Category: Share your Love

Set your heart aflutter with our series “Love Stories,” which features unique couples whose tales will inspire you to celebrate and #ShareYourLoveStory this Valentine’s Day. This love story features all-star third baseman Justin Turner and his wife, Kourtney.

Baseball star Justin Turner took a swing during a chance meeting with Kourtney Pogue nearly a decade ago. And the result was far from a strikeout.

The flame-haired third baseman was still a struggling young player with New York when he met Kourtney at a 2012 event in Los Angeles and immediately charmed the UCLA student.

“It wasn’t really my scene, and I was ready to go home when he approached me and said, ‘Come have a drink with me and relax,'” Kourtney remembers of their first encounter. They spent the rest of the night deep in conversation and went their own ways not knowing whether they’d ever meet again. She lived in LA and he was anchored in the Big Apple.

“But I got a call a couple of days later, and he invited me to hang out at his parents’ house in LA — which I thought was a big step,” Kourtney recalls.

“It was totally crazy and unscripted,” Justin agrees.

And they’ve been a team ever since.

Beating the odds

Still, the travel demands of the superstar’s baseball career would be tough on any new couple, but Justin knew what he had with Kourtney and made it a point to go out of his way to convince her how special she was to him.

“I was still in New York and Kourt was here in LA, so we spent a lot of time on Facetime…and I used flowers to let her know I was excited to see her.”

The small, but thoughtful gesture scored big with Kourtney.

“Something that seemed as simple as a flower delivery went a long way with me,” she admits. “Going through that long-distance separation early made us so much stronger.”

Luckily, Justin would sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2014 season, where he would blossom into an All-Star, leading the team to the World Series three times and becoming a champion in 2020.

Justin and Kourtney also celebrated their own triumph with a romantic, storybook wedding, officiated by legendary Los Angeles pitcher Orel Hershiser, in beautiful San Jose del Cabo in Mexico in 2017.

Meanwhile, Kourtney had become a successful actress and businesswoman in her own right and the demands of their schedules would continue to keep them apart for weeks at a time — making their romantic moments too few and far between.

Finding their sweet spot

As a result, they have made Valentine’s a special day for each other. Both say they spend the holiday to show how much they mean to each other.

“It kind of signifies the end of the offseason before he goes back into his crazy schedule,” Kourtney says. “So, Valentine’s Day is a benchmark date for us where we celebrate the offseason, the start of the new season — and our marriage.

“It’s become one of my favorite days of the year.”

And though he spends half the year chasing another championship with his team, Justin shares his wife’s sentimental affection for the landmark lovers’ holiday.

“Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to send a reminder to people you care about to let them know you’re thinking about them and you love them,” he says. “I think everyone needs that reminder. It’s a better time than ever.”

Says Kourtney: “I think a lot of people maybe shy away from it, but we like to lean into it. It’s just the little gestures, getting flowers, going to dinner. We can always use another reason to get out and celebrate each other.”

This year, the guy who mans the hot corner for the Dodgers made sure to reaffirm his commitment to Kourtney by surprising her with flowers to commemorate their courtship and marriage.

Set your heart aflutter with our series “Love Stories,” which features unique couples whose tales will inspire you to celebrate and #ShareYourLoveStory this Valentine’s Day. This love story shows a couple’s devotion despite distance and life’s challenges.

While absence may make the heart grow fonder, it’s not easy. Brandon Reyes and Jonathan Calixto can testify to that: They’ve been doing the long-distance-relationship shuffle for four years now.

Ironically, Brandon had just accepted a job and moved to Virginia when he met New York City-based Jonathan through a dating app. He was back in Manhattan visiting grad school friends when he happened on Jonathan’s profile, and they arranged to meet up.

While the initial attraction was physical based on their photos on the app — “His smile was very infectious,” Jonathan says — they quickly realized they were perfect together. “The conversation was so natural,” Brandon says about that first meeting. “We found we shared so many interests just talking.”

Celebrating differences

Brandon is a forensic scientist, and Jonathan is a freelance editor and host who covers all things fashion and LGBTQ. “We’re like polar opposites,” Brandon says. “We’re yin and yang, but we mesh really well together.”

