Valentines Day: A Retrospective

I really need to be working on my talk for Sunday right now, but I did promise a follow-up to Monday's blog and so here it is...

Last night I cooked for Krista. Yes, I cooked. If you know anything about me you are probably on the floor right now knocked out by the weight of that revelation. It is true though, I cooked. It was risky, it was dangerous, it was near disastrous, but in the end it was absolutely fantastic.

Hear is the rundown of the day leading up to the climatic entry of Krista into the apartment:

6:10 Wake-up to seek Krista off to school and to get ready for the day
6:45 Out the door to meet B for accountability
8:00 Off to my office to create an incredible Valentines play list including DMB, Amos Lee, Patty Griffin, Robin Ella, Norah Jones, Micheal Buble & Ryan Adams.
9:00 Head to HEB to get the goods
9:20 I manage to drop a thing of Romain lettuce on the ground. I quickly regain my composure dust it off and put it back on the rack and grab a new one.
10:15 Drop off the goods at the Leydens and marinade the pork loin with Chuck
10:45 Quick run to Garden Ridge to get white pillar candles and rose pedals
11:15 Drive home quickly for I am running late and have a lot of cleaning and decorating to do.
12:35 Leave the apartment looking like the final scene of the bachelor and head off to enjoy Krista's Valentine present for me...a message from Message Envy. Very nice.
2:00 Walk slowly for I am very relaxed out to my car and then head off to Chuck's casa.
2:05 Begin cooking up a storm with the incredible chef we know as Chuck Leyden
2:10 Get the fire going on the grill
2:20 Begin cooking a chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake in the shape of a heart. Not kidding.
2:50 Put the well marinated pork loin on the grill.
3:10 Stick the Cheesecake in the oven and begin working on the mashed potatoes
3:45 I break the Leyden's disposal trying to dispose of way too many potato skins at once.
3:55 Chuck breaks out the plunger from the hall bathroom to unclog the kitchen sink. I watch in amazement.
4:00 The sink is back to working, we take the cheesecake out of the oven to cool and the pork loin off the grill. Everything looks incredible.
4:15 I begin making chocolate covered strawberries.
4:30 I begin making green bean casserole.
4:35 I begin loading my car with all the goods and head back home.
4:50 I unload the car and begin to light candles. I must have 100 candles lit in this house. The likelihood that are apartment burns down before Krista get to see it is 2:1.
5:15 Krista calls telling me she is here.
5:17 I open the door and Krista walks in. She is speechless. This year's love wins.

The rest of the evening was amazing. The food was incredible. She was blown away. I have to admit I really thought there was no way things would turn out as well as they did. God was obviously looking out for me. Chuck was proof of that. So there you go, that was Valentines Day. Bring on next year.

Valentines Day

So Valentines Day is swiftly approaching. And I find myself thinking about what I am going to do to show Krista that I love her more this year than last year. And to be honest, that is not going to be an easy task. For last year I did well. Not that I am here to brag, but I did do a great job last year. I showed up at her school with flowers for her and valentines for her kids. After school I told her that we had reservations at the Melting Pot and then we were spending the night at the Renaissance hotel. I told her I had packed her things for the night and that we were to go check in to the hotel and then head to dinner. I also made sure that we had time to do a little shopping before dinner so she could buy something new to wear for the evening. Once she had picked out what she wanted and had changed we headed off to dinner. It was a great night. She said it was the best Valentines Day she had ever had. And that brings me to my dilemma. A dilemma so strong that it has moved me to write a sonnet...

An ode to Valentines Day...

Oh Valentines Day
Oh Valentines Day
You bring more pressure
than any other holiday.

Oh Valentines Day
Oh Valentines Day
A romantic idea
need come my way.

Oh Valentines Day
Oh Valentines Day
I must do something
to hear my wife say...

Oh Valentines Day!
Oh Valentines Day!
My husband loves me
more today than yesterday!

Yes, the pressure is great, but I will not let it do me in. No my friends. This year will top last year. This year's love will prevail, for I have a plan. But I dare not tell you what it is for I know you would try to ruin it. And I will not have it ruined. So you must wait until Thursday when I will post again and let you know if my Valentines plan succeeded or if it fell short. However, until then you are free to make guesses on what I may be doing for Krista on Wednesday. If someone miraculously does guess what I have planned then I will designate an entire blog to their greatness and I will take them and one of their friends to lunch. So guess away my friends, guess away until... Valentines Day.