My wife LOVES Valentine's Day. LOVES LOVES LOVES it! She could not care less how it came to be, what other people think about it, if it has become ultra commercial or any other argument against it. She does not care if I spend a ton of money or no money at all, if I lavish her with gifts or just profess my undying love for her. To her Valentine's Day is just one more date on the calendar for us to express how important we are to one another, why we fell in love and why we remain in a committed loving relationship. She is like this all year long but seems to kick it into high gear on Valentine's Day and on our Anniversary (and father's day too). She started this morning and throughout the day by sending me (via text message) a different animated love gif pretty much every hour on the hour. And I am sure that is leading up to something bigger come tomorrow. Every time I have seen her today she has a big smile on her face and she keeps hugging me and giggling (she is not good at poker by the way). The more giddy she is the more work she put into her display of love and affection. And she has been pretty giddy today.
This year I decided to send her a dozen roses with a card that says "I love you more than guns", which is really just a distraction so she thinks that is what I am doing for her. I am much better at poker than she is. I made childcare arrangements with my oldest daughter and her husband, so when she gets home from work I am going to whisk her away for a mini-date night at her favorite restaurant where (unbeknownst to her) our Pastor (the one who married us) will be dining with his wife (who is also one of my wife's best friends) as well. After our appetizer I will be going to the restroom (to put on a shirt, tie and suit coat) and our waitress will be asking her to move over to the separate dining area because of a reservation issue. As my wife is always super super nice, she will gladly give up our table. She will arrive at the doorway and be handed a small veil and a bouquet of flowers. In what is hopefully going to be a well orchestrated maneuver she will then find herself in the middle of a vow renewal ceremony with a Pastor, a maid of honor, several little and not so little bridesmaids / groomsmen, a white runner and a husband in a suit. After we renew our vows, are re-pronounced man & wife, and share a nice kiss; the whole ordeal will turn back into a fun romantic dinner. And I will once again win my wife's heart and remind her that I will never take her or "us" for granted, which is what Valentine's Day is really all about.
This year I decided to send her a dozen roses with a card that says "I love you more than guns", which is really just a distraction so she thinks that is what I am doing for her. I am much better at poker than she is. I made childcare arrangements with my oldest daughter and her husband, so when she gets home from work I am going to whisk her away for a mini-date night at her favorite restaurant where (unbeknownst to her) our Pastor (the one who married us) will be dining with his wife (who is also one of my wife's best friends) as well. After our appetizer I will be going to the restroom (to put on a shirt, tie and suit coat) and our waitress will be asking her to move over to the separate dining area because of a reservation issue. As my wife is always super super nice, she will gladly give up our table. She will arrive at the doorway and be handed a small veil and a bouquet of flowers. In what is hopefully going to be a well orchestrated maneuver she will then find herself in the middle of a vow renewal ceremony with a Pastor, a maid of honor, several little and not so little bridesmaids / groomsmen, a white runner and a husband in a suit. After we renew our vows, are re-pronounced man & wife, and share a nice kiss; the whole ordeal will turn back into a fun romantic dinner. And I will once again win my wife's heart and remind her that I will never take her or "us" for granted, which is what Valentine's Day is really all about.