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Celebrate love every day, not just Feb. 14

| February 14, 2018 12:00 AM

My first Valentine was my dad, and throughout my life, he never failed to give a card or candy to his daughters. There were the pretty decorated Valentine shoe boxes in elementary school — where classmates had great fun exchanging heart candy and handmade cards.

It’s fun to receive candy and flowers and enjoy a nice dinner out, but I’ve come to really value being loved 365 days out of the year. On Valentine’s Day 1986, my husband arrived in Idaho from North Dakota to take a giant leap of faith to marry me and my three daughters a month later. He left his family and lifelong friends to make a life and a home here where I had family and lifelong friends.

For 32 years Valentine’s Day has held a special meaning for me. So celebrate love however it appears in your life. Celebrate today and every day if you’re blessed to be loved.

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Friday night was the last regular season home game for the Post Falls Trojan boys basketball team so it was Senior Night, honoring the senior players. The eight senior athletes are also pretty good students, collectively earning a 3.9 GPA for their four years of high school.

In the stands it was senior night as well for a trio of old friends, my husband Bert, Wade McLean and Larry Alexander. Our kids went all through elementary, junior high and senior high together, graduating in 1995. We don’t see Larry often since he now lives in Harrison. I must say it was a kick to see these “seniors” exchanging contact information on their old-school flip phones. It’s a guy thing ... an old guy thing. :)

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Things to Do: Friday, Steel Magnolias opens at Lake City Playhouse and runs through March 4.

Mardi Gras Krewe d’Alene at The Resort Plaza Shops, 5:30 to 10 p.m. on Saturday. The Coeur d’Alene Arts and Culture Alliance brings the best of New Orleans to downtown Coeur d’Alene. www.artsandculturecda.org.

Also on Saturday the Coeur d’Alene Skate Park fundraiser at the Hagadone Event Center, 6-11:30 p.m.

On Sunday the 21st Annual Frosty Bunz Run, 9:30 a.m. at Lawrence’s Motorcycles in Coeur d’Alene, ride ends at Curly’s Hauser Lake.

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Happy Valentine’s Day birthday today to LaDonna Beaumont, Don James, Jason Hayes, Tripp Rogers, Jan McDaniels, Susan DuBois, Sarah Hansen, David Lunceford, Jean Bledsoe, Mike Shepperd, Kaelyn Bingham and Sarah Schell. Feb. 15 is a special occasion for Joe Dollefeld (70!), Jeff Conroy, Linda Jagars, Mindy Hatcher, Tracy Dickinson, Craig Smith, Art Sullivan, Sandi Hall and Donna Montgomery.

On Friday Stephanie Smith, Paula Rehrmann, Tom Thompson, Diana Farquhar, Adam Averill, Craig Bronson, Deanna Goodlander (80!), Morgan Dickinson, Bruce English, Quinn Kennedy (13!), and Jim Wilson (60!) take another trip around the sun. Saturday’s birthday revelers are Mike Kennedy, Dorene Russell, Dewey Berndt, Helen Pischner, Lisa Ortize, Steve Mills, Don DuBois, Chuck Ethridge, Leslie Anne Spencer and Mary Button.

Big birthday wishes on Sunday to Jill Monroe, Howard Gould, Steve Shepperd, Susie Bingham, Pershia Moser, Abbie Nowland and Diana Raugust. Celebrating birthdays on Monday are Amy Boni, Teri Nipp, Rebekah Newbry, Samantha Kraack, Helga Wernicke, Julia Jaworski and Rob Colvin. Ron Ouren, Maycie Goodlander, Barb Eveland, Phil Romans and Jared White were born on Feb. 20.

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Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press and Kerri can be contacted on Facebook or via email mainstreet@cdapress.com. Follow her on Twitter @kerrithoreson.