Happy Friday! I hope everyone is looking forward to a relaxing weekend with lots of INSIDE plans because hot damn, it’s gonna get reeeeeeal cold out there! Personally, it feels quite fitting that we are expecting such bitter, freezing temperatures on this Valentine’s weekend because it’s much like the sentiments of my heart surrounding this holiday…cold, frigid and frozen. Oh, er, I mean, HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! <insert smiley, heart-eyed emoji here>

In all seriousness and in keeping with my February promise to heal my heart (AND avoid being a bitter asshole about love), I thought I would focus on some love of the non-romantic, non-lovey-dovey variety. And I couldn’t think of a better place to start than with this beautiful soul who exuded nothing but love and kindness, all-the-damn-time.

Darcy elizabeth

“There’s no reason not to be nice to people.” – Darcy

Darce, you were the absolute epitome of what it means to ‘have a heart’. I can’t believe it has been a year since you’ve been gone, taken way too soon for reasons none of us will ever know or even begin to understand. I think about you, your smile, your kind words and your funny stories nearly every day. I know you are right there beside me when I choose to be “nice to people” and during those times, I am proud to carry on your legacy. Thank you for showing us all how to show a little bit of love to each other on the daily. You are missed beyond belief. ❤

National donor day

Image via

Continuing the theme of love, it’s a well known fact that Valentine’s Day is always celebrated February 14th. However, this Sunday, February 14th is also National Donor Day. Organ donation is a topic that is so near and dear to my heart – both from a professional standpoint as well as my personal experience with my mom. There are so many people waiting for life-saving organ transplantation and the shortage is real. On Sunday, spread the word and encourage your friends and family to be organ donors. For more information or if you’re ready to give the gift of life, learn how you can sign-up, here.

attention: boston singles

Ok, this 100% goes against my promise to avoid reminding myself (and all two of you who are reading this!) how single I am this Valentine’s Day. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that this week my city was named the number one place to find love according to a study commissioned by the real estate site, Zillow. I couldn’t let Valentine’s Day go by without throwing out a little hope for all of you, ahem, I mean us single Bostonians! And if you haven’t found love in the city by Saturday night, I’ve taken care of that too. Here’s a list of 12 romantic wines you can indulge in while sitting on the couch watching Bridget Jone’s Diary for the um-teenth time. Ain’t no shame in that game.

love yourself

Finally, leave it to Beiber to release a relationship-gone-wrong song prior to Valentine’s. However, I’ve really been digging this tune lately and certainly not for it’s f-you sentiments. Truth be told, I didn’t realize it was a break-up song until I googled the complete lyrics. Love Yourself had caught my attention on the radio because of the acoustic sound (very un-Beiber) and the words “you should go and love yourself”, that are repeated throughout the chorus. Sometimes, we all (present company INcluded) need a little reminder to love ourselves. So, way to go, Beibs. Thank you for that.

Happy ❤ day, all!