Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day, my vintage vixens! However you choose to celebrate the Day of Love, if you celebrate it at all, I hope it goes well and you all have a wonderful day. I've never looked for vintage Valentine cards, but I was curious this morning, so I went looking and included a few of the ones I liked. 

Hilarious.

 On another note, single ladies (I can't say that phrase anymore without the chorus of Beyonce's "Single Ladies" coming to mind...damn her lol), don't forget to spoil yourselves today--who says you need a lover to do it for you? Ever since I turned 26 a couple of weeks ago, I have been of the mindset "Who cares if you have a boyfriend to do nice things for you or not? Nobody can ever spoil you better than you." and that motto continues for today. I am happily spending this holiday single, which is probably the first time I've ever been able to say that. I was what I call a "didn't-bloomer," so nobody was interested in me whatsoever when I was younger. Hell, there's barely anyone interested now. LOL Anyway, I spent my V-Days as a teen miserable as I watched my friends get their little Valentine's and their flowers and did all I could to keep from spontaneously combusting with envy. I had one V-Day with a boyfriend when I was 17, but we were already on the outs and he went through a lot of effort, but the idiot left our dinner (seafood) out for a little too long and I got food poisoning. So it was a memorable night alright, but for all the wrong reasons. 

My not-so-wonderful first Valentine's was spent with my first love. Puppy love in the flesh.

The years to follow saw me single and miserable, single and bitter, single and lonely, single and pretending to be alright with it, but never quite single and okay with it, unfortunately. I tried the "You know this holiday was created for friends" schtick for awhile, until I realized I didn't have any of those, either. Eventually I just looked at the holiday for what it was: a commercialized effort by others to see how much you love your spouse by how much money you're willing to spend on them in one day; all single men/women aren't really invited to partake in the events. It sounds stupid, but I always felt that if I was single for the holiday, it was like a megaphone announcement to the world that I was single, with those in relationships looking down on me for being by myself. I felt that if I didn't have anyone to give me things and shower with me with love on the day that dictates such things that nobody loved me enough. If you have the wrong mindset, you can really be tricked into thinking you aren't loved and boy, does that make you feel even worse. It was depressing. I had a boyfriend for V-Day a couple of years ago, but at the time we were in a long-distance relationship and spent the entire day fighting with each other.

If you've got a sweetheart, I hope he brings you flowers today!

 We did spend last year together though and it was probably the second Valentine's Day that I can remember fondly. I was upset that I couldn't afford a new shirt or anything, but he said I'd look fine in anything and that was the end of that. lol He took the day off of work, we got snazzed up and went to our favorite diner for brunch. The weather was pretty rotten last year (in stark comparison to this year, its gorgeous out today) but we made the best of it, then came home and I turned the room into a little love nest and served him a dinner that he loved that I am very proud to admit only cost me $2.00. LOL We had a good day.

This is too cute. That was me last year. lmao

 This year, however, I am definitely on the other side of the fence. I couldn't give two figs about the day, because my love language is gift-giving and I love surprising others with gifts. I don't need today to tell me to send gifts. I don't need a lover trying to knock my socks off with what he's bought me; surprise me on a Tuesday morning for no reason and you'll get a better reaction out of me. I am single and happily so. For once, the holiday has absolutely no effect on me and I can't tell you how freeing it is. I'm not depressed, miserable, bitter, any of that. I feel like, 1-if I want something I can get it myself; 2-if people have someone to spend the day with then that's amazing for them, I hope the person makes it special; 3-I'm not one of those people this year but amazingly, that is 150% okay with me. And it really is. I'm supposed to hang out with a friend in a few, but I will be at home, content, watching our TNT later on this evening, probably looking a bit like the lady underneath this paragraph. Alone and just a little bit bored. LOL

That'll be me tonight, watching Gone with the Wind with my heart-shaped body pillow

 I have to get showered and dressed so I'm going to close this little chapter in the personal files, but the way I see this is that it could be a lot worse. For those of you lamenting over being single today, there are many women in relationships and marriages right now with someone who couldn't give two figs about them, and they received absolutely nothing today. There are men out there who are going to go all out for their ladies today, and barely get so much as a "thank you" for their efforts. So if you're sad over the simple fact that you're single, you could have it a lot worse. I would much rather be single and able to spoil myself than in a relationship with someone who doesn't love me, especially on a day like today. When you're part of a team and still feel alone, its much worse than actually being alone. 

Be your own chief Valentine this year!

Don't fret too much, this only lasts a day. If it's too hard for you, stay off of Facebook for the evening. That seems to be more a part of Valentine's Day than what actually goes on on Valentine's Day. LOL Tomorrow is a new day. A new day in which all chocolate that didn't sell today will be discounted. Win. Happy Valentine's Day vixens!

Liz has the right frame of mind--Whitman's is some good chocolate. LOL