HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! A day to to celebrate love! If anyone reading this is one of those Valentine’s Day haters, just bugger off and come back for tomorrow’s blog — I will not have anyone bashing a day all about feeling happy, loved, peaceful, and ooey-gooey, sappy romance. If nothing can make you feel good on this day, please, go read some poetry and be inspired…some of my favorites are….

“A Valediction Forbidding Mourning” by John Donne (MY ALL TIME FAVORITE!)

“To His Coy Mistress” by Andrew Marvell

“Love Sonnet XVII” by Pablo Neruda

“Sonnet 116” by William Shakespeare

“The Good-Morrow” by John Donne

There are seemingly endless writings about love, so suck it up for one day all you naysayers, tomorrow you can return to your self-loathing for the next 364 days! Those of us who rather enjoy loving and being loved are going to have our day! I even bought myself my favorite color or roses…just because I can…

Speaking of love…I love cheesecake. Do you? You should, and your tastebuds should. Today, I volunteered to make two desserts for the elementary school teachers; this is week is parent-teacher conferences and they are giving up their Valentine’s Day evening to sit and listen to all of us parents gab about our kids (as if we don’t already do that enough). I made two extra decadent desserts in honor of these brave souls who commit themselves to educating future generations. They deserved the extra buttery, super-rich date bars and the authentic, from-scratch, mini-cheesecakes I made for them…and I got in a few nibbles when things stuck to my fingers or stuck to the knives and spatulas. I really do enjoy baking, it’s therapeutic for me. So, even if I bake only to give it all away, it still makes me happy.

I finally weighed myself after completely ridding my body of all illness, and I am down 3 pounds in the last two weeks — just from being sick, no healthy eating, no exercise. But now that I am healed, my butt will be back at the exercise routine ASAP!

I got a Fitbit for Christmas, I haven’t set it up with my phone yet, but I am doing that tonight so I can get a more accurate picture of my movement throughout the day and just exactly how many calories I’m burning. I love using MyFitnessPal, but exercises logged only offer a generic estimate of calories burnt.

For the 30-Day Song Challenge, I need to make up yesterday’s and give you today’s…

For day 13, song I like from the 70s…”Me and Mrs. Jones” by Billy Paul (1972). Who doesn’t love this one?!

For Day 14, a song I’d like played at my wedding…already been there and done that, but if I got to do it again I might also add in “Something” by the Beatles.

Tonight, we’re not eating too terribly bad, grilling things on an unseasonably warm February 14 here in a Kansas, a giant fancy salad, lots of wine…go find something to be happy about today, people!

~~ Amie