Sidenote: Do all the V-day boycotters also boycott Mother's Day and Father's Day? Cos they are pretty much the same things right, 'appointed' days to show love and appreciation (in whatever form) to special people in your life!?
Anyway, obviously, whatever floats your boat, but for us we usually take the day as an excuse to do something a little romantical (yes, that is a real word, I say so!), whether on that exact day or thereabouts.
Just like Mother's Day and Father's day, for our family the focus is not on gift buying but more on finding ways to show our love and appreciation to each other in special and creative avenues and in quality time. I have very fond memories of the Valentine's Day adventures Mark has concocted over the years, including secretly planned dinners and picnics, paddle boating on the lake and so on! Ahh, good times!
This year due to Mark recently being away so much and with my cold too, we opted for a cosy dinner in (after putting the cherubs to bed early) which was perfect for the rainy weather.
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Mark BBQed some yummy salmon and asparagus with hollondaise sauce (delish!) and for dessert I made up a tray of divine and super easy Maple Syrup Roasted Rhubarb and Strawberries. Tasty, tangy, oozy deliciousness!! Served with ice cream and Bob's your uncle! Candle-lit dinner with Eva Cassidy playing in the background... bliss.
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Now, as I said, as a rule we don't get gifts for V-Day but this little woman has been on a serious mission for quite some time!! I have had this idea for aaaaages to get our wedding vows printed up professionally in a gorgeous framed typography. I've just struggled to find the right person to do it. I had tried to get it organised for our last anniversary in December... but didn't happen. Christmas would have been good too but again, couldn't get it organised in time. For shame, huh! Then along came my beloved Etsy.com (ooohhh how I love Etsy!). I couldn't find anything to match my vision, even on Etsy, the home of all gorgeousness... so I just hunted for a graphic designer's style that I liked and finally came across the lovely Meka at Breeding Fancy - she happily (and wonderfully) did me up a custom order that I was sooooo thrilled with, I teared up when I saw it! Here 'tis....
Katie,
You are my best friend and I love you. Today is the day that I give myself to you unconditionally, and I do it with these simple words: I promise to take your hand and lead us faithfully towards God. To be a safe harbour for you, and to sacrifice myself for you… for the rest of my life. You have such a beautiful character and I can’t believe you are marrying me! You were entrusted to me as a gift from God, and I vow to always treat you with love and care.
Mark,
My love, today I promise to be yours for life. I commit to loving you and supporting you each day and will trust and respect you always as my husband. My faithfulness is assured, for we will be ‘one’ – you are my partner and my best friend. I vow to guard this marriage with my life, and always look to God for His blessing and guidance. You will forever be my resting place and my home.
Oh, and green and pink were our wedding colours hence choosing them with the grey font. Sigh.... so gorgeous, I'm very very happy with them. As Mark said, they are something we want to have hanging up in our home for decades to come!
Suffice to say, Mark was pretty speechless/touched/thrilled/possibly just a little bit teary when I gave them to him!! YIPPEEE!!!! I wish I could have held off till our anniversary as would have been just that bit more 'perfect' then, but I just get WAY too excited about giving gifts (I'm a bit a of 7 year old at heart!) and I just could not wait! Anyway, he loved them, I love them too, oh and yup thankfully those vows still hold true all these years later - seven years and counting, baby! Will be so nice to have them hanging in our room, a reminder of our ongoing promises to each other.
A sweet and quiet Valentine's Day with my wonderful husband. A lovely reminder to tell him the delight he is to me every single day in so many ways. God has blessed me beyond my wildest dreams when it came to giving me a husband like Mark. Not something I ever want to take for granted. Not something I only want to save to express only one day a year either.... but hey, if in the humdrum of life we don't express what's really in our hearts as often as we could... I'm ok with a little prompting from the calendar! There is always time for a lil' bit of romance, I say!
Because when you stop and really think about how big this love is, it takes your breath away. Makes my heart just about burst with gratitude...
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In the spirit of the day, whether you 'do' Valentine's or not, whether you are in a relationship right now or not, you are loved! I shall sign off with the words of Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber of Veggietales fame...
