Roses Are Red

Yes, it can be cheesy. 

Yes, it can be consumerist.

Yes, it can be lonely.

I still love Valentine's Day! 







I'll admit that I'm a little biased.  Tom and I met on Valentine's Day nine years ago.  It's a little embarrassing to tell you that we met at a Valentine's Day singles wine and cheese.  We were randomly paired as euchre partners.  Tom was admittedly annoyed to be partnered with a stranger.  I think he got over it as we won game after game after game.   "Team invincible" was born.  It's even more fitting today than it was back then.

We have always tried to celebrate the anniversary of the day we met.  Having put it that way, I actually think that Valentine's Day sounds less cheesy.  While I can't remember each individual Valentine's Day (don't tell Tom!), I know that we haven't often celebrated at restaurants.  Photos are helping me to remember that Tom prepared wine and cheese for two (pictured above) on our first year anniversary, and that we went to a Valentine's Day Ball the following year at St. Mary's.   The photo from the that ball directly to the right convinces me that it really was 7 years ago.  I'm not sure when I stopped looking so young...

One Valentine's Day I will not soon forget was in 2011 while we were evacuated from the uprising in Egypt.  We spent three days on a "junk" boat in Vietnam's Ha Long Bay, one of the most spectacular natural environments I've ever seen. 

 

In the last two years we've started a new Valentine's Day tradition.  Since the Super Bowl always comes about two weeks before, we decided to have our own little Super Bowl pool with a prize of not having to organize Valentine's Day.  We make bets that keep a non-football watcher like me engaged.  Will the person singing the national anthem be wearing a jersey?  Will the first touchdown celebration be a dance?  What colour of Gatorade will the winning coach have poured over him at the end of the game?  My expertise has led me to win two years in a row now, and Tom has prepared amazing celebrations for me both times (see the top right picture on this blog post for this year's spread), even in spite of us having to play floor hockey before dinner this year.  Now that's love!

Since I had a beautiful red pendant in my jewelry repair bin, I planned to make a Valentine's day necklace with it.  I realize I've missed the date at this point, but I am happy to get another repair done.  Without hearts or the words "valentine", "love", or "be mine", it certainly does not scream Valentine's Day, and will be good for year-round wear.  The red leaf pendant was actually a gift from Tom for some occasion that I can't recall (again, no need to tell him this!)  Maybe I'll wear it next year when "Team Invincible" turns 10 years old.