The worst Valentine’s date ever… and why I loved it!

Valentine’s day is a big deal. At least that’s what I’ve always been told. Hallmark and Godiva make sure we understand that THIS is the day when you see what your relationship is made of. The size of the diamond shows how much he cares, right? {note the sarcasm} So when my husband planned possibly the worst Valentine's date night ever, things could have gone very wrong.

He suggested I get dressed up. Excited for a night on the town I wore my new black dress and pearls with faux fur coat & hat to stay warm. {February is cold in Utah!} I curled my hair and wore ridiculous heels.

The date begins

Parking just outside the University of Utah campus confused me a little. I thought maybe we had tickets to a play or the Art Museum. Instead I closed my eyes and we walked away from campus, entering an underground college pizza dive called The Pie. The pizza here is awesome, so I was surprised, but okay. We enjoyed the red candles and low light and graffiti walls around us. He urged me to finish {I used to eat slowly before I married him!} to make our next stop on time. I teasingly looked shocked and said “there's more?” To which he replied, and I quote “You didn’t think I’d have you dress up fancy and just take you to pizza, did you?” I had to admit, I found it a little odd. So off we went. Parking, once again, in familiar territory. As we walked toward the sporting arena I assumed he got tickets to a concert…

… until as he guided me up the stairs and through the doors, with my eyes closed, I was hit with the smell of diesel exhaust. {what?} When I opened my eyes I was sure. We were smack dab in the middle of a monster truck show.

What the…?

Have you ever stuck out like a sore thumb? Then you know how awkward it feels to have everyone stare at you. People from sections on both sides stared as I clip clopped my heels down the concrete stairs. Surprised and embarrassed, all I could do was laugh. I laughed as I laid my “fur” coat on my lap to keep it off the dirty floor. Laughed again when he brought me popcorn and a sprite. Then laughed more as I straightened my pearls and smoothed my party dress in a plastic stadium seat. Finally as I relaxed, I laughed and cheered for the “Grave Digger” monster truck as it popped a wheelie and rolled over cars.

I could have been disappointed, or even gotten angry. It really was the worst Valentine's date I could think of. But I hadn’t laughed that hard in a long time. Which made me realize how grateful I was for a man who could make me laugh; a man who doesn’t take life too seriously. This man, who is the perfect balance to my crazy, wound up self. We have our ups and downs like everyone, with times of miscommunication and selfishness. But we always bounce back. We are willing to work at it because we know the other is far from perfect.

Just the two of us

I think a big reason we work so well is that we make efforts to get away. Together. Just the two of us. Trips don’t have to be far. You don’t even have to leave town if you don't want to. You just need to be alone. We make a point of leaving town every year, and sometimes we get lucky. I HAD to go to San Fransisco, Chicago and Richmond, Virginia last year, so we ended up with three glorious vacations! {know the difference between a trip and a vacation? ….children!}

Now, don’t get me wrong – I love my children with a ferocity that physically hurts sometimes. I’m a Momma Bear who would do anything for them. Which includes leaving them so they can appreciate what we do on our return. I want them to see mom and dad working on OUR relationship. I want them to understand the world doesn’t always revolve around them. {just mostly} It’s a family! It’s messy! And it’s worth working on.

The bottom line on Valentine’s Day is it shouldn’t matter where you ate. Did you hold hands and talk over the table?

It shouldn’t even matter where you go or what you did. But whether you laughed while you were doing it.

Need a date night?

If you haven’t had a date like that in a while, plan a date night right now. It doesn’t have to be complicated, or serious. You both just need to be together having fun.

Valentine’s Day is a great time to express love for those most important to you. But it can backfire if you wait for a special occasion to do those things. Forgetting to build our relationships on a regular basis puts enormous pressure on Valentine’s Day to be perfect. That goes for anniversaries too. I often hear how many women are disappointed when it doesn’t turn out like they envisioned.

So what is perfection? Diamonds and champagne? For some, maybe.

Not me. I’ll take pizza and a monster truck show {with laughter} any day of the week!

What do you think about MY worst Valentine's date ever? How would you have handled it? What's your idea of a perfect date?

Additional Reading

For more Valentine's ideas to help your holiday go smoothly…

• Queen of Hearts Art DIY

Until next time,

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

amzn_assoc_placement = “adunit0”;
amzn_assoc_search_bar = “true”;
amzn_assoc_tracking_id = “halfpdesig-20”;
amzn_assoc_ad_mode = “manual”;
amzn_assoc_ad_type = “smart”;
amzn_assoc_marketplace = “amazon”;
amzn_assoc_region = “US”;
amzn_assoc_title = “My Amazon Picks”;
amzn_assoc_linkid = “a6d927cd39c88aee21fab5ae55c553d4”;
amzn_assoc_asins = “B01N9K3CF1,031034266X,B005J7CHZA,B01KOWEZKY”;