Valentine's schmalentines

[Bluedaisy]

Glad you started this. I'm curious too. Nothing bad or embarrassing here. I was a late bloomer so lots of single, lonely Valentines Days in m past. The best gift was a hole weekend staycation that DH planned the year we got married. I am still proud of the boardgame I made him for our first year together.

[Widget123]

I had a history of having very bad valentines days with the guys i was with so my first valentines day with DH he went really over the top to show he cared including buying me diamond earrings. It was really awkward because we had only been together for two months at the time so it was too much. Dh has not bought me a gift nearly as spendy any vday since then.

[carolyngrace]

Watching the kids at school this week has been bringing back memories..

I was a total ringleader and would push the rest of the girls to ask the boys to be our valentine's. Then we would instruct them on what to buy us (chocolates please!). This was like 3rd and 4th grade!

Also I really loved making a pretty bag to put my valentines in. Never had a guy do anything awesome on v-day though!

[Deleted]

I'm going to be Debbie Downer on this one. I hate V-day. It's a stupid Hallmark holiday that makes more people than not feel bad about themselves. I won't celebrate it and DH knows better than to give me forced presents because a corporation tells him he has to. The most I do to acknowledge it is buy a box of cheap cards for DS1 to take to school for his class party, which he doesn't care that much about but he's required to participate, and I'll be glad when he hits middle school so I can stop doing even that much. Womp womp.



ETA: I have had more than one guy in my past get all butt hurt that I didn't do something for/with him for the day.  Dude, not my problem that you don't listen or that you were to stupid to believe me when I told you I don't celebrate and please don't do anything for me.  I don't play games so take what I say as what I mean.

[baytosa2013]

I had an ex surprise me with 4 dozen red roses once. DH got me pink roses and chinese the first year we were together. He's done just a card every year since but this year was didferent. I came home yesterday to flowers and a bottle of wine. He made reservations tonight for dinner because I said I'd been craving the chicken piccata and tomorrow we are driving to Fredericksburg for wine tasting and a picnic. We are home from dinner as the old people were heading in because #babylife but I don't even care. The fact that he actually planned shit means he's getting sexy time for the 2nd time today! What!! Oh and here's the kiddo enjoying caprese salad.

[jessila]

DH and I started dating in high school. He's always been super computer man. Senior year of high school he built me a computer because I didn't have one of my own. He built it from spare parts he had at 3am.
Aside from that, I don't think anything else great. My first year of college I wrote him a love quote for every day between valentine's day and when I'd be home for the summer. Our first valentine's day I got him a beta fish named Jasper.
Now we go out for good beer and food. I'll make red velvet pancakes for breakfast with bacon shaped like hearts because yum.

[kemdupuis]

I broke up with my "boyfriend" at the Valentine's Day dance when I was in the 6th grade. He had given me a stuffed frog he won at the winter carnival.

Most of my Valentine's have been pretty standard- flowers and chocolates. One year, DH showed up to my office and hand delivered my flowers and a massage gift certificate, which was really nice.

We used to go out to eat for dinner every year, but at some point we got sick of the crowds and started staying in. I usually make a fancy meal and we hang out and watch a movie. This year, we're having steak, sea scallops, Brussels sprouts, grilled romaine, and bread/oil. I'm also trying out a flourless chocolate cake recipe for dessert.

[thecatsmeow]

We are usually pretty low-key about the "holiday". I've gotten flowers occasionally and sometimes I'll give DH a cute or funny card if I came across one.

Our only real memorable VDay was our first. We had been dating several months. I made him a card and wrote ILY in it, he gave me a necklace and a card and also wrote ILY in it (we hadn't said it yet!). We weren't able to be together on the actual day so he also sent me a bag of Hershey's kisses in the mail and had made arrangements with my roommate to buy me flowers and go out to supper with me.

[Deleted]

To make up for my grumpiness I will add that one of the most romantic things DH has ever done was nearly cause a major traffic accident by swerving all the way across a four lane road because he saw a flower shop and he decided he had to stop and buy me flowers right that second. I appreciate those kinds of gestures (absent the almost dying part) far more than V-day type stuff.

[gilder40]

Not a big fan of Valentine's Day either. My favorite "gift" was last year when H cleaned the entire house top to bottom, folded ALL the laundry, and bought me a video game. It was amazing. We never go to dinner because people. Lol.

baytosa2013 Are you a Texas girl? Did I somehow miss that?!

