Wow, hard to believe it's that time of year already! I mean, it was just the end of summer a few short months ago! Fall came and went and now winter is soon to wrap up with the promise of new growth, green grass and my GARDEN! (Ah, can't wait!). Meanwhile, we are eagerly approaching Valentines day, one of my very favorite times of year.

 

After doing a little research, I found out a little tidbit of who “St. Valentine” really was:

 

Wow, so this holiday is named after a martyr?  Hmm, odd.  

 

Anyway, this is the time of year where I get to show my lovely wife and best friend how much I really  care for her.  According to the media, I'm supposed to express that love by getting her something that, inevitably, she may never use, will die in a vase or be tossed in the trash within a few short days.

 

For me, I need to come up with something a little more thoughtful so as we not only both have a great time, but we create a loving memory that we can discuss, laugh and share with others (well, most parts). Those memories don't have to cost “two months salary” either.

 

In the fifteen plus amazing years I've shared with this incredible woman, I've come up with some pretty unusual ideas to surprise her.  Oddly enough, every single memorable moment we've shared on that special day in some way included great food.  One year, I took her to see Kenny G.; she loved it more than I did, but we both still talk about that night!  Before the show, we went to an amazing steak house where we had the best milk-fed veal porter house ever!   Another year, we drove out to the outer banks of North Carolina and rented a room right on the beach, picked sea shells in the morning, rode rusty old 3-speed bicycles up and down the ocean until our backsides hurt!  Since there wasn't a decent restaurant for miles, we bought our food from the local grocery store (about 10 miles away) and grilled dinner over an old Weber the property owner lent us (his name was Joe and he had two huge hearing aids and we had to yell at the top of our lungs so he could hear us, in all other ways he was a great guy!)  We had steaks, shrimp, anything that could be grilled over oak wood charcoals.  We ate raw oysters and, well, enjoyed the rest of the evening.  And yet another time, we took a camping trip in the West Virginia ice and snow, feasted on some homemade chili and cornbread I made over the fire and kept warm cuddled together in an old comforter -- wow, those were some cold couple of days.

 

My point is, before men run out and buy an over-priced tennis bracelet – why is it called a tennis bracelet anyway, I never saw anyone playing tennis wear anything like that before.  Or, run out to the gas station on the way home from work the night before and buy some lame roses or a pick a card we don't carefully read before we buy it, we should use our imagination!  Besides, in our current tough times, using our imagination is a great way to offer something without necessarily breaking the piggy bank.

 

My suggestion would be to stay local, visit your local farmers market in advance, and see what they have that inspires you.  If you are blessed with the ability to cook, then pick up some dinner and put together some flowers while you're at the farmers market – most large farmers markets sell great flowers at a fair price.  Be creative don’t always get roses, explore random assortment of colors that you know she likes, to add variety and give spice to the arrangement.. If you can't cook, don't try and stress yourself out by reading from a cookbook, you may not enjoy yourself or the meal, and miss having a memorable night.  Instead, reach out to a favorite restaurant in your area but do it in advance and plan a nice dinner, select a nice restaurant that isn’t a chain style restaurant. As a reminder, we need to support our local economy no matter what during difficult economic times!   Life is short, so be imaginative and create memories together.  

 

It amazes me how fast time flies. Yea, the end of summer seemed like just a few short months ago, well, and my teenage years may have also felt like just a few years ago!  Luckily, I hold on to the great memories with photos and lots of great times.

 

Remember folks, we only have one life to live, live each day to the fullest!  Start by supporting your local economy in planning your Valentine’s Day memory!

 

Happy Valentines Day!

 

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