Vickie and Win

There are countless ways to tell someone, "I love you." You can say it with a box of chocolates, a bouquet of roses, a sentimental card…or an unforgettable surprise!

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, Oprah's helping viewers across the country show their loved ones how much they care. These shockers will surely make their hearts aflutter.

First up are Vickie and her husband, Win. He thinks he's at The Oprah Show to make his wife's Valentine's Day wish come true, but Oprah's staff has something else in store.
Vickie plans a Valentine's surprise.

After nine years of marriage and the births of three children, Vickie wanted to give the love of her life the surprise of a lifetime. "Win is the biggest Patti LaBelle fan ever," she says. "He has all of her CDs. He knows all of her songs. … He even wanted to name our firstborn after her."

Vickie said Win loves singing along with Patti's albums, but as a Valentine's Day treat, she'd love for him to sing a duet with the music legend…live!

To keep the surprise a secret, Vickie told Win he's coming to Chicago to serenade her on national television, which isn't technically the truth.
Patti LaBelle sings 'If Only You Knew' with Win.

As Win takes the stage to sing "If Only You Knew," a song made famous by Patti LaBelle, his music idol waits for her cue backstage.

After singing the first verse solo, Win is joined onstage by Patti. Their duet brings Vickie to tears.

"Wow," Oprah says. "That was too fantastic."

When Oprah's producers first asked Patti to be a part of this surprise, she says she was overwhelmed by Win's admiration. "Somebody loved me so much that they wanted to name their baby, if it was a boy or a girl, Patti LaBelle," she says. "That's special."

Win says he heard Patti's voice before he saw her. "I heard her voice, and I'm thinking, 'Oh, man.' I didn't know what to think," he says. "[My wife] kind of sprang it on me that we have to come to Oprah. … I was really nervous."

As a special treat, Patti invites Win and Vickie to join her for dinner after the show. "Happy Valentine's Day to Vickie and Win," Oprah says. "This will be one you'll never forget."
Tiffany with her grandmother Helen

Couples aren't the only ones showing their love with special surprises. This year, Tiffany chose to honor someone who's given her unconditional love throughout her life.

Since she was 2 years old, Tiffany says she's spent almost every weekend with her grandparents. Memories of their camping trips, visits to historical sites and volunteer opportunities fill photo albums and journals.

In December 2007, Tiffany's grandfather died after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. He and Tiffany's grandmother Helen had been married for almost 60 years. "I always knew my grandma was extra special. She has six children, 15 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren—she loves us all," Tiffany says. After her grandfather's passing, Tiffany says it really hit home that her time with her grandmother would eventually come to an end. "You realize, and you're just so grateful for every moment."

The day after her grandfather's funeral, Tiffany says her grandmother returned to her volunteer work and cooked Christmas dinner for fellow churchgoers. Though she loves giving to others, Tiffany says her grandmother never asks for much in return. There is one thing, however, that she's always wanted.
Tiffany and Oprah surprise Helen with a Volkswagen New Beetle!

Helen thinks she's here for a show about grandparents and grandchildren, but that's not exactly true. "You're here because Tiffany wanted to let the whole world know how much she loves you," Oprah tells Helen.

Tiffany says her grandmother's love is a gift, and in return, she wanted to give her a present that shows how much she's appreciated. What's the one thing she's been dreaming of for 30 years? A shiny red Volkswagen New Beetle convertible!
Rand and Geraldine

In 2007, Rand, a bachelor from Seattle, set out to propose to his girlfriend of five years in a super way. "Geraldine is the love of my life because there's no other woman for me," he says. "I think we learn from each other, which is a remarkable thing, I think, [and] maybe a rare thing in a relationship, so I feel lucky."

Not content to propose over a candlelit dinner, Rand set his sights on the Super Bowl. He launched a website to raise the $2.5 million he'd need to buy advertising time during the big game.

Three months after the website went up, Rand disguised his identity and shared his story on Good Morning America. The publicity helped him raise $10,000, but he was still short of his goal. Undaunted, Rand landed a corporate sponsor to help him buy ad time.

One week before the Super Bowl, the ring was purchased and the proposal was set to go. Then, the corporate sponsor backed out. Rand had to come up with a new plan…fast.
Rand proposes to Geraldine.

