I’ve said it before: I love Love. I never end a phone conversation with a family member without reminding them that I love them, I smother my niece and nephew with kisses and I struggle not to end every text message with an "XO". When you live like this it’s hard for Valentine’s Day to seem terribly important, but you won’t find me turning down an excuse to stimulate our economy with greeting cards and pink M&Ms. 

And so, I present to you my most memorable Valentines of all time:

Age 10: At school I sit down at my desk and discover a paper bag stuffed inside. It holds a necklace fashioned out of yarn and beads (purchased for 25 cents at a recent school carnival) and a piece of loose leaf paper from my sworn nemesis, telling me that he thinks I’m pretty.

As a fifth grade girl who looks a lot like her little brother, I accept both the compliment and the necklace.

Age 16: I have my first official boyfriend, who gives me my first official valentine dripping with promises of a love that will last forever. Before the Sweethearts Dance I go to the MAC counter with my father’s credit card and tell the ladies that I want to look like Christina Aguilera. I got my wish, went to the Dance looking like a hot tranny mess and loved every minute of it.

Age 22: I’ve moved to New York City, far away from friends and family back in the Midwest. Little did I know that 2 time zones away, my mother was posting her own "Valentines" around our Minneapolis neighborhood. When I got this photo in the mail, those 2 time zones felt like nothing at all.

Age 24: My BFF made me a series of Valentine’s celebrating our undying love for Law & Order: SVU and keeping alive my hope that someday we will co-star in a cop-drama on NBC.

Age 25: My boyfriend at the time fell off the face of the earth for no shorter than 3 days when he and his friend took a "last minute" trip to Amsterdam over Valentine’s Day. The bar is permanently lowered.

Age 27: Twilight! Chocolates! Yes, I like my sweets with a side of abstinence.

Age 28: Finally combining my love of fast food and romance: a coveted reservation at White Castle.

What was your most memorable Valentine’s Day?

by Nora McInerny