Friday Favorites

Happy Valentine's Day! It may be some people's favorite holiday to hate on, but, come on, it's a day to celebrate love! I love love! What better thing can you possibly think of to celebrate?

I think the cynics like to conveniently forget how many types of love there are. Romantic love tends to take the spotlight today, but there is love among families, in friendships, for oneself, for others in the form of charity and, if I can be spiritual for a moment, there is the love God has for all of us. Think about it; love is at the base of almost all relationships. So, I am sharing just a few of my favorite (fictional) relationships from one of my many loves....TV:)

Couples

1. Tami and Coach Eric Taylor from Friday Night Lights.

Source

 Swoon. I wasn't interested in watching a football-themed show in the first place, so I think Jared tried to pique my interest by telling me some famous critic or something had said this marriage was the best portrayal of a marriage he'd ever seen on TV, and I know a lot of people have said that. Well, I finally caved in and fell in love with the show - seriously, it's amazing - but most of all, I fell in love with this couple. Is it possible to have a couple crush? They truly show the day-in and day-out ups and downs of marriage and what it really means to support and sacrifice for your spouse. W.O.W. 

2. Chuck and Blair from Gossip Girl. 

Source

I realize this is kind of an odd pick as one of my top favorites, considering all the legendary couples TV has created. They could only ever deserve each other because of their truly awful, scheming personalities, but as a couple, they cast a spell on you. Again . . . couple crush?

3. Nathan and Haley from One Tree Hill.

Source
Haley's wedding vow: "Nathan, it's been said that there is one word that will free us from the weight and pain of life. And, that word is love, and I believe that. It doesn't mean that it hasn't been hard or that it won't be. It just means that I found a stillness and bravery in myself with you. You make me brave and I will love you until the end of time."

 Is there anything the show's creators didn't put this beautiful, wonderful couple through? Watching them fall in love and then stay in and fight for love through multiple rough patches is magical.

Friendships

1. Ann and Leslie from Parks and Recreation.

Source

  Best friendship ever. No cattiness, no drama - just true admiration and support between two strong females. And Leslie gives the best compliments.

Source

2. Will and Grace from Will and Grace.

Source

  Unconditional love at its finest, they saw each other through the best and worst of times. I read a review once that called it "both magical and suffocating," and I think that sums it up pretty well.

3. Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha from Sex and the City. 

Source

 You don't often form friendships this strong (or maybe that's just me), but what a beautiful thing to at least strive for. I love the blunt honesty they shared and the fact that there was never any doubt that no matter what any one of them went through, she could always count on the others to stand beside her. 

Self-Love

1. Samantha  - again from Sex and the City. 

Source

Selfish or true self-realization? Either way, at least she's honest. One thing to learn from Samantha is that it's never OK to feel like you have to change who you are to win the approval of someone else - especially a man (or woman).

2. Jess from New Girl.

Source

 Whether she's singing to herself or blurting out something that makes an awkward situation even more awkward, she knows who she is, and she's not afraid of what anyone thinks. The way she embraces her weirdness and her faults is beyond charming - it's inspiring.

3. Kate McKinnon from SNL.

Source

 OK, so she's a real person who plays several characters, but she absolutely kills it every time, and you can't put yourself out there the way she does without major self confidence. Girl crush alert! She is simply the best.

Celebrate love this weekend!