He says they are both passionate about their careers and admire that in each other: “We both respect our hustle, our drive to be successful.”

Working from home meant they could travel between Virginia and New York to be with each other every now and then when their work schedules allowed. And that mix of being apart and together, they say, was a silver lining. “Quarantine was a make or break for many couples,” Jonathan says, “but it allowed us to be creative, to connect on a different level.”

That’s not to say there weren’t challenges, though, having to inhabit the same small apartment. Jonathan recalls recording an interview at home and asking Brandon to be quiet for a few minutes. The next thing he knew, Brandon was vacuuming, saying he was bored…

For his part, Brandon says, “We learned that we cannot live in a one-bedroom apartment!”

Keeping the spark alive

When they are apart, the pair make an effort to keep their relationship fresh. They arrange virtual date nights, order food for each other, and then have dinner together, watch favorite shows at the same time, and send cards and care packages as well as little gifts. “These are all just another way to get to know each other,” Jonathan says.

A united front

Their love for each other has strengthened them not only individually but as a couple as well. One powerful example: Each felt comfortable telling family members that he was gay once he had the committed support of his partner. “Being with Jonathan gave me the courage to finally open up with my family about my sexuality and my relationship status,” Brandon says.

Jonathan agrees: “While I had come out to my parents during my collegiate years, I never came out to my cousins, who are like siblings to me because we grew up together.” After he and Brandon had been dating for a year, he told them he was gay in a group chat about planning his birthday brunch and that he was inviting his boyfriend to celebrate with them.

“I let them know that if they felt uncomfortable and didn’t want to attend anymore, I totally understood,” Jonathan explains. “Immediately, everyone responded with support and celebrated Brandon and me, even without meeting him. I realize now that it was the bond Brandon and I had formed in a short time that made me comfortable to come out to the rest of my family, knowing I had his support, no matter what.”

The couple wants to build on that bond and continue to strengthen their relationship, and they are hopeful they’ll get to do that soon in closer proximity to each other. Brandon is searching for a job in the Northeast, so they are looking forward to enjoying life together — in person and all the time — before too long.

The series “Valentine’s Day for All” showcases ideas for celebrating the holiday with those who are important to you, not just romantic partners. In this article, learn why Valentine’s Day for all is a great opportunity to broaden the scope of the holiday so no one feels excluded on Feb. 14. 

We all know the drill: On Feb. 14, couples exchange cards and Valentine’s Day flowers or candy and maybe a gift, and those not in a romantic relationship applaud on the sidelines. Then, maybe the couple goes out to eat, and the rest of us treat the day like any other. Say it’s a married couple with children — when mom and dad head out, the babysitter comes in, and the kids attend to their homework, watch TV, play video games or go to bed. It’s no holiday for them at all.

Share the love with all

We have a better idea: “All-in-tine’s Day.” Put the emphasis on the “All,” meaning everyone gets to celebrate! Jacqueline deMontravel, Petal Talk’s senior editor has been joyfully celebrating this twist on the holiday for years. “I started doing this when I had my son, because when you have children, that’s your focus, and all your love goes into it,” she says. “Now, we have a blended family, with four kids total ranging from 11 to 22, and we all have so much fun with it. No one is left out.”

Adds deMontravel, “There are all kinds of love in the world to celebrate. People have been missing out on a golden opportunity.”

The real roots of Valentine’s Day

The truth is, Valentine’s Day was originally closer to the spirit of a Valentine’s Day for everyone.

While the holiday appears to have begun with one or more Christian martyrs named St. Valentine who lived around 270 AD, it didn’t emerge as a romantic holiday until about the 14th century; some attribute it to Geoffrey Chaucer’s poem The Parlement of Foules, which connected the day with romance.

People first started exchanging cards around this time. However, the cards were not limited to couples. Some historians say that Valentine’s Day cards emerged from the German tradition of friendship cards (Freundschaftskarten) that friends exchanged on New Year’s Day, birthdays, and other anniversaries.

“If you read St. Valentine, he seemed to appreciate a broader sense of sharing love,” says Richard Beltramini, Ph.D., co-editor of Gift Giving: A Research Anthology.

