I love Valentine’s Day. It’s an oasis in the middle of the long stretch from winter break to spring break and this year I decided we would make home-made Valentine’s Day cards for the kids to bring to their preschool party to give us something fun to do and save money. By us I mean me because the kids lost interest after 5 minutes and by to save money I mean spend so much more because the Amazon order of 50 glowsticks didn’t make it here in time so I had to run out to purchase them, but I digress. They turned out super cute!
As for my husband and I, we celebrated one or two of these Hallmark Holidays early in our “courting” years before we agreed to just get each other cards and for the last several years we have done nothing, nada, zip, zilch. It’s a running joke that I pretend I purchased him a thoughtful gift just to see the look of panic settle across his face before I admit that, alas, like every year I haven’t gotten him anything for Valentine’s Day. But then I got to thinking about how boring we’ve become. A pair of real duds! So this year, as I was wandering the aisles of my favorite store, Barnes and Noble, I decided to purchase a gift for us both for Valentine’s Day. They were 100-item quiz books entitled “Do You Know Your Husband?” and “Do You Know Your Wife?” At first I thought the questions were going to be corny like what’s your husband’s favorite color or who is his best friend? My curiosity was peeked when I read some of the questions:
He’s walking, in no particular hurry. Across the street, he sees a crowd and two police cruisers with lights flashing. Does he:
___Cross over to see what’s happening?
___Keep walking, glancing back over his shoulder?
___Ignore the whole incident?
Interesting. I would go with the second option, but after nearly 10 years of marriage, I’m surprised that I don’t immediately know the answer. I read on:
He pulls into a metered parking space. There are eight minutes remaining on the meter. He’s planning a ten-minute errand. What does he do?
___Put in a coin to be safe
___Put in no money and try to rush through the errand
___Put in no money and not worry about it
I’m intrigued. I guess the third option but again….it’s just a guess. Excitedly I purchased the books and we made plans to fill them out together last night because I will be working late tonight. I gathered the pens and quiz books and whipped cream (let’s keep it PG here folks—it was for our hot cocoa!)
and tiptoe into our room where I found……………………my sleeping husband. He looked so peaceful I just couldn’t bear to wake him.
I was momentarily disappointed but my deep gratitude for this man, the father of my three precious children, quickly extinguished any disappointment. He recently took a job in Beloit, Wisconsin and has been waking up every morning at 5 AM to make the 1 hour and 35 minute commute in to work. We contemplated moving to lessen his commute but after some deliberation and his insistence that the long drive doesn’t bother him, we decided to stay put. I will be eternally grateful to him for that decision because I depend so much on the support system I have here to help me with our kids. This morning, nearly 10 years into our marriage, I am overwhelmed by my love for my husband. And that’s why I love Valentine’s Day!
P.S. The next session of Prenatal Pilates starts Monday, Feb 20th from 7:30-9PM. Visit www.pilatesbycarrie.com for more info or to reserve a space. These classes make GREAT gifts, too! Speaking of gifts, stay tuned for a give-away in the next few weeks (and no, it's not a package of 50 glowsticks!)
