Love Day

 

I have always called February 14th love day because I am a huge fan of LOVE. I am a girl who loves love. 

I have always done things against the grain my whole life. We actually don’t celebrate Valentine’s on February 14th because it’s just not us. Why you ask? Restaurants are busy and everything is over priced for a single day. The pressure is on right? I am fortunate that my husband shows unconditional love to me all year round. Don’t get me wrong we do celebrate a little, but I don’t get caught up in the whole chocolate, roses thing. Yes, call me crazy. I also don’t have a sweet tooth so any chocolate I get from him, he will end up eating. I’m wired differently I guess. I guess what I’m trying to say is I don’t have expectations. Heck I buy myself flowers most of the time. 

Anyways back to the love talk. This year is a bit different. I’m fortunate to have my husband with me and we had a magical evening together at home. How are you, yes you, supposed to find your soulmate, partner, significant other in a pandemic? And to top it off we can’t even touch one another right now. You can’t, or should I say, it's tough to go on a date right now.  So now what? All the depressing talk aside, I hope you have self love for yourself. Let me be honest. I have been with my husband for 14 years and 11 years married soon. I still value my space, alone time, girl time, and my own hobbies.

I may seem to be happy, and heck, maybe I have it all in your minds, because I have a partner, but I will be the first person to tell you, it's not because of the partner. I have it all because I learned to love myself first. Now I can fully love others such as my boys, family members and friends. It wasn’t easy. I will admit, I am selfish when it comes to loving myself now.

 Put yourself first.

“Should an emergency situation occur, you need to put your own oxygen mask on first, before attempting to help those around you.” Using this analogy, you might instinctively think this is selfish, counter-intuitive even

I wanted to surprise Tim with a romantic evening on February 15th, but I had to work so I had to  let him in on the surprise. I had MIEL Snackplatters and Crescent Picnic Co. put together a special night for us. Victoria, from MIEL Snackplatters went above and beyond with my Valentine’s charcuterie box. The surprise rose and eucalyptus bouquet, was both beautiful, and a nice touch. The box was so delicious and aesthetically pleasing, I didn’t want to eat it. Taylor, founder of Crescent Picnic Co, blew me away with her cozy picnic setup in my living room. It was so easy to book with her. She not only brought my vision to life, she exceeded it. 

Tim put some finishing touches to the evening and wowed me as usual. He has a way about him. He keeps me guessing and keeps me on my toes. We ordered in from Trattoria and it was exquisite. We even had a heart shaped cake from DQ because we didn’t get to eat one on E’s birthday.  He bought me some candles from one of my favorite boutiques called Exposure. He spoiled me with a bouquet from Golden August. He knows my love for pampas grass and all things pretty. He always buys me a card from Papyrus because they are stunning. He had bubbly chilled and patiently waited for me while I got cleaned up a bit from work. Mask off, makeup on.

What the heck did I get him you must be thinking? Well..this whole experience. A cozy, romantic picnic, kid free, in the comfort of our living room. He got chocolates from New York which I picked up at The Cross Decor and Design in Vancouver. We exchanged cards and had a magical evening to ourselves. 

I hope whether you are in a relationship, dating, or single that you had an amazing day! Just a little reminder that you don’t need anyone to buy you anything. If YOU want it, get it. 

Happy LOVE day.

“I’m looking for love. Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can’t-live-without-each-other love.'”

— Carrie Bradshaw

Avril xx