Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope you're all having a great Valentine's Day! Friday I went to go see "Valentine's Day" (the movie) with my girlfriends Melissa and Michelle. We had heard it only got one and a half stars as far as the ratings go, so we flirted with not seeing it, but it had such a star-studded cast (I really wanted to see Taylor Swift's acting debut!) so we bit the bullet and saw it anyhow. It really was better than one and a half stars! I thought so, anyhow. It wasn't academy award time or anything, but it was about what we expected. It was fun. Afterward, we went to Perkins and ended up chatting until 11pm over sweets and coffee...a successful girl's night out if I ever had one.



Last night, Mike and I had dinner with two couple friends. We went to our favorite bar and grill for burgers. I know, not your traditional Valentine's fancy dinner fare, but it's what we truly like. This burger joint is quaint, on the river, and one of our favorite haunts. They had a special Valentine's dessert-for-two (which really was for four!). We ordered two and split it between the six of us. It was a red velvet cake, with chocolate ganache and raspberry sauce. To die for! It was a pretty perfect night. Great food, great company, great conversation - and the best part? Our kids are old enough not to need a sitter. In fact, they both went to friends' houses!

This morning, I stepped out of the shower to find truffles and a V-Day card from my sweetie. Perfect. So, tonight I have a little V-Day surprise of my own. I'm cooking the family a yummy supper - and I'm making them "Death By Chocolate" (soak brownies with a little coffee flavored liqueur, layer with chocolate pudding and cool whip and put Heath bars on top).

I have been dealt a pretty good hand when it comes to love. My family rocks. I know that. This Valentine's Day, more than ever, I'm becoming more mindful about how hurtful this particular holiday can be for those who aren't so fortunate, because their relationship isn't as grand - or for those who have lost their loved one. I guess I've never thought too hard about that before. Shame on me, huh? But, I'm thinking now. And, I'm beginning to see that there's plenty of love to go around. So, excuse me while I go call my mom, who just a few months ago became a widow. This is her first Valentine's Day without a Valentine in 50-some-odd years.

To all my bloggy friends reading this...Happy Valentine's Day.