Valentine’s Day has always been one of my favorite holidays, and I think one of the reasons is that I’ve always truly celebrated it, no matter what my relationship status was. In fact, I was recently thinking back on my favorite past Valentine’s Days, and I thought it would be fun to share the top three that came to mind, because they are all pretty different! Plus…who doesn’t enjoy a good throwback picture? :) In chronological order…

Valentine’s Day 2006: This year was the beginning of a really sweet tradition for me and my high school friends. My friend Natalie and I decided to throw the most over-the-top, girly party we could, invited all our girlfriends (red and pink attire not optional!), baked way too many sweet treats, and had so much fun hanging out and being silly together. We called it “The First Annual Bachelorette Party” and proceeded to throw all-girls Valentine’s Day parties every year for the rest of high school. To this day, even ten years later, some of my high school friends and I still talk about our old parties every time February rolls around!

Valentine’s Day 2013: This was actually the first Valentine’s Day I was single after being in a relationship for almost four years. (Dave and I were “talking” but we weren’t official yet ;) ) After my breakup in the fall, I decided to treat myself to a long weekend trip to Atlanta to see one of my best friends I hadn’t seen in a few years, and the weekend happened to fall over Valentine’s Day. That night, she and I and another friend had a fabulous tapas dinner in Midtown, amazing desserts at Cafe Intermezzo, and topped off the night with a fun trip to an Irish pub. I remember enjoying such great conversation that evening, and falling head over heels in love with Atlanta in the process!

Valentine’s Day 2015: This was the first Valentine’s Day Dave and I got to spend together in person, since we were still long distance in 2014. At around 4 in the morning, I woke up to a phone call from him, telling me to come open my apartment door. He was standing outside with a big smile on his face, and said, “Valentine’s Day starts now!” He gave me detailed instructions on what to wear and led me out to the car, where he had granola bars waiting, and then he started driving. Two hours (and a nap on my part) later, we were at Wrightsville Beach, right before sunrise! I don’t think I had ever been to a beach in winter, and it was completely deserted. Dave set up a bunch of blankets, poured a few cups of coffee, and we snuggled up to watch the sunrise. I kept joking that if we weren’t already engaged, it would have been the perfect time for him to propose! After seeing the sunrise and walking along the beach, we had a hearty breakfast at a nearby diner, and then drove home. I was so touched that he had put that much effort into making our first Valentine’s Day together in person so memorable.

Okay, your turn! What are your favorite Valentine’s Day memories?