After a whirlwind trip {and a very late flight, eeeek!} I’ve landed back in the frozen tundra that is Chicago. Take me back to Florida now, pretty please!!!

It was so nice to get a little R&R with my family and Tom for a long weekend, and we enjoyed sunny days at the beach, fish sandwiches, long walks, and remember what it felt like to feel the sunshine. Don’t worry friends, we only have about 3 more months of winter left here in the Midwest…we can make it, I hope!

Now that I’m back in action {sorta?}, I’m ready to kick off the new week and get myself into gear in preparation for Valentine’s Day. I have a few fun posts on the docket {besides these gift guides here and here from the past few weeks!}, including a Galentine’s Day post coming your way on Friday with a few of my favorite Chicago bloggers & friends. But today I wanted to share how my perception of Valentine’s Day has changed in recent years – and while I’ll definitely take flowers and chocolates any day of the week, it’s nice to celebrate yourself a little around Valentine’s Day too. And while sometimes it can be a little tough, loving yourself first and foremost is one of the most important things you can do in life after all.  There was a very long time in my life where I didn’t think that I was “enough” in more ways than I can even count. I didn’t think I was pretty enough, or smart enough to do well in math, or entrepreneurial enough to be successful, or a good enough singer to be on stage…I mean really, it was a little ridiculous how many things I thought I wasn’t good at. Chock it up to being a acne prone teen without bangs {I really needed bangs…}, but I had a chip on my shoulder that I wasn’t ever going to be good enough. I wish I could shake my 12-24+ year old self and be like, “GET OVER IT GIRL! You’ll be fine and not a total loser!”, but I couldn’t – and even though my parents and friends were supportive and kind and just generally encouraging people – it took me quite a long time to have an “I got this!” frame of mind.

Sure, I’m not perfect by any means today, but I’ve gotten to a point where I’m a lot easier on myself, and I try to hold my standard to grace rather than perfection. I am exactly who I am and where I’m supposed to be – and I have to let the things go that I cannot change, and work my hardest to change the things that I can. While I’ve always been good at being kind to others, one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned recently is how to be kinder to myself, because you can’t really love others until you have some love for yourself. Yes, that sounds like it came right from a self-help book {maybe it did?}, but hey, it’s true!So this year, I decided that I should celebrate Valentine’s Day for myself too, in addition to celebrating everyone else I love. My sweet friend Madalyn who happens to be a designer offered to make me a robe, and it seemed like the perfect way to treat myself for Valentine’s Day! At the time, I’d been watching a lot of The Fall on Netflix {probably the least romantic show of all time?}, and Gillian Anderson always wears this gorgeous, floor length blush robe that makes me jealous in every scene. Madalyn graciously created her own version, which I think is even more beautiful! I’ve been wearing it on lazy self-care Sundays or popping it on after a long day at work to feel a little more glamorous in the comfort of my own living room. Best of all, she’s started making custom robes, which are perfect for weddings, hanging around the house, or any other Valentine’s Day-like occasions – wink wink 😉 Of course one of my favorite ways to treat my self is with a big glass of white wine – because who doesn’t love a big glass after a long day? My friend Vija from Greenville Society recently launched this amazing pineapple wine opener, and it was another perfect little gift to treat yourself, or the wine enthusiast bestie in your life. Pineapples are a sign for hospitality in the south, so it makes for the perfect little hostess gift too!

Whether you’re a white wine, silky robe, or face mask lover, make sure to celebrate you this Valentine’s Day too! You deserve a little love all day everyday, but especially around Valentine’s Day. xx

Photos by Aimee Mazzenga