[baytosa2013]

Feb 13, 2016 21:54:39 GMT -5 gilder40 said:

Not a big fan of Valentine's Day either. My favorite "gift" was last year when H cleaned the entire house top to bottom, folded ALL the laundry, and bought me a video game. It was amazing. We never go to dinner because people. Lol.

baytosa2013 Are you a Texas girl? Did I somehow miss that?!

I am a transplant to Texas! Are you here too?

[gilder40]

baytosa2013 Unfortunately no, I'm not in Texas, but I'm a Texas girl at heart!! I currently live in Louisiana. But I lived in CenTex for 11 years and my parents live on the outskirts of Houston. I LOVE the hill country. The bluebonnets are awesome and the wineries are fun to visit.

ETA: tag

[baytosa2013]

Feb 13, 2016 22:03:17 GMT -5 gilder40 said:

baytosa2013 Unfortunately no, I'm not in Texas, but I'm a Texas girl at heart!! I currently live in Louisiana. But I lived in CenTex for 11 years and my parents live on the outskirts of Houston. I LOVE the hill country. The bluebonnets are awesome and the wineries are fun to visit.

ETA: tag

Well come visit! We are totally doing the blue bonnet picture this year.

[gilder40]

We've talked about going this summer to visit our friends out there. If we do, we will have to plan a get together! We will probably go to my parents' house in April for spring break and do bluebonnet photos then. I can't remember if they last that long, so we may have to go earlier.

[billyhorrible]

Valentine's Day is the best! In a relationship or single I've never had a bad one. But that's probably because of my whole philosophy about it being for all kinds of love. So it never mattered who I spent it with. My dad died right after Valentine's Day, so the first year after my whole family went away and spent it together.

Some of my funniest are from being with DH. Our first Valentine's Day I decided to cook. I made chicken in a brandied cherry sauce and while it cooked we drank a bottle of wine and watched Romancing the Stone. Except we got so drunk we ended up passing out before the chicken was ready.

The next year DH cooked. I think he was making a turkey breast or something. "This time we'll be smart," we thought. "No wine, just a handle of margaritas." Once again we were asleep before dinner was done. That started our annual tradition of In 'n Out for Valentine's.

[Deleted]

gilder40, where in central TX? I lived in Waco for five years.

[sugarkissed]

Like @jimbobcooter, I think that it's a stupid holiday. DH and I have never celebrated, nor have I done anything in previous relationships. I was also a late bloomer, so watching everyone else get flowers and gifts left me kind of bitter towards the day. From high school I vowed never to celebrate a day that can make people feel so lonesome.

That being said, I make an effort to celebrate little holidays with my kids and let them have their own opinions instead of my biased ones. DH and I won't be going on a date or anything, but we'll have heart shaped cookies with our 2 year old and dress in pink and red tomorrow.

[tatersalad]

The best present I ever got on Valentine's Day was 12 years ago from my ex fiancé. My sweet dog, Molly.
The worst present I ever got was from my oldest son 2 years ago. Rotavirus for the whole family, so in between cleaning up baby vomit my husband and I had to fight for toilets and sinks to puke in while we were all sick at the same time.

[erbear]

I love Valentine's Day, too, but I also look at it as celebrating all love.

My favorite was probably our first together; h bought me 3 dozen roses but didn't have vases, so he poured out gallons of Gatorade and cut up the containers. He also handmade me little cards that were literally folded card stock and him using a red pen. I still have those!

Worst was the next year, or maybe two years after, when H didn't do anything for Valentine's. He thinks it's stupid as well, and my best friend had to step in and be all, "listen, you may hate it, but she loves the day. Do something nice for her." He generally sucks at it, still. He did well this year!

Growing up, my dad always bought me pink carnations and a little box of candy. He had such love for celebrating it! I probably get my zest from him.

[Bluedaisy]

erbear, even though I was a total dork in jr. high and high school my mom always got us some little prize. Like a teeny box of chocolates or a little spa kit or something and my dad ALWAYS got my mom flowers and a present. So even the years that I felt like a dork at school I still LOVED Valentines day.

[gilder40]

Feb 13, 2016 22:38:00 GMT -5 @jimbobcooter said:

gilder40, where in central TX? I lived in Waco for five years.

I lived in Belton from the fall of 2001-2012. When were you in Waco?

