I want to say I love Valentine's Day, but in truth, in the 5 years that Jeff and I have been married, it has become a non-holiday. Jeff dislikes it for the overcommercialisation(is that a word?) and the expectation that he HAS to do something over the top romantic and lovey dovey. Jeff is not romantic. At least not in the ways that most people think of when the word "romantic" is said. He has never been one to make huge gestures of love and has only bought me flowers on only a few occasions, one of those occasions being his own birthday. He has never been one to go out of his way to tell me when I look nice. He's not a fan of gift giving when giving gifts is generally expected, such as holidays, anniversaries and birthdays. He doesn't plan dates for us and doesn't really see the nessecity of having them. Despite all this, he tells me and shows me everyday how much he truely does love me.
Example: We had a desperate need to go grocery shopping yesterday and because he had my car all day, I wasn't able to do it before he got home, so we went after dinner. I forgot to wear my belly support belt so by the time we got home I was in a lot of pain and couldn't even bring myself to take a shower, even though I needed one badly. Gross, I know. As soon as the boys were in bed, I got into my pj's, climbed into bed and got out the laptop for a while. Because I have been doing a lot of sewing lately, the house has been a mess and I just haven't had the chance to get it clean. It doesn't help that everytime I do clean, you can't tell within 10 minutes of me finishing unless the boys are sleeping. Anyways, while I was vegging in bed with the laptop, I heard him doing something in the living room. When I asked if he had cleaned the living room he gave me a smirk and replied in the negative. I woke up this morning to find a spotlessly clean living room and he'd cleaned off the washing machine, which was covered in a huge pile of stuff. In my mind, this was probably about the best Valentine's Day present he could have given me. I can't eat chocolate, so that was out, and we're leaving on a 5 day trip to Montana for my sister's wedding in a few days, so I wouldn't have been able to care for any flowers had he decided to get me some.
Before he leaves for work in the morning, whether I'm concious or not, he gives me a kiss and says "I love you." As soon as he comes home from work and detaches the instant cling-ons(aka kids) he comes and gives me a hug and a kiss "hello." If I need him to go to the store before coming home, he'll sometimes pick up a random goodie(such as soy ice cream or cookies) for me to enjoy. I love Orchids, so for our anniversary the last 2 years, he has bought me Orchids and has nurtured them to be spectacularly beautiful. They have never stopped blooming and the blossoms are gorgeous. They sit in the windowsill in our kitchen(and are part of the reason my kids aren't allowed in the kitchen) as a constant reminder of how much that dear man loves me. He has given me pedicures and does such an amazing job of it, I'll never need to pay for one while he is around. He ties my shoes, because I can't reach them anymore. He puts up with my constant sewing messes and rarely says anything, but will start cleaning up if I haven't already. He is such an amazing cook and has whipped up delicious desserts according to my cravings, modified so that I can eat them without getting sick. He happily watches the boys one night a month so I can play Bunco for a couple hours with some friends. He is not the perfect man, but he is the perfect man for me and I can't imagine my life without him. He is my one and only Valentine, for all eternity. :)
