Frank and I had our Valentine's Day date on Friday night. I wasn't planning on being around on Monday because I had to go home to my parents' house to take care of my dad following some surgery (I'll get to that part in a bit).
Since we're a) on a budget and b) on a diet, we decided to do something we had never done before, and skip the fancy dinner out. Instead, we cooked up a gourmet meal at home. It looked a little something like this:
A pound and a half of crab legs for me and a new york strip steak for him. We split a baked potato (CARBS!) and I made a spinach salad with blueberries, sliced almonds and vidalia onion dressing. With the mass amount of animal on our plates, we barely had room for the vegetable riff raff. I had a glass of Sparkletini and he had a wine glass full of Vitamin Water. We even got to eat dinner with a kitty on the table. You can't get that kind of service in a restaurant.
Then we settled in on the couch and watched a movie. I let Frank pick and had to put up with a Sean William Scott comedy called "Balls Out". He basically plays Stiffler in every movie since American Pie. I passed the time by making a crafty little banner for above our fireplace.
Then on Saturday, we headed out to my parents' house and Frank and his brother repaired the ceiling in their garage. We had lunch, visited with my sister and her fiance, and then went home for a long nap. That night, my best friend and her boyfriend came over. We made tons of apps, drank some beer, and watched Paranormal Activity 2. Cupcakes happened.
Sunday was gorgeous. We got up early and trucked it to the gym, where Frank submitted me to a lower body workout. Then, after an eye appointment, we went to a trail near our house so that frank could do his half marathon training. The trail was a mix of mud and ice, the limestone and mud mixture was like quicksand. It made for one muddy beagle and nearly destroyed UGGS. But it was so peaceful. It was around 50 degrees and I was almost tricked into believing it was the beginning of spring. I know better than that though. The sun was shining, the creek was rushing and you could hear everything melting. I took a ton of iPhone pics but will be making a separate post of out those.
On Sunday night, I drove out to my parents' house. My dad had just had rotator cuff surgery and is off of work for a few months while he recuperates. My mom works during the day so she wanted someone home with him for the first few days after his surgery. My dad is handicapped: he had polio when he was a baby so he has had braces on his leg and has walked with crutches his whole life. So not having use of his arm is a bigger deal than it would be for someone who was more able-bodied.
I brought the dog with me and he was a TERROR. He was totally out of his element and just paced the house whining. He begged for attention every second and shit in the house twice! He has NEVER had an accident at home. Then on Sunday night, he got up and barked at every tiny noise in the house, so I slept for about an hour. I was supposed to stay until Tuesday but when Monday night rolled around I couldn't handle him anymore. My mom is NOT a dog person and his antics were causing some major tension in the house. I was completely exhausted, totally frustrated and cranky and I just started crying.
My mom ended up telling me to go home, spend Valentine's day with my husband and get a good night of sleep in my own bed. We had realized that my dad was doing much better than we thought he would be and he really didn't need me there. I packed up my car and my obnoxious dog and left, relieved to be going home.
It was sleeting and cold. I stopped at Hallmark for a card and then at the gas station for a protein bar, bag of beef jerky and a vitamin water for Frank (this was his budget V-day gift). When I finally got home, it felt so good to be back at my own place.
On the dining room table was a bouquet of red tulips (he knows I dont' like red roses), a box of chocolate covered strawberry and a bottle of Frambois (my fave). He was also totally stoked about his man gifts. I changed into my pajamas and then we ate the strawberries, drank the beer and vented about our day.
After learning he had never seen it before, we watched "When Harry Met Sally". I had forgotten what a good movie that was. Then we went to sleep. It was the perfect Valentine's Day. My day went from tear-filled frustration to a perfectly comfy love-fest in a matter of minutes. It was our 9th Valentine's Day together.
Thanks Frank, for my favorite Valentine's Day yet :)
