Take Back the Thrill

You know what’s good? M&M’s in a cup. There is nothing like a big drink of M&M’s to cure the apathetic heart.

Because Valentine’s Day is nothing trivial. If it weren’t for Cupid, husbands wouldn’t make the annual dash into Costco for a dozen roses, or be lining the aisles of Walgreen’s the night before, loading their carts with stupid bears and Whitman’s chocolates.

And say what you want about commercialization and wasted money, waking up to two dozen orange roses (kissed with pink) is kind of wonderful. And if you act like you don’t care, then he won’t care. Because he’s a man.

Yes, Valentine’s Day is no thermometer for a good marriage, and yes there are 364 other days each year that should include some  kind of wooing (even if comes in the form of someone else loading the dishwasher without being asked, which is totally hot), but none of those things negate the need for one day, each year, where your man is required by law to show you the love.

In the past ten years, I’ve seen some pretty impressive stuff from Jason on Valentine’s Day. My anniversary and birthday are in the same week, so we decided ten years ago that we would celebrate our marriage on Valentine’s Day instead (although this year, we’re celebrating next weekend because of scheduling conflicts).

The point is, women need to be adored. At some point each year (hopefully more than once) we need to feel words like cherish, treasure, prize, value, appreciate, and revere are actually a part of our romantic relationship. Without them, we revert to life as a short order cook who does a lot of laundry and doesn’t get paid very well.

I know plenty of women who think Valentine’s Day is a family day, but I am here to disagree. This is a day for lovers. It’s a day to remind us that what has become a settled relationship and a family, started out as a hot romance with passion and tenderness and that thrill that came every time the phone rang and you wondered if it was Him.

May your Valentine’s Day be filled with stolen looks and intimate moments. May you take the time to gaze into your lover’s eyes, no matter how wrinkled and sleep-deprived they’ve become, and see the man who stole your heart and gave you his name.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go watch my hot secret agent husband shovel snow. He’s so hot, he probably won’t even need a shovel. It’ll just melt into puddles all around him. Kind of like me.


Comments

  1. You’re cute. Your husband’s a lucky guy.

  2. I love M & M’s. In a cup, in a bag, on a train…

  3. Annie, I love you so.

    (And I think you’re funny for repeatedly removing that button when you write posts like this one. I’m just saying…)

  4. I hope he reads this!

  5. Sweet…love it Mrs. Valentine!

    I should leave this open for him to read!

    Thanks!

  6. Thanks. I needed that.

  7. I LOVED this line: “see the man who stole your heart and gave you his name.”

  8. Happy Valentine’s Day.

    Can I call you Puddles now?

  9. I LOVE reading how you talk about your husband. It has actually helped me too remember why I married my husband. Thank you for sharing your open and honest take on life!

  10. My husband and I have not traditionally celebrated Valentine’s Day. Now you’ve got me thinking–yeah, I could use a little more romance.

  11. AWWWWW…..and I’m not the gushy type either!

  12. Hot enough to melt snow eh… Yes, it is nice to be totally “adored” at least one day a year —by law as you put it. Now, get out there and help him shovel so you can go knock some boots. (tee,hee)

  13. I agree with everything- except that long before I fell in love with my husband I fell in love with sugar cookies. Heart shaped. With pink cream cheese frosting. And cinnamon imperials on top. So I don’t care if there are roses or not. But I have to have my sugar cookies!!!
    (And tomorrow I am going to go see if there are some good chocolates on clearance.)
    So that’s what Valentine’s Day is for me- sugar.

  14. That was beautiful! Thanks Annie for all those pretty words. I am not really a Valentines Day celebrator, but now I wanna go back in time (2 days exactly) and celebrate “Lovers Day”.

  15. Oh, and…

    P.S. My 3 1/2 year old woke up this morning all sad and teary eyed and said these words to me that melted my heart, “Moooooommmm, I forgot to make you a valentine” 🙁

  16. Do you ever take your M&M’s in a cup and microwave ’em for like 15 sec, just so their a little soft? SOOOOOO Yummy.
    Works good for Cadbury eggs, too
    Yum.

  17. Amen to that Annie! It is about Romance. I usually give my children a card and a little something to let them know that I love them, but then I shuffle them off to Auntie Kristi for the weekend. Me and my honey get a nice quiet time to be together and do whatever we want. This year he bought me new couches for the living room. Is there anything more romantic than furniture I ask. I think not!

  18. Annie, I’ve seen you in your tiny dress size. . .I’ve seen your adorable kids, but I’ve never seen that “He’s so hot he melts the snow” husband of yours. . . why don’t you put his pic up for a post and make our day? xoxox