Valentine's Day!

Well, Valentine's day, 2012 has come and gone. Now hubby has 364 days to plan the next V-day. Oh please people, we all know he "plans" Valentine's day the week before, sometimes even the day before.


I have mixed feelings about Valentine's day. Should we really wait until February 14th every year to be romantic and treat our partner with extra respect? On the other hand, it is kind of nice that there is a special day where we are forced to recognize how much we love each other. I don't know about you, but every day in our house isn't full of romance and over the top gestures. It's nice that there are certain days on the calender when we are "expected" to do these things. 


But is it a day set up for men to fail? You know that I think romantic movies like "The Notebook", and "The Vow", do not portray the majority of realistic relationships. It's not fair for men to have to live up to these unrealistic expectations. And it's not fair to women either!   We all expect our husbands to act like "Noah in the Notebook and get disappointed when it just doesn't happen! Even on Valentine's Day.


My hubby is a wonderful man. He's an amazing husband and father. He is kind and caring. But not always the most thoughtful or romantic man. He's about 50/50 on Valentine's day!


One memorable Valentine's day, when "A" was about 11 months old, hubby did plan a nice surprise. I went to put the baby to bed and when I came downstairs, the counter was full of Valentine's treats. There was a vase with a dozen roses, special gourmet chocolates, a card, and a bottle of wine. (I found out later that the only reason he thought to buy the chocolates was because a co-worker went to the choc. shop during their lunch hour and dragged hubby along. Oh well, let's still give him credit!)


Most Valentine's days are not that romantic. Typically, hubby stops at the grocery store around 6pm on his way home from work (ON V-DAY!) and buys the last bouquet of sorry roses. No card or anything else. I once complained about this to a friend and her response was, "Hey, at least he got you flowers." Good point. 


This year was a little bit better, despite the fact that last week, hubby had the nerve to ask me, "What day is Valentine's day this year??" WHAT DAY IS VALENTINE'S DAY????


 "You're joking, right?" I responded, "it's the same day every year." 


"Is it the 15th?" He was serious.


"Honey, it's February 14th, every single year." I informed him. 


Thinking he might need some help (imagine that after he asked me that question?), I emailed him two different coupon specials for roses. One was a Living Social deal and the other was a Groupon. I guess he got the emails because he called me from work a few days later. 


"Will you be home on Tuesday?" he asked. "I'm having something delivered to you that day and I want to make sure you're home to get it." 


Hmmm. Having something delivered on Valentine's day. What could it be? 


I informed him that I would be home after 12pm, just like I am most days. At least I knew I'd be getting flowers this year. Though I admit, he somehow managed to take the fun and excitement out of it. The good news was, he got a great deal. Hardy har har. 


Yesterday, around 1pm, there was a knock at the door. Surprise! A woman was standing on my porch with a dozen red roses in a vase. After thanking her, I placed the roses in the middle of the table to admire. Much better than the usual last minute purchase from Publix!
                                                


Here's the sweet thing. Although the card simply said, "Happy Valentine's day. I love you", I noticed that in pencil, the florist had written, "Please knock." I was amazed that my usually absent minded husband (sounds harsh but remember, he forgot what day V-day was!!) had remembered that A always takes his nap in the afternoon. Even though my son will usually sleep through a doorbell, it touched me that hubby thought to ask them to knock instead of ring the bell.


 And when he showed up at 6pm, I noticed he still made his yearly last minute grocery store stop. He had a heart full of chocolates for me and a little one for our son. There was also a bag of shredded Mexican cheese. Don't ask. 


When I handed hubby his gift and card, he was excited. He apologized that he hadn't gotten a card for me.  I admit it, the man isn't always the most thoughtful person and I have to nudge him along to make sure special occasions really are special. But that's okay because I have the two most wonderful Valentines in the world.


Sidenote: Hubby is taking me out to an expensive dinner on Saturday night! Did I hear someone mention gold sparkly high-heeled J-Lo shoes???????????