be my (#1) valentine (of 2007!)

valentines day came and went, but i got to spend it with some funny (and socially inept) kids, so it was a good one for me. i received a LOT of valentines from them this year (i hate to brag), so i decided i was going to pick a winner, the title being "Best Valentine of 2007". this idea originated from my brother, scott, who after opening presents on christmas day, likes to announce his "Best Gift of ___" (whatever year it may be). i feel it's a great way to acknowledge the gift-givers, while also encouraging them to try harder next year. so i'm going to rank my top three this year. i won't acknowledge the bottom of the list, because it mostly consists of store-bought valentines with popular cartoon characters on them, saying things like "you're tops, valentine!", and other things that nobody would actually ever say. but i would like to give an honorable mention to kevin, who wrote "happy valentines bay" on every single valentine he handed out. bless his heart, the 'b' and 'd' are really so hard to get a handle on. so here are my top 3.




3.) I like this one (right) because of its originality. the kids all made these, because they received little kits to make them. this kid decided "to hell with the kit!" and instead drew scars and removed a leg entirely. i feel like he did a good job bringing the theme of death into valentines day, which is not easy to do. and you'll notice that by removing the eyeballs, the bear has an almost evil appearance. but he's still saying to me "you're beary sweet"...i just love the contradictions here. well done, marcus.



2.) putting this one (left, and below right) in the top three might imply that i'm a little vain. perhaps that is true, but i also appreciate the amount of work put into this card. as you can see, not only did tony go so far as to make a list of things he likes about me, but he took it even further and drew a portrait of me (where i happen to be bearing midriff). i'm going to ignore that the girl in the portrait has huge hair, and isn't attractive. i think he meant well. and his list is somewhat repetitive, but i can see what he's trying to say. over all, tony's ranking is mostly due to his effort. very valentines day appropriate. very flattering.






1.) i think anyone would be in agreement with me about my "Best Valentine of 2007" (below). First of all, he spelled my name so creatively, that i'm considering changing the way i spell it (no offense to my parents, who meant well, but LESAE is much prettier). secondly, he unknowingly began a new trend among my co-workers and friends. "how are you?" is something most people get asked multiple times each day. i feel that josh really gets to the heart of the question when he gives me the options of answering only "yes" or "no". i passed the advice on to friends yesterday, and it has really caught on. "how are you?"..."um, no". "but how are YOU?" ..."well, yes!". it's so great! josh really hit it out of the park this year, with his innovative take on the old "check a box" theme we all used so long ago. i feel like that alone earns him the title of "Best Valentine of 2007". congratulations josh!