Happy Valentine’s Day

Hey Team! Here we are. It’s February, and this Friday happens to be Valentine’s Day. Some of us celebrate Valentine’s Day, some of us go out of our way to make that day special for a loved one. Now that I have my little boys, Jonathan and David, they usually have something to do for their class. They buy valentines, write their names on all of them, put them in little envelopes, get some candy, and have their class parties. It’s a lot of fun.

Last year, Jonathan wanted to do something special. I wrote a bunch of valentines and created little things so he could make individual, special valentines for every student in his class. This year, I went a little crazier and did a few fun things for David’s class. He’s at a different age now, but they still do store-bought valentines. I was having fun thinking from a kid’s point of view, coming up with little funny sayings.

Then, I went to ChatGPT and asked it to take my little poems or sayings and put them into pictures. If you come into the office, you might see them hanging around. I might have emailed or texted a couple of them to you. Let me share a few, and you can have a laugh. If you like them and want one, just send me an email, and I’ll send it to you.

One says: Macaroni is cheesy, and so are you. You’re my best buddy, my number one crew. It’s a cute little mac and cheese illustration. What kid doesn’t like mac and cheese?

Another one: Roses are red, the ocean is blue. If I were a shark, I’d chomp next to you. Again, a cute little picture with a shark.

For those of you with a special someone who wants to spice up your Valentine’s Day: Chocolate melts, candles burn, but nothing ignites me quite like you. Happy Valentine’s Day. That one is the PG version of some other ideas I had but didn’t put to paper because, well, I didn’t want to be accused of anything weird at work.

Valentine’s Day is coming this Friday, so if you have a special someone, you should probably have already gotten a card, written a poem, or done something to show your appreciation. Karen and I were reflecting on the fact that this year, we are coming up on our 32nd year of marriage. Wow.

When companies say they have 150 years of combined experience, it just means their employees have worked a combined total of that time. So, if we think about marriage that way, Karen and I have 64 years of marriage experience together. That’s amazing. It’s not easy, but there’s a lot of love, forgiveness, joy, and challenges that come with 32 years. She’s still my Valentine.

When you’re reading this, Karen and I—for the first time in quite a few years—are going away for Valentine’s Day. We’re flying to Tennessee and doing something special just for the two of us, focusing on us, and we’re excited about it.

So, for you this Valentine’s week, this month—Happy Valentine’s Day. God bless you. Thank you for all your hard work. You are very special—better than sharks and better than mac and cheese.

Oh, and I think I wrote one about a T-Rex too: If you were a T-Rex, you could stomp with glee, but with those little arms, you couldn’t hug me. Some of you are probably thinking, “Oh my God, Chad, you really create some corny stuff.” You’re right. But it doesn’t change the fact that I love and appreciate every single one of you. I love and appreciate my family and my boys, and I’m so grateful for all of you.

God bless you. Have a wonderful week, and I’ll see you next week. And remember—especially on Valentine’s Day—to be valuable to those we love, because nothing else will do.

See you next week!