#fotostrap

1. Now that you have your gifts, what do you think?

Jeff: The camera strap is super comfortable and will keep my camera safe on my shoulder while wandering around the city or the hills. Plus, with my monogrammed initials, I'll be able to tell it apart from other people's hand-me-down cameras from their mothers. Seriously though, it's a great strap and will be with me for a long, long time. 

Jen: This bag... is the best bag. I mean it. I'm always carrying around the bulkiest things like oversized hardcover books and my computer and my journal and delicious snacks and a football because what if we want to play catch – you know, the essentials – and this bag can accommodate it all. Plus, it smells really good. Upsettingly good. 

2. You’re staying in for Valentine’s Day and cooking, what’s on the menu? Who’s cooking? Any family secret recipes?

Jeff: We recently returned from Montana with elk and salmon in tow, so we'd probably have one of those with Jen at the helm for that part of the meal. I'd take on the sides: chard or Brussels sprouts and probably some bread. Or maybe we'd just make tacos and call it a day. Either way, homemade cocktails are definitely in order. No secret family recipes will be wielded in this endeavor. 

Jen: Elk steaks! Nothing says love like an elk steak. I guess we'd also get down with some supporting actor vegetable like brussels sprouts. And a strong bourbon-based cocktail. We'd both be cooking, because that's way more fun. I can't think of any secret family recipes... we mostly rely on cookbooks and the good ol' Internet.

3. There’s a lot of skepticism around Valentine’s Day and its true purpose, how can we make it more meaningful?

Jeff: I think Valentine's Day can be mistaken as The One Day Each Year You Tell Someone You Love Him/Her. So I think it's important to remember that: A. there are 364 other days to tell (and show!) people that you love them; and B. there are people other than your spouse/partner/(boy/girl)friend/crush/etc. in your life that you love. Like your family. And your friends. Don't forget to tell them how much they mean to you. 

Jen: We should get past the notion that this holiday is built around romantic partnerships. Valentine's Day can serve as a lovely reminder to appreciate all of the important humans in your life: your partner, friends, family, dentist, any old body. We were best at celebrating V-Day when we were in elementary school and awkwardly distributed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cards to every single person in our universe. We should bring that back.

Thank you Jen and Jeff! You are the best.