[periwinkledaydreams]

Feb 13, 2016 19:31:26 GMT -5 @jimbobcooter said:

I'm going to be Debbie Downer on this one. I hate V-day. It's a stupid Hallmark holiday that makes more people than not feel bad about themselves. I won't celebrate it and DH knows better than to give me forced presents because a corporation tells him he has to. The most I do to acknowledge it is buy a box of cheap cards for DS1 to take to school for his class party, which he doesn't care that much about but he's required to participate, and I'll be glad when he hits middle school so I can stop doing even that much. Womp womp.



ETA: I have had more than one guy in my past get all butt hurt that I didn't do something for/with him for the day.  Dude, not my problem that you don't listen or that you were to stupid to believe me when I told you I don't celebrate and please don't do anything for me.  I don't play games so take what I say as what I mean.

This, pretty much. I've never celebrated, unless it happened to coincide with a Mardi Gras parade day then perhaps we went heart themed costumes that day. Walking Dead premier is tonight and SO tried to make a joke last week along the lines of "ooohhh guess what's coming up next week... hint hint look at the calendar wink wink" trying to get me to say googoo gahgah its Valentine's Day so he could tease me and be like Nah its Walking Dead, but I legitimately was unaware that Vday was coming up, so it didn't work and he had to explain the whole thing. Lol I was just like sorry dude, you got the wrong girl.

Or perhaps the right girl, considering he's watching TWD and planning nothing for VDay lol.

[Deleted]

Feb 14, 2016 10:49:08 GMT -5 gilder40 said:

Feb 13, 2016 22:38:00 GMT -5 @jimbobcooter said:

gilder40 , where in central TX? I lived in Waco for five years.

I lived in Belton from the fall of 2001-2012. When were you in Waco?

From July 1988 - August 1993. I was there for school. I spent a month in Belton at Mary Hardin Baylor when I was a kid because my mother was on the staff for their music camp.

[purple]

I've never really celebrated Valentine's day. Over here it's solely a "romantic" celebration (inverted commas because I don't really see what's romantic about flowers, chocolates etc when everyone else is doing the same thing). I've been stunned to read about children exchanging Valentines, and family members.

However, I do have fond memories of the Valentine H sent me the year we got together. We were living four hours apart at the time. We got together on a Friday evening and he had to go home on the Sunday. After so many years of singledom (and fancying the pants off my best friend) I was feeling a bit fragile. We texted a lot but it wasn't quite enough. So the huge card and heartfelt message that arrived on Valentine's day helped a lot!

We don't do anything for it now, although if H buys me cut price flowers tomorrow I won't mind :-)

[gilder40]

Feb 14, 2016 15:26:09 GMT -5 @jimbobcooter said:

Feb 14, 2016 10:49:08 GMT -5 gilder40 said:

I lived in Belton from the fall of 2001-2012. When were you in Waco?

From July 1988 - August 1993. I was there for school. I spent a month in Belton at Mary Hardin Baylor when I was a kid because my mother was on the staff for their music camp.

Okay, that's nuts. My degree is from UMHB. I played basketball there. Did you go to Baylor?

[kemdupuis]

UM. Today, DH gave me 30 CADBURY CREME EGGS. Seriously, best gift ever. I love them so much and hate that they are only available during the spring. I don't even know what to do with myself right now. Also, I am dying picturing the cashier when he brought up an entire rack of these things. Hahahaha

He also got me a gift certificate for a 1 hour massage, 1 hour facial and mani/pedi. I am so excited for my spa day, but 30 CADBURY CREME EGGS!!!

[thecatsmeow]

kemdupuis, so jealous! I love creme eggs! They are available in the fall for Halloween as "scream eggs". The inside is green, but they taste the same.

[alayne926]

Ugh...kemdupuis, I hate those! More for you!

[billyhorrible]

kemdupuis, those are my favorite candies ever.

[Deleted]

Feb 14, 2016 18:43:50 GMT -5 gilder40 said:

Feb 14, 2016 15:26:09 GMT -5 @jimbobcooter said:

From July 1988 - August 1993. I was there for school. I spent a month in Belton at Mary Hardin Baylor when I was a kid because my mother was on the staff for their music camp.

Okay, that's nuts. My degree is from UMHB. I played basketball there. Did you go to Baylor?

Yep. Me, my brother, my mom, my aunt, my grandmother, and my great uncle was head of the physics department there.  And yet somehow I turned out to be a dirty, liberal hippie. LOL.   I would love my boys to go there too, but am politically conflicted about how they would do at a school that conservative. But it's a great school and I loved my time there.