Hearts and flowers rings and vows (rings and vows!)

You'd better have been singing that to the tune of "Heads and Shoulders Knees and Toes." Don't make me get all corporal on you.

Today is V-day, of course. I never put THAT much stake in it, but I am a girl and thus always thought it would be nice to have a lovely person to share the Hallmark holiday with.

That didn't usually happen for me, which was just as well. My friends and I celebrated in a number of ways over the years. In college Kym and I started the AVD parties (Anti-Valentine's Day for those of you not possessing the gift of acronymical intuition)...these celebrations took a number of forms. I don't recall which came first, but it always involved a large gathering of some high school friends and some wholesome activity. There was the time we piled into cars with the mission of doing laser tag. I don't remember why that didn't work out, but I do remember that we wound up at a coffee shop over on the West side of Lansing. The best part about that one was making Matt and Emily break up for the evening...they were long-standing high school sweeties, and our rule was that only single people could participate...thus, we told them they had to break up. No touching, no kissing, no riding in the same car. They hated it but wanted too much to be part of the fun to really object. Then there was the time we had the AVD bake-off at Kym's parents' house...we made sugar cookies and decorated them with black frosting in a tube with Xs through hearts and that sort of thing. It was great fun. I have pictures somewhere. There was another year when Kym, Anne, and I shared an elegant dinner. It was like our own little romantic date. I think we even lit candles.

Then there was grad school. Most of the AVD people were long gone - moved away to faraway states, gotten married, fallen out of touch, etc. About four years ago Melissa (middle school friend), her roommate Suzanne (our favorite tree-hugging vegetarian) and I had a fun-filled rendezvous that gave a whole new meaning to V-Day. We made tacos with vegetarian taco "meat" (V #1 is for vegetarian). Then we went up to campus for a special V-day performance of the Vagina Monologues. (I don't think I need to tell you that there's a second V there!) Then, on the way home, Melissa and I were riding in her old beloved Ford Probe (otherwise known as the Anal Probe) when "All That She Wants" by WHAM! came on the radio, and of course we had to car dance. We laughed until we cried and it henceforth became known as the Vagina Dance (its moniker deriving ENTIRELY from the show we'd just been to, don't get any funny ideas, people). Not too long thereafter I found the album at CD Warehouse and it's been one of my favorite songs ever since. I love you, Closeted George Michael.



Fast forward to two years ago. I had met Josh. I had a bona fide boy in my life who I had, by that point, had decided was a keeper (THE keeper, in fact). He stretched V-Day into a week, leaving me little clues and notes around my apartment (one being in my dictionary because we're both nerdy like that). He snuck into my office when I didn't even know he was in town and left these on my desk:









Sweet boy.











Here's us a few days thereafter - look how happy we were, flush with all the joys of new love (including Josh's lopsided smile, compliments of Bell's Palsy):
















Last year? We were going insane putting together the final details for our wedding...only four days to go. We decided that Valentine's Day didn't really need to involve a big fuss, so we decided to go low-key and have a Big Fat Mars Hill Wedding.



This year? Several ideas got thrown around, including having two holidays in one, having a romantic Valentine's-like holiday in the summer instead...at one point this involved tears on my end (because despite all my practicality, I am a GIRL)...we came to a decision, and then things morphed in their own way despite our plans...last night Josh came home with a dozen roses, a bag of Valentine's peanut M&Ms, and V-Day socks. I gave him a Reese's Peanut Butter Heart (a big one, mind you) and a Tamale Pie dinner kit he'd had his eye on. Then I caved and gave him his anniversary gifts too - an iPod armband for the gym (he learned his lesson after dropping his on the treadmill) and a new gym bag. (Maybe I was sending him mixed messages with the fattening candy and the gym paraphenalia?) Valentine's Day is February 14th. Our first anniversary is the 18th. We did much of our celebrating last night...although we're going to fancy dinner and symphony on Friday and at some point this weekend we'll eat our (most likely freezerburned) anniversary cake, bust out our gorgeous crystal toasting flutes, and drink the duty-free Korbel champagne we bought on our cruise. I just love that we bought champagne in St. Thomas that we could've gotten at Meijer. So exotic. Oh well. Here's a final parting picture for you all:













Thus Endeth The History Of Valentine's Day by Laura Russell Mikrut. (This is where you sarcastically say, "Good story, Grandpa! Tell it again!")

Happy V-Day to you, however you choose to celebrate.