Valentine's Day

It is unbelieveable to me how much has changed in the past year! Last Valentine's Day, Mark and I weren't married yet and we were living in two different states- we didn't even get to celebrate our annual Valentine's ritual together. He had just started his new job in S.C., his truck had just been stolen, and I was planning a wedding and trying to hold down the fort in Huntsville. I rememer how miserable I was- and how much I was feeling sorry for myself that I was spending Valentine's Day away from my fiancee. Needless to say, he was not a happy camper either. It seemed S.C. was not the place for us, and we soon found out that it was not where God wanted us for the long haul.

I am so grateful that a year has gone by and we are settled and expecting our first child! I never in a million years thought that in just one year's time we would be back in Birmingham and I would be pregnant. It is truly amazing to see how different God's plan can be from your own.

Anyways, back to V-day... Mark and I have this little tradition we started three years ago during our first Valentine's Day together. Instead of beating the crowds and waiting for hours at an over-priced restaurant (for any of you who know my husband, you know he doesn't do overpriced) he decided he would cook for me. I must admit that at that time I did not know what to expect. I was a little wary of his suggestion, but decided to humor him all the same. Boy was I ever wrong to doubt him! Not only did he pull out all the stops, he created a meal deserving of a 5-star restaurant and an equally earth-shattering review in the New York Times. I had never touched such outstanding shrimp scampi in my entire life. So, there we were - sharing the floor of his first apartment outside of Auburn and enjoying a meal over a Craig's List coffee table that not even Paula Dean herself could touch.

It is only on Valentine's Day each year that I can expect a knock-your-socks-off meal from my husband. Don't get me wrong, he is king of the grill - but it takes the terrifying realization that he could be paying three figures for our dinner that actually causes him to reach for the Sautee pan- It really doesn't bother me what his reasoning as long as I know that tomorrow night I get to come home to Filet Mignon and Risotto! Can a girl hope for a card to go with that??