Valentine's Day

**UPDATE**

For those wondering, you can read the comments attached to this post. Chocolate covered strawberries aren't so good 4 days later. But the construction paper and glitter card came out great. Equal to something I made in 3rd grade. It's been years since using glitter so I really did impress myself. On a side note, Howard saw this post as I was updating my blog and mocked me for a while after reading it. He said the picture looked like I was getting ready to "bite him in the neck and drag him in the weeds". But then I think he felt bad for mocking me because I found two new songs added to my zune the next morning. "I'm Still a Guy" and "Little Moments" by Brad Paisley.

Guess he loves me.

I tend to think Valentine's Day is over-rated. I don't know why, It's just not that exciting for me. Seems that it's so commercialized, but then I guess every holiday is for that matter. So I told (or asked) Howard in so many words not to get me anything. I don't really see the point in buying gifts for a holiday I think is over-rated. He said fine and we agreed that we didn't need to exchange gifts. I guess I should explain that it's possible I would feel differently about the holiday if it were not for basketball season. I can probably count on two fingers the number of Valentine's day's that we've actually spent together, alone. Most all other years, Howard is away for a basketball game or I am with him and an entire basketball team on the marked date. Today is no exception, I am home paying bills, Howard is 4 hours away in a tiny town called Powers, coaching the last game of the league season. Playoff's start next week, so the season is not over by any means.

But the real reason I started this post is to brag about my husband. Yesterday while preparing to leave for a basketball game, I walked into the bathroom to find one Dove dark chocolate bar, one wrapped red rose and two pieces of computer paper sitting on the counter. Typed out on the papers was a poem Howard wrote. Not some cheesy Valentine's poem you would find in a greeting card... but a serious, thought out, publish-in-a-book kind of poem. Seems that 3 terms of college writing classes paid off. Apparently while staying up late to finish "chemistry homework" he was actually writing. And no.... I'm not about to share it with you. For two reasons, 1) I don't have his permission and 2) It wouldn't make sense to anyone but me. His poem details only things that we would understand about our life since we met. Now I feel like a heal. I didn't even get him a card. I did try, but I waited too darn long and the only cards left were worse than not buying one at all. Valentine's cards about drinking beer are just not funny. Nor do they apply. Thank God for both.

So now it's really late. My husband is still an hour or more away from home and I am getting ready to dip strawberries in chocolate for when he gets home, if I can stay awake that much longer. I'm considering busting out the red and pink construction paper, the Elmer's glue and the glitter and making a card similar to what I made in elementary school. At least it would be original without any undertones of beer drinking. The kids are asleep and they wouldn't even know I was having construction paper fun without them. I'm off to the kitchen ....

Mandy