My boyfriend and I celebrated our 5th Valentine’s Day over the weekend with what most people consider the usual: flowers and dinner. However, for me, this was something special I will cherish.

After our second Valentine’s, we agreed to stop making Valentine’s Day a big deal. Additionally, since I started working, Valentine’s Day has repeatedly landed on a weekday which gave me no incentive to acknowledge its importance. On our third Valentine’s Day, he still surprised me with the biggest bouquet of roses I had ever seen! It was totally unexpected. But right before our fourth Valentine’s, I told him to not celebrate it and he listened. I came home that day and there were no surprises; I ate, slept and woke up for work the next day. Was it weird that I was feeling a bit sad to have gotten no surprises, despite the fact that I was the one who said to not celebrate it? Probably, but I couldn’t help feeling what I felt, and being a girl, I complained about it (just a bit). Don’t worry, I got over it a couple of days later.

The past year has been a hurdle for us. Despite all the amazing trips and pictures and memories we shared and posted, we also experienced everything else that wasn’t sunshine and butterflies. We’re just like any other relationship out there; we have our struggles and hardships between all the great times. And because of this, it definitely made the year feel a lot longer than it actually was. It just felt like it’s been too long since we really did something romantic or celebrated our love. It seems like he felt it too because he ended up surprising me big time this year! Once he came home from work, he asked me to come downstairs where a huge bear with balloons was staring back at me. He told me he just wanted to do something sweet for me since it’s been a while and that’s when I realized how relationships can so easily succeed or fail.

Couples become so comfortable over the years that they feel like they don’t need to try as hard or partake in any sweet gestures, which is the wrong way of keeping your relationship! You really must snap out of your comfort zone every now and then and find a new way to express your love and affection. Cook for your significant other if you don’t cook normally. Send an encouraging text message to help start the day. Restock on necessities or fill up the gas tank. Just do something for them as an act of gratitude. This will serve as a great reminder to your other half of how far you’ve come with the person you love.

My sweet friend read through this blog post before anyone else and added such a moving statement about the purpose behind this post, that it would be a shame to not share. Personally, I never thought of this saying before and I think it’s amazing.

One statement I heard recently that really stuck with me was “anything worth doing, is worth doing poorly.” While this may not typically apply to relationships, I took special meaning from it. For those who haven’t heard of it, what it breaks down to is if you can’t do something big, then do it small. Because doing it “poorly,” with all the same meaning behind it, is better than doing nothing at all. If you can’t cook, help cook. If you don’t know what to say, ask them questions. If you don’t know what to get them, get them something that is totally practical and not at all romantic! Not every gesture has to be big, or meaningful, in and of itself. Sometimes the smallest gesture can mean the most.

In my case, he thought a cute bear made from flowers would put a huge smile on my face… and it did! Not only did he try to make me smile, but he also booked us reservations to Andrea at Pelican Hill Resort for some delicious Italian food. We had dined here on our first anniversary and continued to talk about how delicious their ravioli was. It was so special to me that he remembered how much I enjoyed it and made sure we visited again for our fifth Valentine’s Day.

Totally irrelevant to this beautiful love story but so many people have asked me about these seats in my car and they’re the ASM Recaro Carbon Shield with ASM Side Protectors and 1 of 1 Custom ASM Floor Mats.

I thought it would have been cool to recreate another shot I had with the 100 Hong Kong Red Roses Bouquet sitting in his S2000 (way before I ever had this GT4) from our 2nd Valentine’s. (Click on the picture below to link to our 2nd Valentine’s and amazing pictures from the restaurant!)

We got to the resort right before sunset and was able to catch a few shots on the balcony before it got too dark, but watching the last bit of light disappear over the ocean and golf course created a blissful moment just for the two of us. However, it was so cold I couldn’t even take my coat off for a few minutes without freezing! Between that and the wind, I didn’t think I would be able to take any pictures. With a little encouragement from my boyfriend, I propped my coat over my shoulders to pose. To my surprise, it came out stylish and classy looking, especially with the pair of studded Valentino’s I had on.

We were seated outside, surrounded by heat lamps where we could see the blue hours of the sky. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the season for ravioli (they change their menu quite frequently) so we ordered new dishes to try. We ordered the saffron tagliatelle (braised rib on pasta) and the ricotta cavatelli “norcina” (pasta mixed with sausage and truffle sauce and a bit of spice). Both were delicious; all their pasta are made in-house and the quality truly shows in each dish.

I’m not sure if there are other couples that can relate, but we always decide together what we should order. When the food comes out, we split each dish and basically get to have 2 meals. The flavors that night was fantastic; I remembered why I was eager to come back again. Unfortunately, our entrées were slightly smaller portions than other restaurants which made me regret not ordering any appetizers, something I won’t forget next time!

I honestly love this restaurant and would love to come back, especially when they add the ravioli dish back onto their menu. Going into the day with no expectations, this was a great Valentine’s weekend.

Sometimes, a nice gesture or other acts of services in a long-term relationship can help change a person’s mindset from comfortable to grateful. This one day made me reminisce all the amazing things he’s done for me in the past, as well as day to day basis that I’ve grown to expect and have gotten used to. Since this is the beginning of a new year, it’s safe to say I would like to improve myself to be more appreciative and focused on strengthening our relationship. Honestly, to have this realization now rather than later, I wouldn’t have my 5th Valentine’s Day with my boyfriend any other way.