Valentine's Day

Today is the day that so many people go crazy for. Rushing around buying flowers or having them sent at exorbitant prices, going out to eat at expensive restaurants, buying candy and even proposing. Every year I feel myself being pulled into all the hype at the beginning of February but find that by the time the actual day gets here I've actually regained most of my sanity. Now, don't get me wrong, I still like to be thought of and maybe receive a little something, something for V-day, but I am more and more feeling along the lines as a few of my friends that it's just another day thought up so that massive money is spent on things that don't even last that long.

Flowers to me are the biggest frivolity. You can get a dozen red long stem roses delivered in the DC area on any other day for about $40 or $50 and that might even be high. On Valentine's Day most places want about triple that amount - just because it is V-day. Ridiculous, it's not like the flowers are any different, it's just because they can control supply and demand - I'm thinking price gauging myself! Even the street vendors charge more for their roses - normally $4 for 1/2 dozen, v-day $10-$20 for 1/2 dozen. Once again, I wouldn't sneeze or turn away flowers bought for me on this day, I actually even love getting them, just for the fact that it's a show-off point - haha, someone loves me, they sent me flowers, are mine prettier than yours? But, I prefer when my husband (wow, I can say that this year) would buy them from a vendor (yes, paying their jacked up prices, but not the florists jacked up prices) and deliver them himself in person. Very loving and thoughtful.

Ways in which I've heard Valentines this year being celebrated - not with flowers:

I was talking to my friend Renee about this phenomenon of having flowers sent, she actually received a really, really nice bunch last V-day from her husband, and she has said that she talked it over with her husband and asked him not to do it again, especially once she found out the cost of them. She told him that she loved him and really appreciated what he had done but that she believes that spending that much money on something that is going to die in a matter of days is not worth all that and that she would prefer to receive something else from him that she would be able to enjoy for a lot longer. And, no guys, she wasn't hinting for more diamonds or anything like that, but hey, I'm sure if that's what he decided to get her she wouldn't say no - I know I wouldn't. So, this year, they went out together and she was actually going to go look at clothes when he said that he would prefer to buy her something like a nice watch which she could wear when they went out and got dressed up. She agreed and together they bought her a very nice watch bracelet - I've seen it and like it very much. This way, whenever they go out and she wears it, she will be using and remembering a gift given to her for Valentine's Day.

Amanda's husband cooked her dinner, the same dinner he cooked on the night he proposed to her so that brought back those memories as well as creating more memories. I also hear they had a "wonderful, wonderful" night together after dinner - you go, A!

Camala says that she's not into it at all and doesn't believe in celebrating it. She won't fall prey to the cooked up materialistic holiday, but I hear that she may have bought some cologne to bring home to her husband.

Cindy has opted to do a family dinner at home with her husband and kids to share the love in a family way and show her love to all of them together.

My friend Kerry picks up her friend's two girls and takes them out to dinner and a movie to celebrate the day with them while also giving Andy and Niki a chance to go out to dinner by themselves to celebrate.

What I've tried to do this year is have 14 days of Valentine's stuff, but I didn't fully succeed. What I did do though is:

• Bought a little plastic duck - white with red, pink and purple hears on it and gave it to him the 1st day of February
• Picked him up some Peeps Hearts
• Made him breakfast - eggs, bacon, waffles, English muffins (all while hung over on)
• Made him a breakfast sandwich to eat on the train on the way to work and packed him up a lunch
• Made chili from scratch
• Made pancakes for Shrove Tuesday dinner - cut them into heart shapes to incorporate the V-day theme
• Was "nice" to him
• Made a little flip book from Kodak with our engagement pictures in it
• Ordered him personalized M&M's - red and hot pink - that say: "143 Pooks" and "J-n-Drea 4ever"
• Got up and sang karaoke at Ed's in front of all his friends - sure he loved that one - especially since the only song I ever sing is "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor

For the actual day I was going to ROCK in trivia at Applebee's but that got cancelled, so I don't know what I'm going to do now - think of something I'm sure. We still have to pack for our trip to San Francisco tomorrow, so maybe I'll pack for him - like I wouldn't be doing that anyways - LOL.

I wish a Happy Valentine's Day to one and all.