Be mine.

I'm going to be honest with you: I think it's kind of dumb when people get grouchy about Valentine's Day. There's only been one year when I actually had a romantic Valentine for the holiday. It was in college and we'd been dating a few weeks, and he came over with a handmade card and a mix CD and told me how much he liked me. And then he took me out for a smoothie and it was adorable. (Actually, scratch that, there were two times. The other was in the 4th grade when Cory Cozzens and I exchanged valentines and both of us had written, "I like you, do you like me?" inside. Super romantic.)

Anyway, my point is that I've still always liked Valentine's Day. Maybe it's because when I was growing up, my parents would leave us little cards and candy outside our bedroom doors in the morning. Or because of sisters who would send me packages with boyfriends-in-a-box and valentines for my friends. Maybe it's because of roommates who would bake delicious cookies and pass out gorgeous handmade cards. Maybe it's because I really like to hug. I know people will complain that it's so commercialized, or that it's a conspiracy by greeting card companies to humiliate single people, or whatever. But really, what holiday HASN'T been commercialized at this point? And I am willing to bet that those single people still have one or two people in their lives that love them. So why not celebrate that?

Sure, maybe it's silly to have one day where you're expected to show people you love them, when you should really be doing that every day. But hey, I love eating a lot all the time and it's still nice to have Thanksgiving to give me an extra reason to indulge. I guess I'm just lucky that I've always had family and friends that have made this day mean something--not by spending tons of money or giving extravagant gifts (although that's certainly nice), but by doing small things to make others feel special.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is, will you be my Valentine?

Won't you take me to... Quakertown?

Last weekend, a few friends and I went to a cabin outside of Quakertown, Pennsylvania for a little mid-winter getaway. Due to a few people having plans change at the last minute, we ended up with 7 girls and one guy, so it wasn't so much a co-ed weekend as a woodsy version of The Bachelor. Still, it was really fun and it's always nice to get out of the city and relax with friends.

We drove up late on Friday night and the car I was in had a few GPS issues along the way (thanks in part to a bridge across the Delaware River that was closed since it was covered in ice). At one point, we were driving along a dark and kind of creepy highway through the forest and we missed a turn-off. The GPS recalculated the route and instructed us to "turn right on Dark Hollow Road." We were not so into possibly getting murdered in the back woods of Pennsylvania (Katie actually shouted "NOPE!" at the GPS lady), so we opted to make a U-turn instead and made it to the cabin unscathed.


Anyway, I had the amazing foresight to bring my Saved By The Bell DVDs. After Megan made us some delicious pancakes (and, unfortunately, turkey bacon) on Saturday morning, we spent a few hours lying around in our pajamas and enjoying Bayside High shenanigans. The rest of the day, we alternated between watching more episodes and:



Eating lots.



Walking out to the frozen lake (and not falling in, despite my Little Women flashbacks).



Going into town for more snacks (including Girl Scout cookies, miracle of miracles).



Making ice sculptures.



Exploring.


It was fun. My friends are fun.