How do I love thee?

I must say that February the 14th is infinitely more enjoyable now that I have a permanent Valentine of my own. I can't begin to express how much I love this boy. We decided to stay home and avoid the Valentine's crowd. Robb bought me flowers and I got him a fishing license (hence the origami fish)...romantic, huh?

Dinner was amazing, but dessert was life-changing...not even joking. I used this recipe, if you're interested in having your life altered as well.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Doughnut Falls

I love snow. I feel like I'm in minority here as people clamor for signs of spring, but I love the way it transforms the ordinary grey and drab landscapes of winter and makes everything dazzle. We live in a wonderful world, my friends.

Robb skived off homework to go snowshoeing with me up to Doughnut Falls (over time water carved a hole in the rock face, hence the name). We brought water bladders with us to keep hydrated, forgetting that with arctic temperatures the water would probably freeze in the tubing...which it did (at least in mine...Robb managed to keep his flowing the entire hike. Don't worry, he shared with me :) ).

The end of the trail brought us to this point. After standing dangerously close to the edge for this shot, I was prepared to head back, when a fellow hiker encouraged us to crawl through an incredibly shifty looking tunnel dug into the side of the snowbank and see the falls from below. He promised that within three feet the tunnel opened up into a solid cave and the likelihood of dying in an avalanche was minimal...so we crawled on down and found this:

Breathtaking.