The Valentine's Day GRINCH

Can I tell you a secret?
I really don't like Valentine's Day.
Oddly enough I enjoy DECORATING for Valentines day, with cute little heart shaped baskets, and candy jars filled with conversation hearts, but celebrating the actual holiday, not so much.

I don't cook elaborate breakfasts or dinners for my crew. I joked that I did, in fact, make Tristen's breakfast this morning, because dumping milk on Lucky Charms and handing it to him is actually making breakfast, correct?? I don't, nor have I ever, made beautiful homemade Valentines for my children or for my children to hand out when they were younger. We were always lucky to get Valentines they actually liked, because more of often than not, I was the mom frantically looking for anything but Barbie the day before.
Facebook made me feel a bit like an inadequate mother/wife because I didn't go overboard preparing the heart shaped pancakes and chocolate dipped strawberries. I had no candle light dinner planned for my love, nor did I send balloon bouquets and candy to my boys at school. They probably would have puked, ripped up the card, and made up some story about some hot girl in another town sending it to them anyway.

I don't enjoy my husband spending hard earned money on flowers that will die in 2 days, or the cheesy cards, or the heart shaped boxes of chocolates or on anything else he REALLY didn't want to buy, and is only doing it because the calender TOLD him he needed to.

I guess it comes down to this: I know he loves me.  He doesn't need to haul home overpriced flowers or a card he didn't even read, just signed Love, Danny on.

That guy has maneuvered out to the middle of a dump, to haul out a "treasure" I wanted. He has built project after project for me, with out being able to see my vision, but just knowing it was what I wanted. He has ripped out bushes in the summer heat, so I could plant flowers, and will come home from hunting and tell me about a very strange bird or owl he saw that day, because he just knew it was something I would have loved to have seen. . He has sat up all night long with my sick father, and checked the oil and tire pressure on my sister and mothers cars.

THAT, people, is love.

And so much better than a heart shaped box of chocolates.

I'm not saying I don't enjoy surprises. It just means so much more to me when he does them because he was thinking about me and WANTED TO, verses becuase he felt like he was SUPPOSE to. 

He DID haul me to a local restaurant last night for prime rib and shrimp.  His idea. I fought him. Hard.  I wanted to get it to go. Yes, I even asked if we could. ;)  But I went. And it WAS wonderful.

I just pretended we were out to eat and it was just another day and NOT Valentine's Day. 

=)