Animate: For most women, it is about the thought. The first Valentine's Day after my ex-husband and I got married, our daughter was 1 month old. It was a very cold and snowy winter so I had barely been able to leave the house while he was working 6 days/12 hours a day. I was totally exhausted/sleep deprived and going nuts with a colicky baby who screamed for 12 hours a day. I managed to make him a heart shaped brownie for Valentine's Day and had his favorite meal ready when he got home from work. This took a LOT of effort under the circumstances. He got home from work at 8 pm and didn't even have a card. He said "I tried to find a florist that was still open but couldn't". I was so incredibly hurt that I had found a way to make an effort in spite of my limited ability to get anything done and he hadn't found a way to even buy OR make a card.

He also didn't recognize my first Mother's Day as a Mom that year. Our first year of marriage and two major strikes. Not good.

In neither case did he need to spend a lot of money or make herculean efforts to recognize the special days. There aren't that many special days. It takes 10 minutes to do something nice. There's no excuse not to.

I'm thinking a "I didn't have time to get a card/flowers, but let me take the baby for the night and you get a full night's sleep." would have gone a long way in this case. Besides, there are NO florists open at 8pm on V-day? Lame....and besides, 99% of grocery stores sell flowers.

We're going to the casino again. It's become a fun Valentine's Day tradition for us, which I love.

Hubby is taking me to Smokey Bones for dinner. He asked where I wanted to go, and that was my response. I have learned that the fancy schmancy places just arent my thing. Give me some BBQ and a movie, and I'm happy.

Well unfortunately, I have to work on my day (payback for me having a week off due to storms last year around this time) but the wife and I found a nice little restaurant in downtown DC a few months ago, so I will take her there on Sunday.

But NOTHING can top the surprise party my fams had for me last year despite the blizzard!

....I gotta get back into the habit of taking my day off!

ohhh Yum ..I'm jealous .. for some reason Tucson doesn't has any good BBQ :-( at least not that I've been able to find.

Yeah...I sound like the bitter old man lol.

I'm really not trying to hold last year against her it just makes things more interesting this year.

I'm not overly concerned with other women. I just find it a rarity to hear women talking about what they are going to do for their guy on the day. The women that do get major kudos from me. I'm not even big on gift giving occasions because i feel like I don't deserve any of it so to get anything is a blessing to me. I did just get an idea on something to do part of that day so I guess plans are in motion.

They sell V-day cards for a month in advance... not being able to come up with something was totally lame. Truth be told, he didn't think about it until he walked in the door and I had his favorite dinner and a heart shaped brownie for him.

Uh, ... PrettyBoy, ... may I snip a piece of your hair, so that I may clone you? :D

That's my kind of Valentines!

Is Smokey Bones like a Famous Dave's?

She and I were supposed to do something together with Brandon, but she's now being a bitch about it.

Sort of, except Famous Dave's>>Smokey Bones.

So I take it that Smokey Bones was first? I've never heard of them. Sounds like a good place to eat.

I don't have any plans, just hanging out with friends that weekend. No man in the forecast, as usual.