Rand contacted The CW Television Network in Seattle, and they agreed to play his proposal video during Geraldine's favorite show, Veronica Mars .

When he appeared on the TV screen during a commercial break, cameras captured Geraldine's shocked expression. As she looked on, Rand spoke through the television and said, "The whole world, this is Geraldine. She is amazing in every way. For the last five years, we've spent the best parts of our lives together and made it through the tough times, too. I couldn't ask for anything more in my life than her love, and that's why I'm here today. Geraldine, will you marry me?"

Watch Geraldine's response to Rand's proposal. Watch

If the stunned expression on Geraldine's face is any indication, Rand's surprise was a success! "Oh my," she said. "Oh, my God. You want to get married? Yes!"
Rand and Geraldine

If friends and family hadn't intervened, Geraldine says she might have missed Rand's proposal. "I like to be in control of the remote when I'm watching my own show," she says. "I noticed that they kept taking the remote from me a lot that night, and I didn't really think anything of it."

Right before the video was scheduled to air, Geraldine says she grabbed the remote to fast-forward through commercials. Then, Rand popped up on the TV and the remote dropped out of her hand!

"When I first saw the video go up, it was kind of that confusion, that split second of, 'Oh, that guy looks a little bit like Rand,'" Geraldine says. "Then I thought, 'Was he recording an infomercial? Did he make like a local TV commercial?' Then, I saw [my] picture go up, and I was, like, 'Oh, wait a minute.' I think I was really close to just screaming."
Carolyn and Jim have romantic Valentine's Day dinners.

Carolyn says her 10-year marriage to Jim has been filled with romance. "He always plans a great Valentine's Day," she says. "That's his special day for me. Jim takes a lot of time and effort to plan a theme every year. We had everything from a sushi bar to he dresses in tuxedos and cooks live lobster. He's even made baked Alaska."

In addition to being a true romantic, Jim is also a biology teacher and is known as the Oprah Winfrey expert at his school. "We love all The Oprah Winfrey shows, but for Jim, the best Oprah Winfrey shows are with Dr. Oz because he can take all that interesting information to his students."

Since matters of the heart are Dr. Oz's specialty, he was happy to help Carolyn plan a big surprise for the love of her life.
Dr. Oz surprises Jim with Oprah Show tickets.

Jim thinks the cameras in his classroom are shooting a school video, but when Carolyn arrives, he knows something is up. She's brought along a special message to play…from Dr. Oz!

"I hear you're a big fan of The Oprah Show," Dr. Oz says. "In fact, you hardly ever miss an episode. I even heard that you played the show in the classroom. Your wife wanted to give you a really big Valentine's Day present. So guess what—you're coming to The Oprah Show!"

"I'm speechless," Jim says. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do or say. Oprah, you are too sneaky."
Carolyn and Jim

Jim says he uses Oprah shows that feature Dr. Oz to give his students a fun way to learn biology. "Dr. Oz is just so great at what I call 'edu-tainment,'" Jim says. "I teach seniors and juniors and sophomores, and I can't just give them this lecture material kind of dry and boring in the old way. I have to spice it up a lot."

For his dissection classes, Jim says he used clips of Dr. Oz showing what a healthy organ looks like versus one from a person who hasn't taken care of his body. "That shock value is so great for my students, and then I can really relate to them one-on-one," he says.

Just as in past years, Jim has already planned his special themed Valentine's Day dinner for Carolyn. "So this year, it was going to be a rock star theme, since she loves to be a rock star," he says. "I was going to clear out all the furniture in the house, get my guitar, get some lights."

Jim may want to put his plans on hold—there is one last surprise! Jim's principal has arranged for a substitute teacher, and Jim and Carolyn will be staying in Chicago for one more night so they can meet Dr. Oz in person. "That's fantastic," Jim says.
Tim surprises his wife, Carly, with Oprah Show tickets

One year ago, a blindfolded wife from New York stood clueless on The Oprah Show stage. She had no idea her husband had taken her all the way to Chicago for the Valentine's Day surprise of her life! After that show aired, Tim from Arizona sent an e-mail on behalf of husbands everywhere. "Dear Oprah, you really messed things up for us husbands," he joked.

