One

Happy Valentimes everybody! Now, I know this is one of those polarizing holidays that people either love or hate. But I really don’t think it has be to a feel-sorry-for-your-single-self-and-eat-a-tub-of-ice-cream kind of day. If you don’t have a sweetie, I’m sure you have friends who you love! If you don’t have friends…call your mom! I’m just saying, love comes in all shapes and sizes and it’s a blessing to be grateful for. So don’t be like this guy, ok?

Two

That being said, I think we can all relate to Charlie Brown on this one:

I do believe I am the reigning queen of friend-girl unrequited love. Don’t you just want to give him a hug?

Three

You know, girls. If you are really looking for love and you are maybe a tiny bit crazy/you’d would like to be on television(same thing)… The Bachelor Canada auditions are going to be in Vancouver on Sunday!

Four

For all you instagrammers, you can send someone a Valentine using your instagram photos with Lovestagram. Ok this is pretty cute—it was built by the girlfriend of one of the founders of Instagram as a thanks-for-always-making-me-feel-special gift. Awwwww! Nerd love!

Five

As far as I’m concerned, this is the most romantic song ever written.

Six

My friend Juli has just launched her own baking business, Just Taste! Last weekend she had an open house where I sampled all the products and can tell you first hand that they are 100% delicious. Especially the Linzetorte and the Cardamom Drops.

(photos by the illustrious Ryan Schroeder)
(ps I helped her with the website)

Seven

Tami Knepper—whom I love and adore, who has the best taste of anyone I know, who keeps beating me at words with friends—is launching her very own blog and online store, The Cloven Heart! Soon. For now, you should check out her Facebook page. And like it! There are some behind the scenes photos up right now. And spoiler alert (!), I may have seen a sneak peak of her first post and it might be amazing. Stay tuned.

(ps logo designed by yours truly!)

Eight

Westside is launching a new campus on the North Shore in April. I’ll let Norman D. Funk explain the vision—

In the months leading up to launch time, there is a pre-launch campaign happening, Sent and Sending that aims to cover the cost of the launch budget and start the mission off strong. I really encourage you check it out. Give if you feel led and pray, pray, pray! God is doing good things in this City.

Nine

A Valentine to Vancouver…from de Islands?

Ten

Love is mentioned about 700 times in the Bible. Ok, I didn’t count or anything but I googled it and that was the first number that came up. It’s a lot, anyway. There are so many scriptures that talk about God’s, steadfast and faithful love, and how we can never be separated from it. But I thought this one, from one of my most favourite books in the Bible, was appropriate to meditate on this Love Day.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.