So it's Valentine's day.........

So it's Valentine's Day.....

Today it means something different than it has any other time. It's different because first of all its on a weekday, which means by the time Eric and I are together it's 8p. and I am exhausted from being 9 months pregnant and really just wanna sit on the couch eat my cereal and zone out to whatever may be on. 

The weekend we can plan for a date night, but then I think do we really want to spend money? But then I think this is a great excuse for a date night and could very well be the last one for awhile with a baby on the way.   

But then it's also not just another day. It's a day there are a bouquet of flowers on the table, and presents left this morning for Riley and I. A day where I get to be sappy and write my heart out to my husband. 

So yes, Valentines day has changed and continues to change every year but the one thing it always does is remind me to make it a priority to love. And especially love my husband, who gets put on the back burner do to the demands of a job, toddler, and pregnancy among many other things. 

Valentine's day started for me back in elementary school spending days thinking about which valentine card I would give to my crushes....  I had to sign my name different, pick a card that said more then a basic Happy Valentines day, and make sure I didn't give a boy a valentine card that made him think I may "like" him.

Then receiving the Valentines cards took up even more days of analyzing. Did he really mean "Valentine you are so sweet!" or "Be mine?"

Desperate at such a young age for love? When you know today those boys most likely didn't think twice about grabbing out a card and signing their name, because their mom or dad told them it had to get done.... Thank goodness little girls don't realize that.... right?

My dad became my excitement on Valentine's day. He would always get me and my mom something special. When I started school he would always have something special sent to 

me at school. I loved it. The fact that I would get flowers or candy left on my desk while no one else did had me glowing. 

I'm really excited that Eric has started this with Riley and I know our girls will look forward to it just as much as I did. 

Eric and I are celebrating our 9th Valentine's together... Well I wouldn't go as far as saying celebrating I guess. But loving one another will work!!! :)

I remember our second Valentines together.... He did my room all up with red and white streamers and balloons and got me a Teddy bear ( That riley now loves of course!) And an awesome ring that had both of our birth stones in... Super sweet and amazing..... Super horrible that I lost that ring 3 years ago ( this is why I do not own expensive jewlery!!)

Valentine's was so exciting because it always seemed like the time you could really let someone know how crazy you are about them without any risk in a way. Marriage before kids had its challenges but marriage with kids brings so many challenges in so many different ways, the only way to get through it is by love. 

Sometimes I look back at those beginning Valentine's Days and wonder is it about love or lust? Our world gets that confused so much.  Love is utterly unselfish.  This kind of love is unnatural for us. It is impossible to have this love unless God helps us 

 aside our own natural desires so that we can love and not expect anything in return. The more we become like Christ, the more love we will show to others.

I remember my dad saying when we first got married drawing a little diagram of eric and I at the bottom and two lines going up to God. Describing that we have to grow closer to God in order to grow closer to each other. It was such a awesome feeling when Eric reminded me of that a year or so ago. 

Since having Riley we have both grown closer to God and learn every day about what it meas to love. 

Marriage shows us our need to grow and deal with our own issues and self- centerdness through the help of a lifelong partner

If we are teachable we will learn to do the one thing most important in life- to love.

I will end with a great devotional from the Love Dare. 

No matter who you are or what you do,it comes down to whether you'll live a life of love or not. And there is a vast difference between the two. One is priceless and one meaningless. 

Love is the most important ingredient to any meaningful relationship. Your quality of life is directly tied to the amount of love flowing in you and through you to otehers. Though its often overlooked, love is infinitely more valuable than riches, fame, or honor. They will pass away, but love remains. You can be fulfilled without these, but not without love. 

The absence of love leaves a devastating void. When it is not present, your spirituality becomes superficial, your benevolent deeds self-centered, and your sacrifices insincere. In any relationship where love is not your motivation, you can expect it to feel bland and unfulfilling- if not meaningless. When asked to to define life's greatest command, Jesus summed it up this way: to love God with all you are and to love your neighbor as yourself. Will you embrace a life of love?