On Love...

{via Southern Weddings}

Love one another, but make not a bond of love.
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other’s cup, but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread, but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.

Kahlil Gibran - The Prophet

Sweet Hearts

{I Love New York - via IrenaS}

As a sentimentalist, I jump at pretty much any opportunity to get mushy, and February 14th is no exception. Chris and I have an ongoing tradition of cooking together at home on Valentine's Day. We surprise each other with new recipes each year - he's in charge of dinner, and I always take care of dessert. We've encountered lobster attacks, burnt fingers, and lots of rock-hard cookies over the past 6 years. Surprisingly, it's those simple and genuine moments that I cherish the most. Love doesn't have to be perfect. You just need to share it.

Do you have any good V-day stories to share? How do you define/celebrate romance?

Pup, the Magic Dragon

According to Chinese tradition (and Wikipedia), 2012 marks the year of the Dragon. Dragons are known to symbolize strength, boldness, determination, and prosperity. They are also the only mythical creatures in the Chinese zodiac family! Let's make this an extraordinary year, fueled with ambition, courage, perseverance, and boundless imagination. Happy Chinese New Year! :)