GiantPantz: i heart vd

And of course I mean Valentine's Day. Because I do not heart venereal disease. I realize that not everyone hearts Valentine's Day and for some, it may be on equal standing with venereal disease. It's interesting to see the varied responses to Valentine's Day on Facebook. While some love the day (those both in and out of relationships), others are a little mopey because they don't have a special someone to share the day with, and still others are quite anti-Valentine's Day.

For the past six Valentine's Days, I've been lucky enough to be in a relationship with the love of my life. So currently I have no real complaints about Valentine's Day. Prior to the last six Valentine's Days, I had never been in a relationship of the romantic type on February 14. While I remember that sometimes the day made me downy clowny and wish that I was sharing the day with someone special, I can't remember begrudging the happiness of others. In some ways, it surprises me that people can have such a strong negative and bitter response towards the day. Of course, I may be looking at my past through the rose-colored glasses of someone in a committed relationship, but I believe that I didn't harbor bitterness. And I think there's a good reason for that: my dad.

No matter what, I have always known that there's one man who thinks I'm special and who has made a point of letting me know that every year on Valentine's Day. To this day, my dad still sends me a heart-shaped box of chocolates every single year on Valentine's Day. I've written about this before and about how much it has meant to me over the years. But this year, it occurred to me that he's the reason that I haven't been bitter about Valentine's Days when I've been alone. So if any daddies are reading this, know that you have the power to make your little girl feel special and loved throughout her life. That love goes a long way in giving your daughter the confidence to be patient for romantic love and to be happy for those who are enjoying romantic Valentine's Days. For those of you who aren't daddies or who aren't lucky enough to have thoughtful daddies like mine, there are ways to make your Valentine's Days full of love too. Instead of focusing on love that is missing from your life, I think it's important to focus on the love that is in your life, even if it's not of the romantic variety.

I hope that everyone reading this felt some love on Valentine's Day this year, whether from your signficant other or from your parents or from your children or from your bffs. Valentine's Day can be a great reminder of the love that each and every one of has in our lives.

And Valentine's Day is not just for people. This year, Scooter and Moxii spent some time with their best bud, Bosley, who hosted a Valentine's party, complete with pupcakes made by Bosley's mom, Jade. Jade also made special Valentine's scarves for all of the pugs: