Happy Valentine's Day!

All my life, whether single or in a relationship, I have always enjoyed Valentine's Day. Never really took it to heart too much (maybe because I've been single more than I've been in a relationship;), but I'm still one of those girls who has always liked to wear red on the day and think positively about love because I believe in it. That being said, this year feels especially exciting for me. While L was a very significant part of my life during last Valentine's Day as well, I can't even describe how amazingly far we've come since then. I like us. I like how we progress. I like that we're different than the 'traditional' couple in how we've grown together and care for one another. We've had ups and downs, but mostly ups, and I wouldn't trade a single moment. Today and every day, I am thankful for the presence of such a wonderful person in my life. :)

As you know from my last post, I made an early and unexpected trip to Madison to visit L last weekend. We will see each other a lot in the upcoming weeks, but we won't get to spend much time with just the two of us. Makes me sad, although, I will take any time I can get with him. Anyway, that is what prompted the visit last weekend. We missed each other and wanted the opportunity to have our own little Valentine's celebration since the dang holiday fell during the week this year. Madison is not that far from here, but I couldn't take tomorrow off because it's the first day of the classes I am teaching at UWM, and it would be tough to drive back and forth twice in such a short amount of time. We weren't planning to really even do much or get much for each other, but I got him a couple little things and wrapped them in pretty red paper. While we were hanging out, I ran upstairs to use the restroom, and when I came back down, the little items in the picture below were waiting for me! :) From what I tell you, you probably think L is the most spontaneous, romantic guy in the world, and he really IS wonderful to me, but it's worth noting that these little surprises are pretty out of character. Not because he's not a thoughtful guy. Believe me, he's as thoughtful as they come. We just don't do these things often. Needless to say, my face lit up, and he was really excited. It's animal crackers and frosting to dip them in, an individual cup of wine, and a sweet card. The wine has a small back story. In one of the many times I've visited L, we were watching the show "Shark Tank." If you're unfamiliar, basically, people who invent things come on this show to try to get these business people to invest in their product. On the night we were watching, a guy was appearing for the second time. The first time he was on, and even the second time, the investors wanted control over his patent for the actual cup the wine comes in. He didn't want to give that up, because he only wanted to use HIS wine in it. Not a dumb guy! Anyway, long story short, L and I were really intrigued, and then a couple months ago, he sent me a picture to show me that he saw the product (called Copa di Vino) in the store. How crazy! Well, he ended up buying me a single little cup of it, knowing that I love how cute it is and how much I'd love that it matched the color scheme. (Yeah, he knows me well.:) In addition to all of this, his card said a number of sweet things that just made me smile so much. I'll spare you all the juicy details, but I loved it. The last line? "Just know that you mean so much to me, and that I want to be your Valentine." Aww. :) I hope you all had a fantastic day, whether you celebrated V-Day or not!

Valentine's treats. <3