"VD" day

"Happy valentines day!" was the first thing I said to my husband this morning. His response?

"Happy VD day to you too"

So romantic here in the Brown house. The sappiness doesn't end there- just wait until you see the thoughtful and romantic gifts we got each other!

This is what I made Rico for v-day.

Because I require a theme for ALMOST everything, and because I felt guilty about what a crappy gift  I was getting him and a theme made it seem better- I call this EITHER

"Our love is comfortable" (since that is our song AND these are all his comfort foods)

OR

"A Day Of YES" (since these are all foods that I normally don't allow in the house)

Either way- it's what you get when you won't tell your wife what you want 

AND all the non cheesy pinterest ideas involve beer. We can NOT have another bottle of beer in the house.

He literally has nowhere left to put them.

AND your wife is pregnant so her new love language is food. 

So what does a man get a wife whose new love language is food- but who shouldn't be eating tons of candy?

A compromise.

Of note: I really like presents. I do LOVE surprise gifts, but I'm not above just telling Rico what to buy for me if there is something I really want. 

I'm a strong believer in not making your husband have to read your mind- it just doesn't seem fair and then everyone ends up disappointed.

Most years I say- "I don't want a gift, I just want something thoughtful" and he'll deliver.

Our freshmen year of college he surprised me by secretly driving up, standing in the quad between 3 dorm room towers, calling me to tell me to look out my window, and holding up posters telling me that he loved me and asking me to be my valentine…so don't get me wrong, the man can be romantic.

EVERY year I have put my foot down on 1 item. 

I HAD to get a box of Russell Stover's candy.

The white box. 

With the pink ribbon. 

(except one year he got brave and got the purple bow because he read what was in it and it was WAAAAAY more Alli- friendly- so I let him start making that decision all on his very own)

 and it HAD to be the BIG box. 

Why? 

Every year, for all of my life, my dad gave my mom a card and a BIG white box of Russell Stover's candies with the pink ribbon. 

Always. 

It was always sitting on the kitchen table when she got home from work.

Always. 

He would get my sister and I the mini-4 piece baby box version of the same candies.

Always. 

(I know, he's a really cute daddy)

Clearly that MUST be the only acceptable way for a man to say "I love you" on valentines day. 

Duh. 

Aren't you glad you know now.

Having a giant box of candy around the house is just asking for gestational diabetes- so I thought of the perfect compromise…well, really my cravings thought of it. 

This year, I REALLY wanted chocolate covered strawberries instead.

Clearly, I refuse to pay (or let him pay) $20 for a half dozen (that's the going rate here)- so I asked him to make them.

…and here they are.

God bless him.

I didn't do a very good job of not laughing. 

It's ok, you can chuckle too. We weren't even home yet when he started warning me, 

"Just so you know, the strawberries didn't go so well"

You see, he's made these before. 

Successfully. 

On our 7 year dating anniversary he even made chocolate covered dried apricots to go along with them- they were BEAUTIFUL. 

Clearly it has been a while and he is out of practice. 

"Honey, where are the stems?"

"I cut them off- so you can eat the WHOLE thing!"

"So how did you pick them up to dip them?"

"Toothpicks"

Man, I wish I had a video of him doing this at 7am.

**He had to wake up early (before the people came to sand/ stain our floors) to make them. **

Now, before you start thinking that this VD day is just TOO perfect and sweet and sentimental

 (did I mention that all week I was bossing him around about what type of chocolate to buy and that eventually I just bought it all myself because I am such a control freak?)

 I haven't even GOTTEN to the eating out portion.

Yes, we went out to eat. 

At the same place we went last year.

A bar.

Yes, he took a pregnant lady to a bar.

Ok, not A bar- THE bar.

It's called Stuey McBrew's and it really is SO good.
We've tried to eat there every weekend for over a month and have never been able to get a table. 

They were out of tables, again, but we were determined.

So we ate our valentines day meal sitting at the bar. 

And it was DANG good.

At least this year we didn't overhear the table of bitter single ladies behind us talking about people getting married too young and pointing to us saying that we weren't going to make it. 

On valentines day! 

Meanies.

So there you have it. 

We bought each other unhealthy food.

We exchanged a quick kiss while we hurried to get to work/ get the dog to the groomers. 

We ate at a bar. 

For lunch- we'll be going to Oklahoma Joe's BBQ…you know, the place where you stand in line for 30 minutes to get your food and there are rolls of paper towels on the tables- super sophisticated and classy (AND super tasty AND also my idea)

I'm sure later tonight I will drag him to the card section (as we've done a few random years before), and we'll pick out cards for each other, show them to each other in the aisle, laugh, kiss, and then put them back.

We don't "do" cards.

Or flowers (I lost that privilege when I asked him who he bought red roses for…since I am "Too cool for what every other woman in America would have been excited about"…oops. I can't help it, I think they are cheesy.)

A realistic valentines day.

It's NOT like the movies. 

It's weird. 

It's kind of trashy.

It involves me being a control freak- and him loving me in spite of that.

It's US. 

So, happy VD day to all of you too- I hope you get to celebrate in your own odd little ways too.