Valentines is for Lovers - 2026

We kept Valentine’s Day pretty low key this year since we’re headed to Hawaii tomorrow. Alison and I have a belated celebration planned for next week on the beach, which feels very us. Delay now, celebrate somewhere tropical later.

Even with the packing chaos, we still had such a fun day with little Mads.

When Alison woke up, we did a little gift exchange. I gave her a cozy pink pullover with a subtle “Joy” design, and she gave me a beautiful cashmere sweater. Practical, thoughtful, and very us. The rest of the morning and early afternoon were filled with suitcases, packing cubes, sunscreen, and double-checking that we actually remembered Madeline’s pajamas. By mid-day we were in a pretty good spot.

After Madeline woke up from her nap, we headed downtown for a little family adventure. Our first stop was the iconic LOVE sculpture by Robert Indiana, newly installed outside the Utah Museum of Fine Arts at the University of Utah. It’s the same sculpture that used to live in New York City, and it was just installed here last week. It felt fitting to visit on Valentine’s Day.

We snapped a few family pictures with the bold red letters behind us. Madeline mostly wanted to run around and explore, but we managed to capture a few sweet moments. I love that she’ll grow up seeing art like this in our own city.

From there, we headed to one of our tried-and-true favorites: the Coffee Shop at Little America Hotel. It always slays. We were early, which meant we beat the dinner rush. Madeline does so well there. They bring her crayons, warm rolls that she devours, and the atmosphere is relaxed enough that we never feel stressed. There’s something nostalgic and comforting about that space for us. We’ve celebrated so many milestones there over the years, and now we get to bring Mads along.

After dinner, we headed over to City Creek Center to hang out for a bit. Madeline was completely enamored with the fountains. She could have stayed there all night watching the water dance.

At some point, we found ourselves inside Tiffany & Co.. They were especially welcoming of Madeline, which we appreciated. She loved running around and pressing her hands against the windows. We looked at a few rings but didn’t buy anything. I’m sure we’ll be back. And I’m equally sure we’ll be buying something shiny for Madeline before we know it.

Back at home, we put Madeline to bed and finished our final Hawaii preparations. There’s something sweet about a simple day like this. No big production. No elaborate plans. Just a little art, a favorite dinner spot, some fountain watching, and a lot of love.

Low key Valentine’s. Big excitement for what’s next.