So a week from today will be my favorite holiday, Valentine's Day. Two things: 1) Stop yucking. 2) Seriously, stop yucking.

Ever since I was a kid, I've loved the holiday. As I've mentioned before. I like mail. I like candy. I like a day where people are forced to realize we have this amazing ability to be able to express our affections for each other. We may as well have a day of fun to do so.

But this year, I'm taking a different approach. I've decided to go on many dates... with my friends.

In love we spend so much of our time looking for the ones that will fulfill us. We go on dates. We get frustrated. We get hurt. We get stood up. We get all those things that make us think that Valentine's Day is a lame day that single people should totally hide from.

For the next two weeks I have been setting up dinners, drinks, movies, or quick ice cream socials with the people that I believe are my soul mates. These are the people who have given me all the time I needed to be a messy emotional Byron when a messy emotional Byron was all that was available. These were the people who let me sleep in their beds when I was lonely and figuring things out. These were the people who bought me wine and drank with me while we planned out our futures that often involved looking back at the these times and saying things like: "Geez, remember when we were so..." These are the people I would do the exact same thing for in a millisecond.

These are the people that I am in love with.

Unless someone bribes me with sushi and Sweet Mandi B cupcakes. Then we can have a different kind of date.