Hearts

I am a girl who LOVES a good tradition. 

I love that my mom and her sisters play Sleigh Ride on the piano EVERY single year at Christmas.  I love that whenever a baby is born they get a monogrammed swaddle blanket from me.  I love taking pumpkin patch pictures every year with Spencer and Sam.  I love the traditions found in weddings and baptisms. 

The sentimental part of me loves the sweetness of a tradition - the OCD part of me likes the consistency. :)

One tradition in our family is getting a 'heart' on Valentine's Day.  My grandfather had 3 girls.  The man was meant to be a girls' daddy, there was never any question about that.  Each year each girl got a decorative heart for Valentine's Day.  Lots of times they were from travels that my grandparents had been on, and sometimes even from trips actually taken with the girls.

They got an egg each year for Easter as well.  Elizabeth and I grew up in a house where there was a beautiful collection of these hearts and eggs in Mom's china cabinet in the foyer and the display cabinet in the living room.  These displays would make their way out onto the living room coffee table at the appropriate times of year, and I still love to sit and look at all of them when they are out.  Ceramic, glass, marble....simple, intricated, painted...you name it.  And then when we head to Lana and Tamra's we see the very same collections.  I am wild about that.

Mom and Dad have started hearts and eggs with us and I LOVE that.  The picture (which isn't the best, but you get the point) is just a few of the hearts in my collection so far.  The red one is from two years ago, the rainbow one from last year, and the Murano glass one is from this year.  Aren't they so neat?

So here's to traditions!  And, a late Happy Valentine's Day to everyone.  I'll show off some eggs when Easter rolls around!