Valentine's Cards

Sending Valentine's cards has become just as important as sending Christmas cards.

The first Valentine's cards were sent in the 18th century.  These were handmade cards that would include flowers and/or lines of poetry.  Secret admirers would slide these cards under the door for their true love.

One of the oldest surviving Valentine cards dates back to 1797 and is currently at the York Castle Museum.  This card was sent by Catherine Mossday to a Mr. Brown of London.  It is decorated with flowers and images of Cupid, with a verse printed around the border reading, "Since on this ever Happy day, All Nature's full of Love and Play, Yet harmless still if my design, 'tis but to be your Valentine."

In the 19th century, the Valentine's card came to America.  They became very popular and were advertised as a British fashion.  In 1913, Hallmark Cards produced their first Valentine's card.

Here it is 2017, 104 years later, and people are still sending cards to their true love!

Happy Valentine's Day!

February = Love

It is February!  The second month of the calendar year.  It is the shortest month and the only month to have a length of less than 30 days.  This year is a common year with 28 days.  Leap year is every four years to help synchronize the calendar year with the solar year, or the length of time it takes the earth to complete its orbit about the sun.

February is normally overcast, chilly, dark and cold.  It is one of the best months to snow ski because the mountains are packed with snow.

It is also a month, which is all about hearts, flowers, candy and romance.  It is a time when people express the words, "I Love You".

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says "Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

These verses remind me that God's love is directed toward others and not toward ourselves.  To give love and not to expect anything in return.  As we celebrate Valentine's Day, let's remember these verses and that we need to think about them not every once in a while, but everyday.

Love is available to everyone.  Take the time to let your family and friends know that you love them. Life is short and we don't have the the guarantee that we will have each other for ever.

"I Love You!"

The Land of Love

I have been fortunate to live in the "land of love"(Loveland, Colorado) for the past 2 years.

It is a town which is about 50 miles north of Denver.  In the past thirty years, the population has grown from about 35,000 to almost 80,000.  In the early years, Loveland was a farming community. The primary crops were sugar beets and sour cherries.  In the past years, various manufacturing facilities have moved into the area as well as a new medical center.   The area is also known for the large population of artists, the art museum and annual sculpture shows, which takes place in August.

Loveland is also well known for "The Valentine Re-Mailing Program".  For decades, people from around the world have sent their valentines to Loveland, Colorado, to be hand-stamped with a verse and a specially designed postal cancellation.  On an average, this program re-mails more than 160,000 cards from the United States and more than 110 countries.

This program began in January 1947 by the Loveland postmaster.  He had received about 30 valentines from individuals requesting to have the cards postmarked from Loveland for a "romantic extra touch".  He thought this would be a great way to promote Loveland.  So a design and a message were created for the re-mailing of the cards.

"The first message was "A Valentine Greeting from Sweetheart Town, Loveland, Colorado" and the image was a heart pierced by an arrow over the Rocky Mountains."  Since then, a different verse and design have been used every year.  The Loveland Chamber of Commerce have a contest yearly and residents submit their poems and artwork to be judged.

More than sixty volunteers stamped the valentines that are dropped in a special box at the Loveland Post Office or that were mailed to the Postmaster for the special Valentine treatment.

The stampers place the design and verse by hand on each piece of mail.  This years graphic was Dan Cupid, the US flag and the message "From the Sweetheart City in a land of love, warm thoughts of you are sent above.  On wings they fly from land to sea, searching and finding the one to be."

The Valentine cards do need to be in the hands of the Post Office by the first of February.  If you missed this year, there is always 2018.  Make sure you send a pre-stamped, pre-addressed valentine cards enclosed in a larger first-class envelope to be stamped and re-mailed to:
Postmaster-Attention Valentines
446 E. 29th Street
Loveland, CO  80538-9998

Happy Valentine' Day!

                                                 2017 - Loveland's Re-Stamping Program

                                                       Valentine Hearts On Light Posts
                                                               throughout Loveland

Tomorrow is Another Day!

We all have days that we can hardly wait for it to be over.  And today was that day for me.

I woke up at 4:30 this morning and was ready to seize the day.

I finished packing and headed to the airport to fly to Chicago.

On my way to the airport, I found out that my posters that I shipped out last week had not arrived at the hotel in Chicago.  I spent about an hour on the phone trying to locate them.  Hopefully, I will have them in the morning for the Basic Class that I am teaching.

I get to the airport and before heading to the security line, I go the restroom.  While in the stall, one of my nice earrings fell into the toilet.  I did retrieve it before the automatic flush occurred.  I have been washing my hands all day long.

I get on the plane and then the pilot announced that the air condition on the plane was not working properly and that maintenance was working on it.  Sixty minutes later, we did take off.

