Cupid is calling. Valentine's Day is Sunday and guys across the nation are scrambling to pick out the right gift.
This weekend will surely be filled with coupled activities: the romantic candlelit meal, the girl dragging her boyfriend to see "Dear John," the whimsical weekend getaway. Thankfully, it's not just the couples who get to celebate Valentine's Day. "I'm taking two friends to the beach this weekend," said Paige Monfore, junior in biomedical sciences. "We're just going to relax, get manicures and pedicures and hangout." Monfore said this weekend was a perfect time to get away and just be with friends.
"We are each other's valentines this year," Monfore said.
Maggie McAlary, sophomore in communication, said she too will be spending this Valentine's Day with friends.
"It doesn't bother me," McAlary said.
"My parents always send me flowers, and I send them candy." McAlary said she sees Valentine's Day as a time to be with loved ones and an excuse
toeatchocolate. "I'm going to give all of my friends 'Hello Kitty' valentines with Dove chocolates in them," McAlary said. Rachel Cooper, sophomore in business management, said she does not have a date for this Valentine's Day, so she will pick a friend with whom to share the Valentine romance.
"I will probably share a gift and some love with a close friend Sunday," Cooper said.
Cooper also said she is doing something special for her family this Valentine's Day.
"I'm sending my family a letter with little letters inside for each of them," she said. "I really miss them, and Valentine's Day is supposed to be a time to show people that you love them."
Cooper said she currently has no boyfriend, so she has to use her good Valentine's ideas on her friends and family instead. Couples will be going all out for this Valentine's Day as well. Joey Palazzolo, junior in criminology, said he is going to cook a big meal for his girlfriend Saturday night.
"I'm Italian. It's natural for me to cook for her," Palazzolo said.
Palazzolo said he will make a salad with fresh greens, some sort of pasta dish with garlic bread and a cake for dessert.
"My girlfriend will probably help me bake the cake," Palazzolo said. "But, I want to prepare the rest on my own. I want her to relax and enjoy."
Palazzolo said his Valentine's Day plans are not a surprise for his girlfriend.
But, Katie Breedlove, senior in marketing, said she will be surprised this Feb. 14.
"I have no idea what we're doing, but I am excited," Breedlove said. "My boyfriend and I will have been dating nine months on Valentine's Day, so I hope we can celebrate it well."
Breedlove said she loves surprises, especially on romantic holidays like Valentine's Day.
"Even just a nice dinner and some roses is a great surprise in my eyes," Breedlove said.
On this holiday, some guys get creative to impress their gals. "My boyfriend got us
a couples massage for Christmas," said Mallory Kolpin, junior in elementary education.
But Kolpin said her boyfriend made this gift suspenseful.
"When I opened the present, he wouldn't tell me when he scheduled the massages," Kolpin said. "He told me today that they are for the day before Valentine's Day and after he is going to take me out for dinner."
Kolpin said she was impressed with her boyfriend's plan.
"It meant a lot more than a box of chocolates or a stuffed animal," she said. "I loved it."
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