The Day of Love

Valentine's Day!

Some people love it, some people hate it and depending on your relationship status, that feeling changes every year.

It is no secret that Phil and I don't usually give each other gifts on Christmas, birthdays or anniversaries. I am super sentimental {Phil figured that out REALLY fast when I had a small melt down on our 6 month wedding anniversary and he had a guys night instead and said he would take me to dinner the next night...I sentimentally wanted to have it THAT night...I'm a bit nutty}. Because I am sentimental we still celebrate holidays and events, we just tend to do something that requires spending time together and isn't very expensive.

However, for some reason, Valentine's day has been one of the holidays Phil tends to buy me something. I don't know why for sure, but I think it is because he knows that I won't expect anything and he likes surprises.

So I thought I would share our past Valentine's with you and then what I have planned for him today.

1st Valentine's: 2006 ~ Our first Valentine's together in college and it was one month before we got engaged.

When I came home from class there were these little pink notes all over my room with super thoughtful little gifts and corresponding Bible versus with them.

Some of the things were a new pair of cheap sunglasses (I had broken mine), a new battery for my watch that had died, a package of tanktops that I always wore to practice, a single rose, and my he filled up my gas tank (which was the most expensive gift since I had an old gas guzzling Jeep).






Then we spent time making cards and cookies that we passed out to our friends to share the love.

2nd Valentine's: 2007 ~ Our first year of marriage {we had been married 2 months}. Days before we had our first argument over money. I wasn't working yet and I didn't feel like I had any money of my own {that is because I didn't} so I felt like I could never buy anything for myself. I really wanted a pair of black boots and when I asked Phil if I could get them, he said, "do you really need them, can't you just wait." I was irrational and flipped out on him. The next day I found a note and $200 cash in my closet. His note said he had been looking for the perfect pair of boots to give me for Valentine's day, but I could go get the ones I wanted instead. Okay, so not the most romantic Valentine's {I ruined it obviously}, but I learned a valuable lesson and we went shopping together on Valentine's to find my perfect boots {which I would NOT have spent that much money on by the way}.

3rd Valentine's: 2008 ~ I have to admit, this might have been my very favorite Valentine's to date. Phil was living in Toledo and I was still living in Fort Wayne, so I would drive home to Toledo on the weekends and it KILLED me to have to leave Monday mornings. That weekend we had a movie marathon. We literally got take-out and watched about 8 movies that weekend and laughed and had the best time I think I have ever had just sitting at home.

4th Valentine's: 2009 ~ I hate to say it, but this might have been the most unmemorable year yet. All we did was go to dinner at Bar Louie, but we knew we were going on vacation to Cancun in a week, so I guess we didn't care that much about Valentine's Day.



5th Valentine's: 2010 ~ Flash back two years and this might sound familiar. I already knew we were going to one of my favorite restaurants for dinner, 'Blue Water Grill' for Valentine's dinner and I was SO excited. But Phil told me to run upstairs to our guest bedroom to put a movie away. I was TOTALLY unsuspecting, but when I opened the door there was a pair of UGGS on the bed that I had mentioned I wanted. I hadn't thought twice about it since I said something in December, but there they were. And we had a great night at dinner too!




6th Valentine's: 2011 ~ I knew we weren't going out to dinner, we had a 2 month old and going out with her in the ice did not sound very relaxing. In romantic fashion {not really} while I was nursing Emrie, Phil came in and handed me two boxes, each a watch one with a white band and one with a clear band. He said I could choose, keep both the watches or he would return them and get me the more expensive watch he had picked out. I went with the single watch and did not regret that he picked out this sweet Michael Kors watch. What a nice guy!




This year:

I have no idea if Phil is going to do anything for me this year. As a matter of fact, I don't really care. I told him not to do anything, I wanted to take care of everything this year. So here is what I sort-of did. It is still low key and knowing that my husband is the most frugal man alive {gross exaggeration} he will appreciate that I went cheap!

We started off the morning with this:



cost: $2.00

I am texting him things I love about him every hour on the hour all day. Additionally I am saying a prayer for him at the same time. Isn't that really what the day is about, showing people why we love them.
cost: free

For dinner I am making steaks, potatoes and salad {that is a fancy meal at my house}.
cost: free {thank you Tony for sending us the Omaha Steaks for Christmas}

Then for dessert I have chocolate covered strawberries. They would have been cheaper and easier to make, but I didn't feel like it today.
cost: $6.00

Also for dessert is this:



cost: $2.00

Then as the gift that keeps on giving all year I made this and it will hang in our bathroom:



cost: free
Here is the website to get your own free downloadable!
http://www.justmakestuff.com/ndg/2011/10/love-you-because.html

Grand Total: $10.00

You can show someone you love them and appreciate them without spending much money!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!