Another V-Day Under our Belts’

So, I got a message last night saying that someone is following my blog. I actually came here and looked at it. I got a little sad. I love writing, I love my blog. I have not written for a long time. My Grandmother’s passing seemed to signal a change in my life that has not brought me back to what I love. Writing.

We lost her, we moved my grandfather, we moved to a new house, work changed, got a puppy, got depressed, got on back on my meds, got my head better… Here we are.

Looking at my blog made me want to write. So, here I am.

So we are two weeks out from Valentine’s Day but I wanted to write about it.

Everyone knows something about the Day of Love, here is a little history.

Saint Valentine’s Day, also known as Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine,^[1] is observed on February 14 each year. It is celebrated in many countries around the world, although it is not a holiday in most of them.

St. Valentine’s Day began as a liturgical celebration of one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus. Several martyrdom stories were invented for the various Valentines that belonged to February 14, and added to later martyrologies.^[2] A popular hagiographical account of Saint Valentine of Rome states that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire. According to legend, during his imprisonment, he healed the daughter of his jailer, Asterius. An embellishment to this story states that before his execution he wrote her a letter signed “Your Valentine” as a farewell.^[3] Today, Saint Valentine’s Day is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion,^[4]as well as in the Lutheran Church.^[5] The Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrates Saint Valentine’s Day, albeit on July 6 and July 30, the former date in honor of the Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and the latter date in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna (modern Terni). In Brazil, the Dia de São Valentim is recognized on June 12.

So James and I have spent Valentine’s Day together for the last eight years. In the beginning it was, you know, all about being together and what we would get each other and the next year about outdoing the last.

Now we just want to be together. Don’t get me wrong, we aren’t complacent, it’s not that we don’t do things or want to do things, for each other it’s just times have changed… We have a house this equals less disposable income for things like this.

So, at the last minutes (5:00 PM) on February 14th, 2014 James called me and said “wanna go to www.thetexaslonghorn.ca?” Of course, since this is my FAVOURITE place to go… I said “yes”.

With no reservation ON VALENTINE’S DAY, we set out… I some how got my purse handle wrapped around the coffee James had in the cup holder and ended up pulling it over onto myself… James exclaimed “well I guess we’re not going to dinner now…” to which I replied “*%&^&*()$& RIGHT WE ARE! I’ll just tell them I’m wearing eau de http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Valdez” He just laughed.

We drive from Etobicoke where he picks me up to Whitby. Get in and find out there is an hour wait. I am determined that I am having dinner here so we wait.

There are a myriad of 20 some-things, in cowboy/girl get ups greeting everyone who walks in.

As we are waiting a couple guys come in and the girl at the desk asks “Do you have a reservation?” So he replies “yah, it’s under J Geils…” I look at James he looks at me we grin… She goes up and down the reservation list and the guy starts giggling… She says “we don’t have anything like that…” So he looks at his friend and says “maybe Michael Jackson?” Then she clues in… He’s fooling around… EVERYONE over the age of 30 waiting for a table starts laughing… This poor kid has no idea who J Geiles is… Let alone that his Angel is a Centrefold!

She ushers this joker to the bar.

We wait…

We finally are called and head to our table, where Cherokee (apparently her real name, James asked) comes to serve us. We order our drinks and she says… “I have a proposition for you and I am only asking you ’cause I can see you are cool…” Good saleswoman work there… “We have a contest on today to see who can get the most full orders, I mean, alcoholic beverages, appetizers, meals, dessert and coffee. If you order I will be in the lead…” MORE good saleswoman-ship! So we agree and order deep fried avocado bits…

deep fried avocado bits http://blog.calgarystampede.com/2013/05/01/time-to-let-you-in-on-the-secret-new-food-on-the-midway-2013/

I fell in love with them, James could not even put them in his mouth. The fact that avocado is smooth to begin with is just exacerbated by deep frying it…

So then our dinner comes, chimichanga for me, all that deep fried cheesy goodness (I love whomever decided to put a burrito in some oil) and a steak and mashers for James.

Dinner comes… It is lovely as always.

Singing to the music Miss Cherokee brings our dessert, vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce. I say “You know all the words to every song.” She says “You caught me. I really like this new country, I’m not so into the old stuff…” So I begin a conversation with her about country music… Well those of you who follow me on FACEBOOK know how that ends.

Anyway… After eight Valentine’s Days together, we’re not the mushy mushy kind. We still spend the night together, we still say I love you but in all honestly we do that every night.

It wasn’t a lavish night, it was a night we enjoyed, cover in coffee, with some giggles and holding hands as we walked to the car, while I sang and James said “Oh LORD, here we go.”

We went home and the boys