Expectations Are in the Air

Valentine's Day. Somehow this supposed "most romantic day in the year" has never fully met my expectations. As a kid, Valentine's Day was all about the candy - spending the day eating way too much chocolate was about my only expectation. As I grew older, however, I daydreamed in the way young girls do about a special someone with whom I could spend the day floating on pink fluffy clouds. As I grew a little older, the day came with a sense of dread, and I'll admit on more than one occasion I broke things off with someone merely because Valentine's Day was looming in the future and I didn't want to have to go through such an experience with someone who evidently didn't meet all my expectations. Finally, I found my true love, and I imagine that we had a few traditional Valentine's Day dates although nothing really spectacular stands out. Instead, what I remember is the date that ended in tragedy, well at least for my expectations. We had a free night and a babysitter, which in and of itself is a great thing. I'm pretty sure I spent a large part of the day dwelling on what a perfect night we were going to have and wondering what wonderful plans my creative and loving husband had inevitably come up with. The night started off with dinner, so far so good. After that, I don't remember too many of the details, but we basically ended up aimlessly killing time browsing the aisles of Target. Honestly, any other night that would have been fine. I like any kind of shopping, even if it is Target. I like spending one-on-one time with my husband, and we always have a great time no matter what we are doing. However, it was Valentine's Day - there are expectations to be met here! Let's just say, unfortunately for my oblivious husband,  that I harbored some bitter feelings for quite a while. Eventually, I came to my senses and the following thoughts have altered my Valentine's Day expectations:

1. I love my husband.
2. My husband loves me.
3. Unexpected romantic gestures and dates throughout the year mean so much more than obligated scheduled ones.
4. Romantic things are sometimes a lot more practical than I used to think. Flowers are nice, but having the laundry washed, folded, and put away for me...Wow! 
5. For me, Valentine's Day is the perfect opportunity to take time to focus on our love together as a family and not just Andy and I as a couple.

So, last year began our new tradition of having family date nights on Valentine's Day and spending time together focusing on the love that we all have for each other. Fortunately for us, now I can say that LOVE Is in the Air at our house on Valentine's Day!