Oh Bryant-Denny, sweetie, I just wanted to let you know that even on this dreary February day, I think of you. Those times we spent together, the hot September afternoons, the wild nights – those will never be replaced.

I have visited many stadiums across the country, but none are as warm and as welcoming as you. We have cried together, laughed together, sung songs together; these are all times I will remember always.

You are so breathtaking: your crisp green grass, crimson seats and the beautiful banners. I especially like the last one you added 😉

I know you’ve let a lot of people inside you in the past, but late after games as I write feverously of our times together, you make me feel like the only one.

Though it is true that I might move away from you quite soon, let it be known that you will always and forever be in my heart.

Each day I yearn to be with you again, and our April 14 date cannot come soon enough. Until then, stay beautiful and keep me in your thoughts.

Forever faithful,

Tony Tsoukalas

—

Google,

I feel as though our relationship is less give-and-take than a relationship should be. I use you for every tiny detail of my life and you never complain or fail me. You know everything I don’t; you even complete my sentences and dress up for every holiday.

Without you, I would be both literally and figuratively lost. You get me from point A to point B without ever making a mistake, but more importantly you keep my life together. You connect me with people near and far, you keep my calendar and you keep me from making stupid mistakes by just answering any questions I have.

Some people complain about your issues with privacy and sometimes I understand them, but I’ll never leave you over something like that. I know you have a relationship with millions of people, but I also know ours is special. Whenever I’m feeling lucky, you’re the one I turn to.

We’ve come so far and you’ve done so much for me, so on Valentine’s Day I just want to say that despite my never giving to you the way you give to me, you are loved and appreciated. You always will be, Google.

With love in my heart,

Ashley Chaffin

—

My dearest double-parked F-150

It has been far too long since I have gazed upon your cream-colored magnificence, and I must admit, when I happened to steal a glance yesterday, I felt like Ahab, finally beholding his double-parked white whale.

And if ever there was a pose! Your sheer defiance of the societal constraints thrust upon the driving society quickened my blood. There you sat, double-parked, and with such style! Diagonally across the plane of existence, that white line of tyranny no match for the thunderous sound of your engine, howling as it twisted the very essence of the universe through your cavernous combustion chamber, only to have it escape as carbon dioxide hell-bent on destroying the very atmosphere from whence it came.

Such is your reality, Double-Parked F-150, and such is your loveliness.

But do not think I do not notice the mud! On the contrary! I revel in it. Do not think I am ignorant of your intentions. Do not think I am unaware you wanted me to notice it; that you wanted me to see you’ve been out in the countryside, far away from your God-given station as heir to all that is innocent and good.

Is this the meaning of your parking circumstance? Do you mean to send me a message that you now refuse to accept that which has been set apart for you in favor of your own determination? Oh, let it be so! Let it be so, that we may conquer the world, paved or otherwise. Let me ride inside you, so that we may stand defiant in front of God and man.

Your forever only,

John Davis

—

Dearest CW,

Our first year together, my freshman year, was a whirlwind of front-page stories and new campus experiences. I thought we’d be together forever.

When we broke up in 2009, we both took it pretty hard. But even that day when I walked out on you, I knew I’d want you back. When we reunited a few months later, you could hardly catch a suitor’s eye. In desperation, you were letting people from every corner of the country ravage your every page. But I was determined to give you the tender love and care you’ve always deserved.

Like any relationship, it’s been tough. Though I love your outspoken spirit, it’s gotten me into hot water on more than one occasion. But just know that I’ll defend your honor against any man or machine that attempts to challenge it.

Please understand that when I criticize you, it’s out of love. I dare not think about the day we will have to part ways, though I know it draws near. Just remember, no matter who else spends their late nights with you, they’ll never match the time we had together.

Forever Yours,

Victor Luckerson

—

Dear M&Ms,

Could there ever be a more perfect candy? Small, chocolate dots of goodness wrapped in a colorful candy shell. And even though you’re more than 60 years old, you don’t look any older than yesterday, when I picked you up at Publix.

You melt in my mouth, not in my hand. (Oh yes there was that time that you melted in my pocket, but that certainly wasn’t your fault. I could never blame you.)

And what other candy has personality? From cool, jazzy blue to flirty, sexy green; from worldly, confident red to adorable, doltish yellow; you’re each Valentine-worthy in your own inimitable way.

And in so many flavors. There’s mint, pretzel, cherry, almond, coconut and dark chocolate. But you, peanut butter, will always be the one. I know I shouldn’t show favorites. I should love all of you for what makes each of you unique. But your little sphere of peanut butter inside a shell of milk chocolate surrounded by your thin crunchy candy shell is intoxicating.

