We’ve all got that person that manages to stay in the back of our minds. Maybe they’re an old lover, or someone that recently sparked your interest. Hell, you might not even know if they are yours to claim. Nonetheless, your “person” is someone you’ve got serious feelings for and today, their name is resonating louder than ever. Why ?

Because today is Valentines Day.

Today is the official day of love; only to be celebrated by those in significantly-serious relationships. It’s also a day when the single people gather around and pretend like they are better off alone, when really all they want is their “person” next to them.

Unfortunately, the Law of Valentines absolutely prohibits them from doing so.

Don’t hate me for stating the obvious, because we all know it’s true. It’s common knowledge that it’s only sociably acceptable to celebrate today with someone if  you’re in a seriously-real relationship with them.

I’m all about pleasing society, so I think it’s appropriate for me to step forward and state that I did in fact, celebrate today with someone I’m bat-shit,crazy in-love with.

……(and we’re official.)

 I’ve been contemplating weather or not I should reveal this love affair of mine via blog post… but whatever, it’s V-day.  Not to mention, it’s seriously the cutest love story ever.. Just saying.

It all started when this guy broke my heart.

They said I’d be better in no time. They told me that something wonderful was just around the corner. They told me not to give up on finding true love, because it was a real thing.

I wanted to believe them.

I wanted to believe that there was such thing as refuge for the broken heart.. I wanted to believe that when a girl goes through the hell I did, she’s destined for Prince Charming to sweep in sooner rather than later.

I have no idea why, but when I chose to walk away from him, I expected to have the world at my fingertips. I expected to feel revitalized, fresh, and totally pumped to embrace the newfound freedom that comes with being single.

The last thing I expected was to have a giant, emotional mess to clean up. But hey, I guess that’s my own fault for trying to be optimistic.

Let’s be honest though, we all love the thought of being a Damsel in Distress and having a hero come in and sweep us off our feet. I know I did. I waited by the window like a sad puppy for months thinking my Prince Charming was just around the corner. I thought he was the answer to cleaning up the emotional mess the last guy left me with. But unfortunately, my life isn’t a Taylor Swift song and I never woke up to rocks being thrown outside my window.

I knew I had to accept the fact that Prince Charming wasn’t coming anytime soon. It sucked, but deep down, I knew that I had to take matters into my own hands. After all, my mom always said the longer you avoid a mess, the longer it takes to clean up.

So I did the inevitable. I strapped on my bulletproof vest, pretended like I saw the good in goodbye, and went on with my life. It wasn’t easy, but it had to be done. Once I stopped relying a guy to define my happiness, I was forced to find it elsewhere. Little did I know the thrill I was in store for..

I’ve heard it said that your twenties are the happiest years of your life. For whatever reason, I never took the time to ask why? I mean happiness is a very general emotion…I had no idea what to look for. Let alone, any indication as to what made ME happy; I definitely didn’t have the patience to do that whole “find it within“crap.

So I started from square one and  made a list of the simple things in life that made me smile. In all seriousness, my goal wasn’t to find the answer to my problems, I just needed a starting point.

From handwritten letters to grey nail polish, I managed to compose a completely random list of things that brought me joy. When I finished, I was in complete and utter shock at what it did for me. For the first time in forever I was looking at myself from a completely new perspective.

I came to find that this list was the essence of my personality, and it triggered something really cool within me. It’s like suddenly I realized how powerful the simple things in life really can define pure joy. How on Earth did I not realized this before?   Like, really Skate?

I posted the list on my bathroom mirror to serve as a constant reminder of the things that made me,well….me. Everyday I forced myself to do at least 3 things from my happy list regardless of what I had going on that day and eventually, it became second nature to attract more things that made me happy without even realizing it.

Next thing you know, I’m living my life with ZERO negativity. It wasn’t even an option. (Mind-blowing, I know.)

Then, when I least expected it, I met someone that changed everything.

This person was no stranger and it definitely wasn’t our first encounter, but for some reason on a night in December, there was a major spark, like fairytale-happy spark that overwhelmed me. I was laughing a lot, smiling for no reason, and walking with confidence that I had never dreamed of having.

My friends knew something was up. It was pretty obvious that I was totally smitten with someone. At first I was skeptical of telling them, I denied any allegations and rolled my eyes whenever comments regarding my love life were made. Because truth be told, I really didn’t know if me and this person were anything serious or not yet. It was so new and so unpredictable, I just didn’t know if they were here to stay. The girl code CLEARLY states that: Bff’s are only informed of crushes if they are the real-deal. But I totally cracked. I  got to a point where I could not keep it from them for another second. It was time they knew the truth.

I sat them down, took a deep breath and said, “Ladies, I’ve got some news. I Sara Kate Bradfield have fallen in love…

with me again….”

Like any good girlfriends, they responded accordingly. They let out the big squeal, fluttered their hands, and begged for each and every detail as If It was the real deal.

So I spilled my guts.

I told them about my happy list and how it changed my life when my perspective needed some serious readjusting. We had total “22” moment and spent the rest of the night making fun of our ex boyfriends. (sorry if any of you are reading this.)

Those nights are necessary sometimes.

In the name of being honest, I’m single and there is “person” that may have crossed my mind on this Valentine’s eve. However, I must agree that the Law of Valentines, (as annoying as it is) should be abided by. I do think that it’s a holiday that only serious couples are allowed to celebrate. It is an extraordinary holiday and it should only be celebrated by extraordinary feelings.

So I think it’s only appropriate that this Valentines Eve, I spent the evening with someone I’m in seriously-real relationship with, and that’s me.

Tonight I dedicated the evening to painting my toenails grey, stalking cute boys on Facebook, watching Beyoncé on Netflix, and creating a Pinterest dream house. In the midst of it all, I even managed to fit in a bubble bath in. It sounds totally pathetic, but tonight I spent 4 countless hours smiling because I had absolutely no one to impress tonight, but myself.

I know the whole concept of “falling in love with yourself” sounds a bit ridiculous. It even sounds a little vein. But in all seriousness, the relationship you have with yourself is the most important one you’ll ever have. It influences those around you and when you’re comfortable in your own skin, you’re going to naturally attract other people. I sincerely believe that there is no such thing as “true” love until you learn to love yourself. It pains me to think that I ever deemed it necessary to modify myself just to please a boy. Um. Ew. That’s embarrassing.

When you experience happiness, you experience love, when you experience love, you experience the truth. By exposing myself to more things that brought me joy, I was able to experience life in the most beautiful manor. It’s crazy… when you filter out the bad, good things manage to surface more often than not. Once you get to know yourself, you go after the things that make you happy. Things get less complicated and you learn what things (and people) are worth fighting for.

That’s pretty spectacular.

For the first time in a while, I can say that I am comfortable taking chances. I’m comfortable  putting myself out there and all of my emotions on the line. I think it’s exhilarating to break the ordinary rules of dating, and risk making a complete and utter fool out of myself if it means being honest.  Because more than likely, someone is going to break my heart again, and I’m going to have a million and one more messes to clean up…..But-

If it means being me, I think it’s worth the risk.

Happy V-Day –

Ps- I’ve decided to make this blog a little more fun and add some  visual elements if you will.  These photo’s were taken by my insanely talented-fashion- photographer friend Ashley Kickliter. What started out being nothing more than a promo shoot, turned out being the most captivating day. Seriously, she’s incredible.
http://www.ashleykickliter.com/book-i
https://www.facebook.com/ashleykickliterphotography