Upon arriving to the hotel and checking-in, I headed to my room and the door to my room is ajar.  Needless to say, I didn't even go to the door.  I headed back downstairs and of course, the receptionist was very apologetic.  They got me a new room and gave me a coupon for a drink at the bar.

I am ready to go to bed and to start a new day.

As Scarlett O'Hara said in "Gone With The Wind", "after all, tomorrow is another day".

Sunday-A Day of Renewing

I can't believe it is already February!  It just seems like yesterday, we were celebrating New Year's Day.

It is a beautiful Sunday in northern Colorado.  It is a great day for a walk.  The sky is blue with wisps of white clouds, there is the warmth of the sun rays on my skin and the feel of the cooler temperatures as I walk into the shaded areas.

I enjoy Sundays, in that I feel it is a day of renewal.  It is the first day of the week and a day to rest and a day to be spirit-filled by attending church or reading scripture.

A scripture that I read today was "But those who trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed.  They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary; they will walk and not grow weak".  Isaiah 40:31

The Indians saw the eagle as a symbol for strength, leadership and vision.  For Christians, the eagle is seen as a symbol of hope and strength.  Eagles are also beautiful and so graceful when they soar through the sky.  The eyes of the eagle are eight times sharper than that of humans.

The first time that I ever saw an eagle was about fifteen years ago in Glacier National Park in Montana.  Since living in Colorado, I have seen several eagles.  I am always in awe of their beauty and gracefulness as they soar through the sky.

So as I read this scripture, I know that God's strength and power will never diminish and that He will be there with me as I go through good times as well as difficult times.  Like the eagle, I will soar through each day with grace.  God will give me the vision that I need to move forward and to accept every day as a blessing from Him.

Gateway Arch

On Tuesday, I was in St. Louis, Missouri teaching a "Basic Class" on the Elizabeth Arden products. This class was for the new hires at the various cosmetic counters throughout the area.  The class was well attended.

That evening I asked the Account Executive who was there for the class, if she wouldn't mind driving me to the Gateway Arch.  This was my first time in St. Louis and I wanted to see the arch that I have seen on television and in magazines.  

Jennifer said that she had never been there as well.  Off we went.  Of course, it was dark, drizzly and cold, but we ventured out through St. Louis.  She put Gateway Arch into her GPS and we followed the directions to the arch.

The Gateway Arch is a 630 foot monument.  It is covered in stainless steel and is built in the form of an inverted, weighted catenary arch.  It is the world's tallest arch, the tallest man-made monument in the Western Hemisphere and Missouri's tallest accessible building.  

The arch is located on the west bank of the Mississippi River.  Also in the area was a riverboat; a helicopter pad and a restaurant.  I am sure during the summer when the weather is warmer that this is a fun area for tourists.  The arch is located in the downtown area.  The arch can be seen from the St. Louis Busch Stadium, which is home for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Every city has something to offer that is unique.  Who knows if I will ever make it back to St. Louis? I am glad that I took the time to see this one of a kind arch.

Gateway Arch on a cold, wet night.

Peoria, Illinois

On Wednesday afternoon, I flew from Chicago, Illinois to Peoria, Illinois for work.  I had never been there before.  As we flew in, I looked out of the plane window seeing lots of farm land and a small city.  I was curious what this town would be like.

I could tell that the airport was small.  As we exited the plane, I observed that there were not many people roaming around.  The luggage area was small compared to other airports that I have been at.

After getting my luggage, I called the hotel to come pick me up.  I waited in doors as it was 15 degrees outside.  A little chilly.

Within 15 minutes the driver was there to pick me up.  He was a jovial man.  I was cold and ready to get into the van.  The driver jokingly said " that today is warm compared to what the temperatures normally are".  In February, the temperatures are normally in the single digits.  

We drove through the historical area.  The homes set back from the streets and were large and had nice big porches wrapped around the homes.  He told me that the majority of these home were from the late 1800's.  People have gone into this area and have updated nearly all of these older homes.

Peoria is one of the oldest settlements in Illinois.  Explorers had ventured up the Illinois River from the Mississippi River.  This area was first settled in 1680 by French explorers.  Peoria was named after the Peoria tribe.  

After driving through the historical area, the driver took me by the Caterpillar Headquarters.  Just this week, Caterpillar announced that they would be relocating there headquarters to Chicago, which is about 170 miles, northeast of Peoria. 

After hearing the news, I wonder how the city of 120,000 will manage to survive with the headquarters of Caterpillar leaving?  

Just being in the city for about three days, I left feeling that I had experienced the true Midwest of the U.S.  The people were extremely helpful and they love their city.  A lot of young people have moved to Peoria from very small towns(with population of 2,500 to 3,000).  To these people, Peoria was a big city.  

Small cities are nice in that you don't have a lot of traffic; you can drive from one end of the city to the other end within 30 minutes; everyone knows each other and everybody is willing to assist you.