Post-Valentine's Day Wrap-up.

So it seems that many of you don't like it when a story is started and never finished. Am I right? Well, I can completely relate, so I thought I'd finish off my Valentine's Day "story" and let you know that M was in fact my Valentine. However, when I asked him to be my Valentine, his reply was, "That doesn't count; I already asked you to be mine." :)

M requested that I be ready at 11am on Valentine's Day, when he would come over and together, decide what matinee we wanted to see. But, I was so excited to sleep in on Saturday, that I was behind in getting ready. I texted M at about 1045 am to tell him I was running late. He replied, "No worries. I'll come over 1130 am." That was the perfect thing to hear. I love feeling un-rushed.

I was ready right at 1130 am when M arrived with these in hand.

I love stargazer lilies. They are so deliciously fragrant! And even better, M remembered how much I love them. Then, as we sat down in front of the computer checking out all of our movie options, the doorbell rang. Katie was in the kitchen making herself some lunch and had tuna-covered hands, so she asked, "Will you get that?" Then M said, "Yeah, why don't you get it." A little suspiciously, I walked to the front door to find these tuxedo-clad men.

Yes, they are a barbershop quartet. (M's dad is the tall one in the center.) My jaw dropped as I let them in. They began to sing to me from M. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but I smiled the whole time. I was truly shocked. Happy, but also a little nervous that these four singing men were staring at me and only me for a full five minutes! But SO fun! When M told me I had a few surprises for Valentine's Day, I never would have guessed this one. :)

After my serenaders left, M and I decided on a movie. Confessions of a Shopaholic. We wanted something light and romantically comedic. On our way to the theatre, we stopped off at a new healthy fast food restaurant called Au Naturale. I've been wanting to try it and am happy to report that they do not disappoint! Take a look at their delectable menu here and stop by sometime and check them out. I would love to see them do well and be successful in changing the nature of fast food.

Being that it was Valentine's Day, I decided to wear these all day. (Okay, so I only made it from my house, to lunch, to window shopping, and to the theatre, but it was fun.)

After our movie, M dropped me off at home and I took a nap. How great is that?! He planned a nap for me into our day. Like it or not, I've learned that a woman needs her sleep.

Then dressed up and ready for a night out, M picked me up again at 6 pm and we headed down to this restaurant, where we ate on our first date. It was freezing and very windy outside. I was wearing a cute red and black dress with tall black sassy boots, which coupled with my car-length black wool coat, provided little protection from the cold as we waited to be seated. Good thing I had an "M" with me. They keep you pretty warm. ;)

But just before our food arrived, M disappeared for twenty minutes in the bathroom. I was pretty certain that he was getting my final Valentine's surprise ready to give me. But then he came back and just went about eating. No surprise, yet, I guess. Finally, he sighed saying, "It's not working." "What's not working?" "Your last surprise isn't working the way I had planned." I don't really remember exactly what he said at that point, but he finally asked me to listen to his coat pocket. (I was cold, so he'd given me his coat to put over my legs.) I listened, and heard his recorded voice coming from the pocket. Following the voice's request, I reached into the pocket and pulled out this:

Yes. You saw that right. He bought me a new phone! (Apparently, he and many of my other friends felt it was high time I had a new phone. I thought my little blue Samsung was just fine... I guess I was wrong. haha.) I was in a little bit of shock. I'm not always good with "big" gifts. I got a little overwhelmed, especially when I first started using it. Sensory overload. But isn't it beautiful?! I love it! One of my favorite features, which I'm sure many of you will roll your eyes at, is a four-level Sudoku application! M has me hooked on Challenge Sudoku on Facebook, so he was especially pleased to find out that the phone had my new favorite pastime as well. :) Thank you M!

Valentine's Day was grand. Not necessarily because it was Valentine's Day, but because M planned out the whole day. I generally don't do the whole commercial Valentine trip. You know, buying a lot of stuff that has hearts on it, or is full of tons of sugar, or stuffed animals holding fake velvet hearts. But I DO love sharing love with the people who matter most. And let's be honest, a designated day especially for loving isn't so bad. After all, I love love. Remember?

Thanks for a great day, M!