Yes, I am fully aware of the fact that Friday is Valentine's Day. I do celebrate the day, but not in the traditional way. This year, my valentine and i will be watching junior women's hockey and then having dinner with a college friend and his wife. the following day, we will aprticipate in a fun run to support children with neurofibromatosis (message me if you'd like the fundraising link).

I find traditional Valentine's celebrations to be rather annoying and overpriced (except for chocolate. Chocolate is always good.) All too often, the price of flowers doubles because florists know that there's pressure to buy for that one day. The special meals at restaurants tend not to be their best work and places are overly crowded to boot. It's just too much pressure.

Here's my suggestion of a way to celebrate:

Cook a lovely meal together. Many stores offer special prices on premium ingredients that you can cook yourself. Plus, cooking together is great for a relationship — you learn a lot about each other.

Spend the evening planning something to do in the future. Planning for a future together is way more romantic than over-priced roses that die in 2 days.

Make a stop at the big box store over the weekend to buy discounted Valentine's candy. Your taste buds don't care that the Peppermint Patties were wrapped in pink and red!