In the 18th century, Europeans and Americans began exchanging friendship cards on Valentine’s Day, and the practice increased in the mid-19th century, as printing technology improved and expanded the market. Consumers in Europe and the U.S. could choose from a wide selection of valentines for a variety of people, not just lovers.

“We should inject a modicum of sincerity into it, as was his intent,” adds Beltramini, professor emeritus of marketing and global supply chain management at Wayne State University in Detroit.

Back to Valentine’s Day origins

In some ways, modern Valentine’s Day has already started moving in the direction of those historic roots.

“I feel Valentine’s Day is becoming more and more all-inclusive, so having a holiday called All-in-tine’s Day makes perfect sense,” says Julie Kenney, founder and president of The Gifting Experts, a company that creates gift bags for celebrity and charity events. “For example, classmates often celebrate Valentine’s Day by handing out cards and valentines to one another in the classroom.”

She also points to how “Galentine’s Day,” which is when gal friends get together on Feb. 13, has become increasingly popular. “It is a great idea psychologically to make the holiday more all-inclusive so that other members of your family and your friends don’t feel left out and can celebrate with you.”

Valentine’s Day for everyone is universal

There are no feelings of insecurity or loneliness with Valentine’s Day for all. You can feel part of something and not dwell on your relationship status.

“I give a great big huge yes to this,” says writer/artist Deanna Washington, author of The Language of Gifts. “When all the gender-based and other boundaries to love are being taken down, the idea of Valentine’s Day for everyone is perfect.

“When I was a girl, we practiced the essence of this in the younger grades, with everyone buying valentines for all; it was a day of friendship,” she says. “Everyone got to feel good.”

As the years progressed and she got older, she recalls, the holiday segregated to just boyfriends/girlfriends and husband/wives.

“It made Valentine’s Day one more day when single people could feel isolated and lonely, just two months after Christmas, a period that was already a tough time for many. I think it is high time for us all to become like children on this special day, so everyone gets to feel the high vibe,” Washington says. “It gives us all a way to acknowledge one another, saying ‘Hey, I’m glad you are part of my life. I appreciate you.'”

A reason to reconnect with each other

And Valentine’s Day for all is not just about how we feel, but how we can connect with others. It celebrates love in all its forms.

“A secular holiday where we can all show our love and appreciation of others in our lives is a wonderful, important idea,” adds Mark Williams, Ph.D., professor of cognitive neuroscience at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. “The distraction and separation caused by COVID and our overuse of smartphones and other devices mean we are less connected to each other than we used to be.”

Breaking up the year with specific times to stop, reflect, and appreciate one another, showing we care and celebrate with one another, could create greater connections and inclusivity across society, he believes. “It’s so badly needed,” he says. “It could have great psychological benefits for all of us, and the important chemicals released in our brain when we receive love and appreciation from others could have numerous health benefits as well.”

Set your heart aflutter with our series “Love Stories,” which features unique couples whose tales will inspire you to celebrate and #ShareYourLoveStory this Valentine’s Day. This story tells the tale of two inseparable friends who celebrate their love for each other on Galentine’s Day and every other day. #ShareYourLoveStory

Bhaavika Gaddam and Winnie Wang hit it off right away. They met almost three years ago while studying acting at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles, and they have been pretty much inseparable since.

Gaddam and Wang originally connected because they were the only two girls of Asian descent in class, and they celebrated that by bonding over food. They would cook Indian and Taiwanese favorite foods for each other and learn more about their cultures. They are also both a year older than their classmates, and they believe that helped to cement their firm friendship as well.

Why Galentine’s Day works

Both Winnie and Bhaavika love the idea of Galentine’s Day, a celebration of female friendships that’s marked every Feb. 13. The holiday burst to the forefront when the Leslie Knope character in the TV show Parks and Recreation expressed her trademark enthusiasm for it and carried her friends along for the ride.

For their part, Bhaavika and Winnie use Galentine’s Day as an excuse to dress up and go out together, though they admit that the COVID-19 pandemic has modified their plans for this year somewhat. All things being equal, they were planning to invite a couple more friends to join the festivities this year.

