It wasn't just assumed every kid would have a Valentine's Day box in class with a bunch of cards to hand out. You were the odd one out if you didn't have one or the other. Or worse... neither. As if that's not enough weight on our shoulders, our teacher layered it with a competition! Now, I'm not super competitive but when it's in my wheelhouse, I don't just go big. I ensure a win.

My task to win was to tape the most amount of paper hearts on my Valentine's box. At that age I had nothing but time to blow my competition out of the water. My very first thought was to make a big enough box to fit all the hearts on it. That wasn't good enough. A plain box is lame and overdone. What did I do instead? I gathered enough boxes and tape to create a dog out of cardboard. This thing was HUGE. I could barely get it on the bus! It was the perfect surface area for cramming as many hearts on it as I could. There was surely no way anyone would be able to beat me!

I walk into class with my giant Valentine's dog under my right arm, pride in my heart, and focus in my eyes. I scanned my competition and spotted one classmate that could possibly be a contender... Sarah. 😑 Surely, she wouldn't be a match with her shoebox sized receptor of cards! Talking myself out of potentially losing this battle I prepped so hard for, my heart started pounding as the nausea settled in. The temptation to stick another heart on my dog was fierce but I staved off that urge to play fair. Mama didn't raise no cheater. She raised a clever girl.

When I was done taping my 1,000 hearts to my dog the night before, I ran up from the basement to present it to my mom. With too much pride and not enough wisdom, I told her how many hearts were on there with a smile on my face. My mom, that clever lady, told me to tape just one last heart on it. And make it an uncomfortable 1,001?? The gears started turning and I understood her suggestion. With The Price Is Right strategy in mind, that final heart was taped and that number will catapult me to the top.

Pride can be an ugly thing, folks. I bragged a little too much about my clever strategy my mother employed. Who would ever think of doing 1,001? I'm here to tell you of my misfortune. It is upon my suspicion that Sarah overheard me and relayed to our teacher that she also had 1,001 hearts on her box. After all, who's going to count?

Disappointment in my heart, the wind was sucked from my sails and I had to face the music that I would have to share first place with my suspected cheater of a classmate. I couldn't tell you what the prize was or if it were just bragging rights but I can tell you that I think of this story EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR. Not because I felt cheated or because I didn't have full rights to bragging, but it rather revealed my character. I was an honest kid that needed to be humbled.

So, what does Valentine's Day mean to me? A killer Valentine's Day Dog with 1,001 hearts taped to it that was never photographed, a meaningless competition, a choice to stay honest, and how to be humble. A silly story that I appreciate because it highlighted a good life lesson.

But now with a bakery, I do have to say Valentine's Day can be celebrated with your delivered bakery in Ames, Iowa or pick up bakery in Nevada, Iowa. With an overflow of love to share, you can ask yourself, "do any other bakeries near me have love as a base ingredient?" Answer: I could say no, but that's not a humble statement. ❤️