Now, Tim is getting the chance to surprise his own sweetheart. After a quick stop at the florist, Tim delivers the big news to his wife, Carly. "I just wanted to let you know that you're going to The Oprah Show !"

It takes a few minutes, but Tim's surprise eventually sinks in. "Oh my God, it's the best Valentine's ever," Carly says.
Tim and Carly surprise three couples with tickets to the Oprah Show.

The fun didn't end there. Tim and Carly were told they could give three more men the opportunity to surprise their wives! Tim grabs the phone and tells his friends the big news. As the wives rush to Tim and Carly's for unknown reasons, they are greeted with Oprah Show cameras as Carly shouts, "We're going to Oprah!"

After shocking their friends with the news, the whole gang heads to Chicago."All I ever wanted was to get tickets to sit with all of them [in the audience]—and I'm sitting beside Oprah!" Carly says.
Oogy

Love comes in many different packages—even in the form of a loveable pet! For Larry and his family, love came in the form of a dog named Oogy. "Everyone who sees him loves him," Larry says. "You'd never know it from his background, but he's overcome tremendous adversity to get here."

When he was just a puppy, Larry says Oogy was living in a hell on earth. He was tied to a stake and used as bait for pit bulls in a dogfighting ring. "He'd been thrown in a cage and left to die, and the police raided the facility," Larry says. "He was brought to Ardmore Animal Hospital, and they saved him."

Dr. Bianco, a veterinarian, says Oogy was still a puppy when he first treated the dog's severe damage. "He basically had the side of his face ripped off, his jaw was crushed, his skull was damaged," he says. "He's lucky to be alive."

Larry and his twin boys were at the vet to drop off their cat when Oogy walked down the hall…and right into their hearts. "He looked like part of him had melted," Larry says. "But he just covered us with kisses. It's like he didn't know that anything bad had happened to him—he was just full of love. He jumped in our arms."

When Larry found out the dog didn't belong to anyone, he asked Dr. Bianco if he could adopt him. "I couldn't believe my good luck," Larry says. "That's how I felt about this dog right from the start."
Oogy and Dan

Oogy was given a loving home, but he still had an agonizing road to recovery. A second major surgery was necessary to rebuild Oogy's face and put an end to his chronic pain. "I think that every day my family tries to atone for what happened to Oogy. He's been through the worst imaginable horrors, and we feel very lucky because of what he gives back to us—an immeasurable amount of devotion and love."

Larry's twin sons, Noah and Dan, have something special in common with Oogy—they were also adopted. " I'm sure when our parents adopted us, I hope it was one of the greatest days of their lives. And I know in my life, my experience when we adopted [Oogy], it was one of the greatest days of my life," Dan says.

"I think that Oogy symbolizes to people the indomitable survivor that they see in themselves," Larry says. "And that there is love on the other side of adversity."
Oogy with his family

In order to get to Chicago, Larry drove 15 hours with Oogy so he wouldn't be confined in a crate inside an airplane. "Oogy associates being in a crate with having his ear torn off, and I could not afford to have him endure that," Larry says.

The Levin family says he might not be the prettiest dog, but Oogy's brought them more love than they could ever imagine. At first, however, Larry's wife, Jennifer says she was reluctant to bring the dog home. "I was really scared that he would bite, and he had a history of abuse, so I was afraid he would be violent," she says. After hearing Dr. Bianco attest to his good nature, Jennifer allowed Oogy into their home, and he's been a beloved family member ever since.

Noah and Dan say Oogy has changed their lives in many different ways. "You don't think you can love just in that way until you meet a dog like Oogy," Noah says.

Although Noah and Dan will be off to college soon, Larry plans to make sure Oogy still gets plenty of attention. "One of the things I want to do for Oogy is train him to work with kids and take him to kid's hospitals, because I think he'll be an inspiration to young kids who are facing a lot of adversity," Larry says.
Dogs up for adoption

If your heart's been touched this Valentine's Day and you'd like a little Oogy of your own, there are animals available for adoption in shelters across this country. Remember, taking a pet home is a huge responsibility, so make sure you have the time and resources before making the commitment.

"It's a huge commitment to be a dog owner because it's adding another member to your family. But if you decide that that's what you want to do, they give a lot of love," Oprah says.

Find out more about adopting a pet.