February is a month of romance. Yes, there is one day in particular associated with love and lust. But the entire month is a sweet, tentative marriage between winter and spring, the first delicate blush of blooms and sun and fresh air amidst bursts of fiercely cold rain and snow. When I think of February, I think of pinks and reds and purples, of love and lust and romance and wintry sunrises. I think of lingerie, flickering candles, beautiful words, but also of a time to peer into spring from the last gasp of winter and prepare for what's ahead. This month I started (a little late, I suppose) planning for what is to come in 2014. I bought a beautiful planner from local San Francisco artist Julia Kostreva, where I've been setting my life in ink rather than digital words that disappear amidst a sea of apps on a little screen. For the romance portion of the month, I've given my sleeping attire a much-needed adult update and invested in a black silk nightgown, indulged in a rather large Voluspa cut glass jar candle from Anthropologie, and read the inspired love poems of Pablo Neruda. And then there are the shoes - the perfect pair of black booties, which drove me an hour out of the way on my recent trip to LA to pick up the last pair of 6 1/2s in all of California. February was a good month for some quality shopping.