Valentine Fun

Not to make anyone panic or anything, but Valentine's Day is ONE WEEK FROM TODAY. If it's not the holiday for you, then you don't need to worry. But if you have cards to buy for your kids' classmates or flowers to order for your wife or chocolates to buy for your own consumption, you might want to think about looking into your purchase!

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I thought I'd do this fun little thing! (I first wrote "in the spirit of Thanksgiving." Of course, yesterday I also said a wreath I saw looked like something a horse would wear after winning the Indy 500, so maybe all my answers should be taken a bit cautiously right now.)

1. Who is your oldest friend and how did you meet?

I should begin by saying these are actually my longest-standing friends, not my OLDEST friends. They're not old. They've just been around a long time. Their names are Pat and Amber, and I met both of them in story hour at the public library. We were all four years old when we met, and we went on to be friends all throughout thirteen years of school and we're still friends today. Pat is part of my game night group, and you might remember him from the kidney walk Ryan and I participated in this summer. Amber hangs out with us quite a bit and was part of our Turkey Run hiking crew! Both of them are good friends to me - and to Ryan, too! 

2. Tell us about your circle of support. Who are your people?

Oh man, that gets dangerous. You start naming names and you are bound to accidentally leave out people who are very important! I feel like we have a pretty wide circle, made up of all kinds of people in all kinds of places. We have longstanding friends from all stages of our lives. We have Ryan's work friends, who are like family. We have our small group and Sunday School class. We have all of YOU! We are thankful for all our friends, no matter where we met them or how often we see them. Everyone matters to us! 

3. How did you meet your husband?

We don't remember. We went to the same school all the way through, so chances are good we encountered each other there at some point. We attended the same church camp as kids, so I'm pretty sure we would have run into each other there. But we became friends when I started attending the church he went to, so that's the answer that makes the most sense. 

4. How is Valentine's Day celebrated in your home?

A different way every year! I am an absolute stickler about celebrating it and doing so ON the day. It's okay if the celebration spills over into other days, but it must be celebrated in some fashion ON the actual day. And because I love them so much, Ryan always gets me roses for Valentine's Day. It's all I ever really ask for. (He usually gets me something else too, but the flowers are always what I ask for.) Year one: we cooked dinner at home together and ate by candlelight. (A day or so later, we also went to a marriage retreat for the weekend.) Year two: we headed back to the same marriage retreat, so we got to spend the entire day together! Our main celebration included a date at DeBrand Chocolates, where we shared an Ultimate Float and some coffee. Year three: We had another at-home dinner, and this time we had a fondue meal! The night before, we went to Starbucks to be part of the world's largest date and actually ended up becoming actual real-life friends with our barista and her husband! Year four: Valentine's Day fell on a Sunday, so we went to church, and we were exhausted from being mid-house-buying, so our main goal was to REST. I was also mid-weight-loss, but I made a special Valentine's-shaped dinner for us. That was the actual day. The night before, we'd gone to a really fancy couple's cooking class, and that was fun!! Year five: We went out to eat ON Valentine's Day for the first time. We had a gift card to Ruby Tuesday and stopped at the yogurt shop on our way home. They were giving free yogurt to couples who were willing to kiss at checkout. Invitation to kiss? OKAY!!! And last year we went to dinner at Red Robin and stopped for an impromptu dessert date at the Cake Bake Shop on our way home. I don't know yet what our plans are for this year, but there will be plans! 

5. What is your love language?

I think it's possible I may speak them all. (Does that make me greedy or talented?) I have never officially taken a quiz on it, but I would say it's a toss-up between quality time and physical touch. 

6. Do you prefer receiving flowers or chocolates?

Yes. LOL!! I do love both and NEVER turn down chocolate, but we have chocolate in varying forms pretty much all the time. Flowers are not an everyday thing, so I absolutely want those!! 

7. What is the most meaningful gift you have ever given or received?

Impossible to narrow down. I deeply appreciate all the gifts I receive, because I just appreciate the thought behind them. And I put a lot of thought into the gifts I give and have several that I've really enjoyed sharing. But I will say that after spending 34 Valentine's Days as a single girl (who really wanted a date) I still haven't gotten over the joy of getting to share the day with Ryan now. Regardless of how we end up celebrating, I am so, so thankful to get to spend the day with him, celebrating him. And I don't ever want to forget what a privilege it is. (Photo from last Valentine's Day.)