I’m addicted. But it’s a sweet addiction. One for which I seek no cure.

With all my heart,

Paul Wright

—

My dearest Nutella,

Every girl loves chocolate, but you are so much more. You blend cocoa and hazelnut into a mouthwatering treat that mass-produced Hershey’s bars cannot match.

I will never forget our first date in a hotel breakfast room in Paris – there you were, across the room on a table next to the baguettes. I did not know of your intentions, but what a marvelous breakfast it was. Oh Nutella, you take white bread to places it has never been before!

After that day, we were inseparable. You reside faithfully in my kitchen cabinet on the upper left-hand side, always waiting to brighten my day. No matter my troubles, a spoonful of you is all I need to fall into a temporal bliss.

So on this Valentine’s Day, I do not wish for a Hallmark card or a heart-shaped box of Russell Stover, but simply another jar of you, sweet Nutella, to store next to my almost empty one.

Warmly and sweetly,

Lauren Ferguson

—

I love you, naptime.

Sunday afternoon sun, golf-playing in the background; I fell in love. And now, whenever I am tired, I turn to you. When my day has gone awry or I’m overwhelmed, I find comfort in you. You save the day and provide me with strength to make it through the day.

Between my pillow and covers, I curl up and let your brief magic of slumber fall over me. My mind is filled with brief and fleeting dreams, and I awake with insight into a world of make believe.

I can rarely go a day without you. I wake in the morning; you are out of my mind. But, you know every day after lunch I will turn back to you, begging for your presence. And you forgive me. And I love you for it. I remember our first date like it was yesterday.

What would I do without you?  I shudder at the thought. I would fall faint, prisoner to the pain of exhaustion.  Even your surprise visits bring me joy; I rarely regret your presence. I depend on you, I need you and you never fail me. I love you, naptime.

Dreaming of you,

SoRelle Wyckoff

—

Dear Space Program,

What can I say? I’ve supported you now for decades. I was with you as a kid when you landed men on the moon. Even then, there were nutcases out there claiming you staged the whole thing in some airplane hangar. Never mind these are the same people who believe Elvis is alive and wrestling is real.

Hey, I was even with you during the boring Skylab missions in the early ‘70s. And I was thrilled when you landed Vikings 1 and 2 on Mars in 1976 and followed that up with those hip rovers Opportunity and Spirit in 2004.

I was also like a kid in the candy store over the past three decades when I got to witness space shuttle launches in person at the Kennedy Space Center.  Needless to say, I was sad to see the shuttle program end last July and to realize that the most magnificent flying machines ever built are now headed to museums.

But hey, I’m a realist. I know that down-to-earth problems require most of the funding these days. I also know your future may depend on private companies like SpaceX in California to pick up slack and ferry American astronauts into orbit.

That’s fine by me.  I believe in you. And I believe that somewhere there’s a 10-year-old kid out there with no clue, yet, that in the future he or she will become the first person to set foot on Mars.

Always and forever,

Mark Mayfield

—

Dear Warmer Weather,

I cheated. I admit it. That one snowy day was absolute paradise, building snowmen and making snow angels. I wanted a change, something different.

The chills those snowmen sent up my spine can never be taken back and I regret every minute of it. I turned my back on you that day and I now know the error of my ways. I yearn for your warm caress; to run around in swimsuits would be heaven.

I even miss our flip-flops.

I want to hear the lulling sound of your voice again, as deep as the ocean. Your warmth fills my soul, warms my heart and makes me young. My romp in the snow was cheap and has turned to dirt. I am only left with the burning sting of ice pellets and the numbness of knowing that you are gone.

Forgive me,

Megan Smith

—

Hey, you. Yeah, you. I want to make you feel special today, sweetums. It’s Valentine’s Day, so you deserve to know how much I appreciate you. I wrote this poem to express my love for you, and I hope that you enjoy it.

My dearest love,

Every morning that I awake

In your deliciousness must I partake.

You’re dreamy and smooth

And you really know how to soothe.

You are heaven to me,

And you make me feel free.

When I think of you

The world has a brighter hue.

To you none can compare;

All others are jealous of this, our affair.

They could never understand

How it is that our love could be so grand.

So, here’s to you, Silk.

You will forever be better than milk…

Silk, you are marvelous beyond words. Never could I have imagined that I would leave milk for you; alas, here I am. It’s been six months since we began our romance, and I look forward to a lifetime of building memories with you. So, on this, Cupid’s blessed day, will you be my Valentine?

I love you…

Jordan Klosky

Sophomore majoring in journalism