Valentine's Day

This is not my favorite holiday. I love Leo with all my heart but he is a simple, simple man who doesn't really take time for the grand gestures of love. Let's just say that nothing says romance like emailing your list of what you want the night before Valentine's Day. I told him a week ago what I wanted. Writing software (I've been asking for two years), Xbox game with volleyball, Barnes gift card, Amazon gift card or ebay gift card, Target gift card. I am an easy woman. I would LOVE a grand gesture but I am realistic. Let me give you an example of how much Valentine's Day has sucked since Leo and started dating. For the first few years, I got stuff from his mother's store. She owned a Merle Norman and if you know me, you know that I don't wear much makeup (Leo's mom told me once that I would be so pretty if I would just wear some eye shadow) so getting make up, rhinestone jewelry or purses was really not what I wanted. From there it was getting roses but the thing about roses is that I am allergic to them and they die. I did love getting them sent to me at work, though.

One Valentine's Day in particular stands out because we had been graduated from college for two years and I wanted to get married. We had talked about it and I was tired of dating (we had been dating for 7 years and after dating my high school sweetheart for 4 years, I vowed I wouldn't do that again and yet there I was). Anyway, we were going out to dinner but Leo wanted to give me my gift. I was very hopeful that this was the weekend he was going to ask me to marry him. He told me to turn around b/c he had to set it up. I could barely contain my excitement. I saw images of wedding dresses and rings and babies and houses. He said, "Okay, turn around." I did and there on the table was the movie Aladdin (I collected Disney movies) and three plastic dinosaurs. That's right...dinosaur figurine type toys. I picked them up and looked in their mouths and on their tails. There had to be a ring somewhere. I looked up at him and couldn't help myself and the disappointment that consumed me. "This is it?" "Yeah, do you like them?" "They are dinosaurs." "Right." "Why, in the world, did you buy me plastic dinosaurs?" "Remember you walked by that store and said you'd like those for your classroom?" My reply to that was, "I have walked by a hundred jewelry stores and commented on how much I'd like a ring. Why didn't you get me one of those??!!" He looked at me like I had two heads and said, "Oh, no...I wasn't even thinking about that." And yet...shockingly...I stayed with him for another 9 months until he really did ask me.

So do I have high hopes for tomorrow? Even though I am supposed to email him my list, not really. At this point I'd just be happy if he comes home earlier than 6:00 and gives Gia a bath.