An easy friendship

They are also quick to point out that even though they have now graduated and live 15 minutes apart instead of just across the street, theirs is a 365-day friendship. That means hanging out watching favorite shows together, or meeting up with two other close friends to try out a new dessert spot or catch the latest movie. It’s an easy, comfortable friendship that doesn’t need any bells and whistles or work.

“Having same-gender friends is very important,” says Bhaavika, “because we can celebrate each other and be there to support each other.” She adds, “Women just know how women function.”

Set your heart aflutter with our series “Love Stories,” which features unique couples whose tales will inspire you to celebrate and #ShareYourLoveStory this Valentine’s Day. This love story begins in the game room, but it grows quickly beyond their shared passion for video games.

Antonio Gordon first spotted Tatyani Lawton across a crowded room. No, their eyes didn’t meet, and there were no cartoon hearts blipping and flashing. She was too busy smoking competitors playing Antonio’s favorite video game. He was impressed.

Now, two years on, they are seniors: Lawton is majoring in graphic design, and Gordon is studying English and will be embarking on his master’s.

“We still play video games,” he says. “It’s a good way to connect when we’re not together.”

Gordon describes their relationship as “simple.” He quickly adds, “That might sound boring to some people, but it isn’t. I love how she sees me for who I am and allows me to be myself. It’s hard to find someone that accepting.”

Family bonding

Lawton explains that she really felt close to Gordon when she saw him with his relatives. “What drew me to Antonio was when I met his family and I was able to see a different side of him versus him at school with everyone else,” she says, “and I really loved that.”

“Our relationship isn’t perfect — we do have arguments and disagreements, but we always remember that communication is key,” she says. It’s clear that they are content to save the drama for the video games.

“Being that we are not always around each other, we play games online to stay connected,” Lawton says, “as well as watching movies together.”

Set your heart aflutter with our series “Love Stories,” which features unique couples whose tales will inspire you to celebrate and #ShareYourLoveStory this Valentine’s Day. This love story begins at a football game and a quick smooch on the kiss cam.

Sonia Debreczeni and Chaz Riddle were caught on the kiss cam at a football game in Baltimore five years ago. “I looked at her, she gave me the OK, and I kissed her,” Chaz explains. “It was a little flirty,” Sonia adds, smiling. Chaz says he has no idea why the camera operator settled on them, “But thanks, pal!”

They both agree that it was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Sonia gave Chaz her number, and he texted her later to set up the first date.

Sometimes people go looking for love, but other times it just sneaks up and taps you on the shoulder. And of course, it’s this unpredictability that makes romance both nail-biting and, well, fun. On this occasion, Chaz was there as a football fan, while Sonia just showed up for the atmosphere — a friend had given her a free ticket.

When the kiss cam brought them together in front of the whole stadium that day, the couple, who had both been married previously, were living 30 miles apart, in Virginia and Maryland. Chaz planned out their date at the beach, starting with chocolates in the car for when he picked her up. “Yes, he seduced me with chocolate!” Sonia says with a laugh. “No,” Chaz corrects, “I wooed her with chocolate….”

When he took a kite out of the trunk and watched Sonia running on the beach with it and having fun, he says “sparks were confirmed.” He says that was the moment when he thought, “I could spend my life with this woman.”

For her part, Sonia says, “I felt like a teenager on a date!”

They shared some toasts to the future, and Chaz says it felt like “the first meeting never really ended.”

Perfect match

Family and friends were delighted with the match too, though Chaz reports that one of his friends did ask what Sonia saw in him, saying she was way out of his league. “I told him, ‘If I’d kissed you, you’d know!'”

Now they live in Chaz’s house in Maryland. “I crossed the river,” Sonia says. They still go to football games and love to travel, and Chaz built a horseshoe pit complete with tiki torches for when they’re relaxing at home.

“He’s the most thoughtful, caring, very sentimental man,” Sonia says. “It’s a very beautiful thing, especially when he looks for a card or a present, as it comes from the heart.”

“Sonia wears her heart on her sleeve,” Chaz says. “I know exactly what she’s thinking by looking at her face.”

For Valentine’s Day they always go for dinner somewhere they feel comfortable, and Chaz says he buys chocolates and gives her flowers. “He also bakes brownies,” Sonia says. “He’s a closet baker! One year he hand-cut them into heart shapes!”