Valentine's for Newlyweds

Being a newlywed is awesome. You get to hang out (and make out!) with your best friend all the time and can totally give up the guise of wanting to hang out with other people or wearing anything other than sweatpants at home. Not that I slip into sweatpants the moment I get home every night or anything. I would never do that. Ever.

Anyway, I love Valentine's. I'm pretty big into the whole "love" thing and can go on about Layne ad nauseam. I apologize to anyone I have talked to in the past three years, but this guy is fantastic and I just have to tell every single person I meet! So, being that I am into Valentine's, Layne really goes all out to indulge me. And that's what is so great about being a newlywed. Right now, it's just the two of us. We're both, as our dear friend Michael puts it, "gainfully employed," and with no kids and no real responsibility, this is pretty much the only time in our lives where we can spoil each other with wild abandon. And Layne is reeeeeal good at it.

No matter your situation, there are great ways to spoil your loved one on Valentine's Day. If you're a little low on cash, make gifts for one another. You can make a playlist full of songs that reflect your relationship. One year, Layne wrote and illustrated a book on me that was our love story, fairytale style. He dotted it with a ton of inside jokes #hesakeeper. Everyone likes breakfast in bed, and cleaning up the house or a cute little coupon book is another great option. If you're fortunate enough to have a little budget for Valentine's, the old standbys always work. Flowers, chocolate, cards and jewelry all go a long way toward saying "I love you." Or, you can go all out. Valentine's is the perfect time to splurge on a trip to the spa to pamper your love, a quick vacation, or the extravagant gift you've been saving for.

The only real rule for Valentine's Day is to make sure the one you love knows that you care. It's a chance to say thank you for being you, to make them realize how special they are, to treat them like the king or queen they truly are. When you're living the everyday, sometimes loving each other gets pushed out of the way for doing the dishes and working full-time and running to the dry cleaner. And that sucks and it's wrong. Valentines is a chance, one day a year, to set it right.

I love you, Layne!