This past week I have felt so encouraged by my friends, my boyfriend, and God. I feel so loved every single day. With it being Valentines day this week, so many surprises came my way. For one, my boyfriend surprised me by sending me flowers. It totally made my day, even though I couldn’t be with him on Valentines day. I have felt that lately God has been helping me strengthen my relationship with him because I am sure he knows I have been unsure about my faith. Without these people plus my family I would be lost and I am glad they are all close to me, except my boyfriend since he is in Colorado. This week has just been perfect, I hope more weeks like this come more often. I know God is on my side! I am excited about this weekend because I am volunteering at the Magic House. One of my favorite places in St. Louis. Also I am going to be busy writing for the Fontbanner but I am very excited that I can be a part of a great group of people.

Today is Valentine’s Day. I’d like to share a small note to my friends and blog readers:

“Valentine’s Day is not for only lovers of the world, but also more for family & friends who care for each other all through the years.”

Happy Valentine’s Day to all the friends who saw this note.

I wish all you have a sweetest day.

Today, as all of you know, is Valentine’s Day. I do have that special someone in my life I would have loved to be with, but because of school we were unable to be together. So what’s a girl to do when she’s alone on Valentine’s Day? Girl’s night!

Tonight, after Griffin Girls practice,  most of the team decided to get together with too many desserts, bond, and watch a movie. So we made our way to the Griffin’s Nest and after a long discussion opted not to watch a romantic movie, and settled on Burlesque! Our season with dance is almost over, but it was really nice to get one more get together in before it ends. It’s great that Fontbonne provides spaces like the Griffin’s Nest where we can all hang out together. Us girls shared many laughs tonight, and had as good as a time as any couple would have! The Griffin’s Nest is outfitted with a kitchen and living area with couches, tv with dvd player, and a gaming console. There’s also a ping pong table and foosball table, but we were too tired after practice to mess with any of that. After eating too much red velvet pudding cake one of the girls made and the sugar rush faded, exhaustion set in. It has sure been another long week, but the way it ended was fabulous!

Until next week…

There are a lot of mixed emotions about Valentine’s Day. I, personally, think Valentine’s Day is wonderful! My wife and I have been married for 3 and a half years. Even though we love each other every other day, it is always fun to celebrate our love for each other. This year we made a rule that we could only spend $5 on our presents. For my wife’s gift, I utilized the metalsmithing studio at Fontbonne and made her earrings! They are pink topaz, sterling silver and pearls. I used a gift card I had for the topaz, and the pearls only cost $8 (so I ended up going $3 over the limit). She still hasn’t given me my Valentine’s Day gift because she hasn’t quite finished it yet, but that’s great because it means we get to have another Valentine’s Day!

I guess I don’t see Valentine’s Day as a reminder to do nice things for my wife, but more as an excuse to do something extra special! Even though I want to make earrings for her all the time, it is difficult to justify taking 9 hours out of my schedule to make them. Valentine’s Day gives me the perfect excuse!

I have come to the point in my life where I am learning or have found that there are more important things in life then what the world or society has led me to believe. Take for instance, Valentine’s Day. I was a true fan when I was single and now married. I have disowned the pagan holiday and decided that today was just another day in the week. I used to go out of my way, almost breaking myself to please that special someone, but my love to my husband and children are demonstrated every day and for free. I do not need a day to justify how to give love; it is already in me. The stores make the big bucks on holidays, and some people will not even be with the people that they are with now by summer. I’m just saying, I may sound like a bitter Valentine’s Day hater, but there are some things that should just be natural. Some people will be depressed because they may not have someone to receive a gift, but I say that true love begins with self. Whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day or not, you should know that you are already with someone special and that someone special is you. It is o.k. to to be sweet to yourself; others will see the true love that you possess and want to share it with you, too.

Whether you like Valentine’s Day or not, it’s hard to deny that it’s a holiday that moves merchandise. Chocolates, cards, stuffed teddy bears – all that mushy stuff that everyone claims to hate but secretly wants to get. Or perhaps not so secretly wants to get.

Anyway, although V-Day ranks pretty high on the senseless consumerism scale, there are ways to show some love for the earth as well. For example:

Send E-cards, or cards made from recycled paper
Make your own cards from materials you already have
Look for organic flowers, or even a potted plant
Buy organic and/or Fair Trade Chocolate
Eat out at a local, sustainable restaurant
Go for naturally scented perfumes and lotions

Also, don’t forget about Fontbonne’s free Valentine’s dinner! The date is Thursday, February 9th, and it starts at 6pm. There’s also a pretty awesome speaker coming at 7 that you won’t want to miss. RSVP to garciae@fontbonne.edu if you want to come! I’ll be there, of course… and you can even win some eco-friendly chocolate! Now that’s love for you AND the planet.

Well, for me Valentine’s day has never been a big deal… until this year. My girlfriend wanted me to plan a date, and since I am not very good at planning dates, it became very stressful. So I stressed and stressed over what to plan. Where should I go? What do I get her? After researching all of the restaurants and possible locations to go to in the St. Louis area code, I decided that the best possible solution is to go with the time tested and approved dinner and a movie. Also I decided to throw in a few little sentimental gifts in between. So when the big day finally arrived, we had a wonderful time. So from my own experience, don’t stress over whether or not she will like or be impressed by the date on Valentine’s Day. As long as you put some thought into it and make it special in your own way, then she is going to love it.

Valentine’s Day was two days ago, and for me, it was just another Monday. Whether or not I have or had a valentine, I feel like it is just an overrated holiday. It is a day for people to overly spend their money on hallmark cards, expensive flowers and heart-shaped boxes full of chocolates. I feel like there shouldn’t be one day to express your love for someone; it is something that should be done every day. To get flowers on Valentine’s Day is one thing, but getting flowers as a surprise on any given day of the week is the most amazing feeling. I believe that is the best way to show love. I also think that spending that much money is more about greediness or showing high maintenance people at their worst. Love comes from the heart, not the money in your pocket. Love is a great thing — spread it every day.

Oh my! This is my first blog. I’ve never blogged (I’m hoping that is a real verb these days).  So, please be patient with me as I learn the ropes!  I’m also relatively new to Fontbonne. I started as a sophmore this past fall, majoring in dietetics.  I’m having lots of fun, trying new things (like blogging) and getting into the swing of being in school again (it’s been awhile).

So, what am I up to now? Well, it is Valentine’s Day. Traditional boxes of chocolates were given to my children this morning… after all, it’s not Valentine’s Day without chocolate. ”What???” you gasp. “A dietitian wannabe giving chocolate to her kids???” Yes, it’s true. I like Jaimette’s philosophy of ”all foods can fit”. Jaimette is my advisor and was my professor for Principles of Nutrition last semester.  Loved the class and loved her philosophy. It’s right in sync with my own. Denial is no one’s friend. Moderation is what we practice here at home. As my grandmother would say, “Into everyone’s life, some chocolate should fall.”

So here’s hoping some chocolate has fallen into your life today!

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

Unfortunately, I won’t get to have a romantic dinner or anything with my boyfriend tonight. Why? Because I am stuck in class from 6 to 9pm. I will just have to settle for a non-romantic lunch. :/ Oh the life of a college student!