Last year I wrote a long-winded post (as if I ever write them otherwise) about the background and history of Valentine’s Day and how it’s typically celebrated. Rather than go through that all over again, I thought I would keep things fresh by writing about how WE celebrated our Valentine’s Day, which was done on Saturday. We made this choice due to a combination of needing a babysitter to watch the boys and the fact that our normal, everyday grind would kick back in on Monday and it would be more difficult to have an enjoyable evening.
Our evening started when the babysitter arrived. We’re blessed in that we have a very trustworthy and responsible young woman who lives across the street. She’s been babysitting for us since we moved here in 2016 and Nathan adores her. We’re lucky in that Alexander has also taken to her. An evening out always goes better when a parent knows their children are in good, trusted hands. We locked the door on our way out and tasted the freedom as we embarked on our evening together.
We went to dinner at a local restaurant called the Copper Kettle. Featuring a short menu of items that lean on the greek side, my wife ordered a combination of meat and veggies in a spiced sauce with lemon-seasoned potato wedges. I ordered a Bonanza burger with a side of fries because, well… this is me and I need to sample burgers from every restaurant I go to. I should really branch out at some point and experience other meals. But for now, burgers all the way!
We enjoyed our meal in relative quiet with some fun conversation where we discussed plans to do some things with our boys, travel aspirations and goals we’d like to accomplish in life. our food came soon enough and we enjoyed it thoroughly. In fact, my wife, who usually only eats half of her meal and brings the rest home for leftovers, managed to finish her plate off. We asked about dessert but realistically, we both had enough difficulty breathing from a full stomach that we passed.
Once we had finished our meal, we had plans to go wander the local bookstore at our leisure then hit up the bulk store for some treats to curl up in front of the television. unfortunately for us, the book store was closing less than half an hour after we got to the restaurant and the bulk store closed at 7pm. Seems kind of ridiculous for a Saturday night. You’d think those business would be open a bit later on the weekends to get all the folks who work during the week, right? But I digress…
We topped our outing with a stop at our local retail chain where my wife let me pick out a fun box of hair dye for her to try and we looked at various items around the store. Not exactly hitting the clubs and painting the town red but we know what we like. We went home and relieved the babysitter, who reported no issues with the boys and went on her way. I usually don’t believe her; Nathan is typically a rolling ball of noise and Alexander is a rolling ball of destruction. I see no reason why they’d be different around the babysitter. But maybe they are. Who know?
Once we were home and had the boys squared away in bed, we poured some drinks and sat in our living room to binge-watch some Grey’s Anatomy. We got through an episode when I realized I hadn’t given Laura her Valentine’s Day gift. She insisted she could wait until Monday but my plan was to give it to her when we went out to dinner. Unfortunately, the box was large and square enough that I wouldn’t have been able to conceal it anywhere. So, she got it on Saturday night. I got her a Bulova watch. I’m a big fan of Bulova; they’re excellent watches that last for YEARS.
It was an excellent evening, with excellent company. I couldn’t have asked for better. Hopefully, all of you have the opportunity to enjoy your Valentine’s Day. And should you find yourself alone, just remember: some self-pampering and enjoyment can be a great way to spend the day. ☯️
The Blogging Buddhist 