Valentine's Day 2015: The Heart of the Matter

Each Valentine's Day for the last three years has been spent with one of my best friends. For the past two years I've worked on Valentine's Day (I'm sure other years prior, but I'm counting full time job hours). The hospital has been such a great place to be, and I try and make it a great day for the children and families that are stuck there. This year it was filled with cupcakes and Zumba! For the past seven years, I've had a boyfriend who spoils me to no end each and every day of the year, not just with material things and food, but with his undivided attention, love, and support. Even though we've been dating each other, every Valentine's Day that comes around, we don't make a huge deal out of it, because we show each other how much we love each other day in and day out. To us, it's not about one day, it's about day after day. So that's why I choose to go out with my friend on Valentine's Day. Sal and I still have our night out together and he still arrives to my door with flowers or has them delivered, but it doesn't need to be on Valentine's Day. 

Sal had flowers delivered to the hospital where I work. Receiving a phone call saying I had something downstairs in the lobby waiting for me was definitely heart wracking, but definitely made me smile when I picked up the box and saw what was delivered to me. It made me feel so special, and gave me a smile to wear the rest of the day. 

This year, my friend and I were going to go to a fancy restaurant, but it ended up being booked with reservations, so we decided to go to our favorite burger place, with wine (Zinburger is great for those of you that haven't gone)! We arrived even though it was snowing, and were seated immediately, with no wait ... which is funny because on any random night we'd go there, there would be a wait! I guess burgers aren't that romantic, well for us they certainly are! We immediately started off with a bottle of wine, even though they were out of one of our favorites, Reisling. We poured our glasses full, and began our usual conversation, catching up and gossiping and forming our plans for the summer, which will be epic. We placed our orders for our delicious burgers and sweet potato fries, and when they arrived, we still continued to talk as we stuffed our faces. It's funny because each and every time we go there, we say we're only going to order half of a burger, and we end up ordering and eating a whole one. We were full, but there was still more wine, so our night went on. 

Time went fast, and we found ourselves closing the place, so we headed next door to Cups and filled our cups with way too much frozen yogurt and toppings. Why we do this to ourselves, I'll have no idea, but it was too good to resist. We said goodbye feeling way too stuffed, and headed home. I arrived home and Sal pulled up with homemade cookie dough ice cream. Don't worry, I didn't eat it that night... I am definitely not a glutton for punishment. I did savor it and still am savoring it a little at a time because it's just so good. 

That Sunday night, Sal and I decided to go out just the two of us, on a date. He arrived to my house with two roses in his hand, and a cute little pillow that says I love you. I smiled as he led me to the car, and the whole walk there I just kept thinking about how lucky I am to be with a man that truly appreciates me. We walked hand in hand into the hibachi restaurant we would be dining at that evening, and we breathed in the smell of those Japanese noodles, steak, and lobster that would soon be coming our way. Sal, of course, headed to the indoor pond they have filled with fish, and then we ordered the best girly drinks ever... yes, you read that right... Sal enjoyed a nice Mai Tai with fruit! Once we were seated, we couldn't wait to place our orders. We ended up being next to a great group of people, and we made the night really fun. Our soups and salads arrived, and then our main entrees were cooked in front of our eyes, and it was a hilarious sight to see. I even tried the Sake! 

Dinner was beyond amazing, and worth every penny. We enjoyed every last bite, and will definitely be heading back there soon! We enjoyed every second of the night we spent with one another, and if I could spend every night with him, I would. Love is a beautiful thing, and it brings out the best qualities in both of us. It didn't matter that we hadn't gone out on Valentine's day, or that I didn't give him anything, all that mattered was that we were together, and we were truly happy. The heart of the matter is not having to be with each other for every single "holiday," or needing to get one another things to show that you love them... the heart of the matter is the love that is shared between the two of you... and that you tell and show that person you love them every day. 

Not Your Usual Valentine's Day

I feel as if Valentine's Day just crept up on all of us, especially those of us still currently covered in snow. I don't feel as if it's going to be spring anytime soon, and I'm beginning to wonder if this grey and white world is going to last forever, if I will never see another green blade of grass again.

Now Valentine's Day has never been a huge day for Sal and I, because we celebrate our relationship, and show our love for each other each and every day. Many couples may say this, but we really don't need any day in particular to show each other we love one another. So, when I found out that Sal was going to be at his internship all day, I didn't take off of work. I figured it made no sense to sit at home, when I could be at the hospital sharing love with all of the children that were hospitalized that day. I helped a generous family pass out teddy bears and balloons, donated by them personally. I spread more happiness when I pushed around cupcake cart for both the children and their families. It felt great to be able to share this love to those that might not be feeling very loving or joyous.

Due to the snow we got, Sal ended up having off from his internship for the entire day. Now you may be thinking that after work Sal and I had made plans to see each other, but you'd be wrong. Weeks before, I talked to my friend and we decided that we were going to spend Valentine's Day together - get each other gifts, go out to dinner, drink a little wine, and enjoy the night. We've celebrated Valentine's Day together before, so when she suggested this, I thought it'd be a perfect night! We didn't need boys to make us happy or feel loved on such a Hallmark holiday... we had each other, and there's no kind of love like the love you have for your best friend, of 6 years I might add! We didn't make reservations, thinking that not everyone goes to California Pizza Kitchen for Valentine's Day... boy, were we wrong. We definitely should have made reservations. Oh well! It gave us some time to walk around the mall and search for a bench to sit and wait. When we finally sat, we decided to exchange gifts, and when we did, the look on our faces had to have been priceless. We both handed each other a box, of a similar size and weight. We looked at each other, and then continued to open it up. Lo and behold, it was the EXACT SAME ALEX AND ANI BRACELET... the Best Friends charm... hey, at least we knew where we stood in our friendship! After laughing so hard we were crying, we figured out one of us had to return one, because we couldn't both be wearing the Best and Friend charm, together. So I decided I would return mine, and find us matching charms that represented us in our very unique ways.

Soon we found ourselves at dinner, clinking our glasses of wine, and chatting the night away.

Of course, I was sad that I didn't see Sal at all, but we saw each other a few days later, and spent a few hours together, cuddling. He showed up to my house with beautiful red roses, in a vase, a hilarious card, and a bottle of wine, to be shared at a later date. We love our wine, and sharing wine tasting experiences together has become "our thing." I've always told him that I would trade all of these material things that I own for experiences... traveling to new places, trying a new hobby, or going on an adventure. I never ask him for anything anymore, but I'm also just as grateful when he shows up with a bottle of wine in hand, or a movie he knows I've been wanting to see. He doesn't ask me for anything, and actually never has, but he's always happy when I show up with surprises for him.

So it wasn't a usual Valentine's Day, but it was pretty close to perfect if you ask me.