valentine’s day (& why i’ll always love it)

valentine’s day is the zenith in an otherwise cold and dark season. it’s nice to feel excited when february rolls around to celebrate this day of love. something i don’t get, however, is why people are so darn stanky about it. i mean, i see why a little bit on social media where everyone is posting photos of their significant other with mushy declarations of love. 

to me, valentine’s day is not about just one person and has never been. i will always remember how my parents would surprise me with chocolates and other lovely treats on valentine’s morning every year growing up. or the time that my dad and i built a snowman in the front yard because it also happened to be a snow day*. one of my best friend’s birthdays is on the day, so in my youth, it always just felt like a “galentine’s day” to me every time. a day to spend with people you love. everyone you love. it doesn’t have to be romantic love, although if that’s what makes you happy, then i’m all for that too. a day to celebrate love – how can you not get behind that?

in the past we’ve been on some fun little valentine’s getaways here in the czech republic. two years ago we went to

třebíč

and stalked around the oldest jewish cemetery in central europe. (romantic, right? above, the perfectly valentine-sy hotel room we had!) last year we stole away to czech canada to stay in the coziest hotel and go on forest hikes in the mild february weather.

this valentine’s day, i started the day with some oatmeal, a dog, & listening to love songs on the record player. (after much deliberation, i decided i cannot simply keep living without one here as it is my goal to add more music back into my life. it has made me so happy!)

earlier in the day i made valentine cards with my favorite gal-students and we snacked on raspberry-frosting iced sugar cookies. it is so much fun just to pick up some scissors, glue, and festive-colored paper to see what you can create! the girls loved it and really, so did i, because how often do i get around to crafting something like this? (well, usually about once a year) i am all for handmade valentines! plus, it’s fun to see what other people have in mind to craft – it’s inspiring to see how different our imaginations and ideas can be.

finally, alex picked me up from my last class of the day with roses (awh, good man) and we had a proper english tea at one of my favorite places in budejovice, complete with sparkling rosé, petite sandwiches, earl grey, and all the desserts one can imagine. it was such a fun thing to do and much better than grocery shopping. (yes, we have a standing grocery shopping day because it takes two to haul everything home in backpacks and nylon bags – fun) 

thennnn he took the dog out while i snacked on spring rolls and watched the bachelor. heavenly! hah! i am looking forward to part two of our valentine’s week when we go to the ballet this weekend. so fun to get dressed up, go out, and be fancy.

brownies, tarts, meringues – oh my!

hope you have a week full of love and brightness. the sun and warmer temperatures (aka, don’t have to wear two pairs of leggings under my jeans anymore) is completely uplifting over here!

how do you feel about st. valentine’s day? love it or hate it?

*to any international friends reading this: a snow day is a day off school just because it happened to be snowing, even if only a couple of centimeters. (however, this only happens in WA state about once or twice a year) really.