Happy Valentines Day...I LOVE You!

I had a conversation with a good friend the other day who said that Valentines day stinks and that it is a silly stupid holiday. I immediately responded that Valentines day & Anniversaries are my favorite holidays. As far as commercial holidays go, what better than to celebrate your love for your family? I think that we should be spending AT LEAST the hoopla on each other during these holidays as we do for birthdays, fourth of July, Easter, and yes even Christmas. The greatest gifts God gave us besides his son are our loved ones and the relationships we have here on earth. And of course, the very next argument my friend gave is that we shouldn't NEED a day of the year to celebrate our love for each other. I say YES WE DO! We always need to be reminded not to take those we love for granted. We need to fully seize every moment that we have together and that includes making a fuss over each other once a year.

So here I am making a fuss over you...

My CJ: This has been the most incredible year of my marriage and you are the greatest guy ever...and every day you surprise me with your love and kindness to me. You are my best friend and I love spending my life with you. Thank you for an amazing year.

My DL: (Dad-in-Law) I cannot even begin to tell you how much you mean to me. I love how our relationship has grown over the years. It is so fun to laugh and talk with you. You truly have filled a void that was in my heart by becoming like a father to me. Thank you SO much for investing in me. I love you.

My Nones: (Mom-in-Law) I love how you are always so concerned about having yummy dinners ready for us when we come over for '24' night. You have such an amazing servants heart. You & I have shared so many laughs and tears. You are so blessed to me and I love you very much.

My Tossie: You are such an inspiraton to me! I love how dedicated you are when you set your mind to something. I loved all of the great chats we had working out together and I'm really happy that you are in my life. It is great to hear your stories of all of your adventures.

My Theresa & Joseph: You guys are so sweet. You are always willing to help and have such great attitudes. It has been amazing to watch you grow up. I'm so thankful to have you in my life and really appreciate you.

My Bec: (Sister) I love you little Bec! You are so beautiful inside and out. I love your spunk and your reckless behavior on 4-wheelers. I love how you make fun of me for saying things that I shouldn't say like 'fo shizzle' and 'talk to the hand'. I love you so much and you will always be that little girl doing the hokie pokie to me!

My Mom: We have been through so much together. I love the wonderful memories I have of you and me having sleepovers together. You were always so wonderful at making a huge deal of my birthdays! I love how you are persistent with keeping in touch with me even when I get too busy! I love you so much.

My Step-Dad: When you came into our lives, my Mom was very sad. You put a smile on her face and have been so constant and supportive every since. I really appreciate you for your funny sense of humor and your great desserts :) I love you for being so wonderful to my family and always being a great friend to me.

My Grandma Arvie: I love how strong you are. You are an amazing woman who can always be counted on! You've always made the holidays special for me and have done a great job of keeping in touch with me even though we've lived geographically apart. I love your feisty spirit and your wisdom. I love you!

My Aunt Lori & Uncle Mark: You guys are the best! I love that you love doggies as much as I do. Some of my favorite early LA memories are with you guys. You always had the greatest condos with pools :) The one thing that I can always count on is that when I see you, we can pick up right where we left off as if we'd been talking daily. I love you guys SO much and appreciate the awesome testimony your marriage has been to me.

My Uncle Richard: You are a CRAZY guy and I love the way you make me laugh when I am with you. You are the funniest person I know. There is never a shortage of laughs when you are around. I love how you used to give me toys when I came to visit you from your 'toy box' in the closet. I love you!

My 'Seattle Sweigarts' Family: You guys have accepted me from the start. I love how you guys always greet us with open arms when we come into town. You are all so fun to be around and I love just hanging out listening to you talk and reminisce. It is such a blessing to be a part of your family and I love you guys SO much! Buster & Georgia, I love your funny newspaper clippings that you send. Aunt Wendy & Nancy, you are always so interested in what is going on in our lives and caring to keep up with our birthdays (even when its impossible to get a card delivered to us because of our silly postman). Aunt Becky & Fam, you are so great to keep us updated with your lives and to spend time with us. I really appreciate how much you pray for us. Crazy Dosterts: You guys are awesome! We loved sitting with you at Becky's wedding. It is great to hear about your crazy stories and share laughter with you. And Uncle Scott & fam, I love you guys so much. I have had so much fun coming to see you and spending time with you guys. It has been great for me to hear all of the fun stories with the cousins.

My Friends: There are just a few of you, but you are all such great and beautiful women. I love you for your advice, your listening ears, and your amazing scrapbooking skills. I love you.

And finally....

My God: You have been true to me no matter how many times I have failed you. You are so incredible to me. What I appreciate so much about our relationship are all of the little reminders that you give me that show me your love. All of the 'coincidences' in my life and special moments that you've given. You didn't have to do anything more to prove your love for me given that you sent your son, but you continue to 'woo me. I love you SO much!

Happy Valentines Day Loved Ones!