a revelation for me. My parents split up when I was 7 and neither remarried, so I never really had a front row seat to the kind of love that lasts. And, for a long time I wondered if it was real.

Over the years, I have learned that love is indeed real, but like anything worth having, love takes work. It takes time, commitment and a healthy sense of humor. It takes sacrifice and compromise. And, sometimes it means admitting you’re wrong, even if part of you still thinks you are right….although if you ask Andy he’ll say I never do this.

Before I met Andy, I didn’t much like Valentine’s Day. Perhaps because it was a reminder of what I lacked in my life. I see things differently today, although, I still find it a tad sad the way Valentine’s Day has become so commercialized. Let’s face it, love is so much more than taking one day to send flowers or fancy chocolates (insert winking smiley face).

Sometimes though, in the business of daily life, we need a gentle push to remind us to take pause and honor all of the love we have in our life. Valentine’s Day provides that annual reminder…

“Valentine’s Day is NOT for saying ‘I love You. It’s for saying I love us. I love who we are together. How we’ve grown, from our nervous conversations to the ONE we two have become. Valentine’s Day is for taking the time to say, I love us!”…Hallmark Cards TV commercial

So, this morning, Andy & I lingered in bed a little longer. We started the day with a kiss & a cuddle and tonight we’ll enjoy dinner, not in front of the TV, but sitting across from each other, so that we may tell the other how much we love “us.”

Here’s wishing you a day filled with love, reflection, quiet moments of “us”…and lots of creamy, dark chocolate! Happy Valentine’s Day and thank you for all the love!!!

With love from, Chris & Andy xo