valentines day

Last night I went on a date with Steve.

For those of you who don't know, it's been a rough many weeks in our house. Steve started his new job, which we are very thankful for, but it's kind of a "you can NOT mess this up" type of job. So that means we haven't seen him much since January 10. And when I say we haven't seen him much, I really mean I FEEL his hairy legs making my skin itch beside me in bed on occasion. A day that we actually SEE him at all is extra special. It's been getting a TINY bit better, but it just really sucks.

I fully recognize that I'm kind of a needy person. Well, actually, it seems only half of me is needy. Like I have two people in me. There's one me who is very much "I can do it myself and don't need a guy to build stuff, fix stuff, etc." But the other part of me really really really needs to be with my husband. I guess that would make me emotionally needy. Hopefully not in a codependent way, but I'm afraid it's awfully close.

So anyway, it's been a hard month or so. Lots of emotion by the kids, a bit more bed wetting than usual, me doing new duties like scooping the driveway (which I "don't need a guy for" but WOW was it handy to have a big strong husband to do it). I've handled his absence rather well, for an emotionally needy person, if I do say so myself. But I just miss him.

BUT THEN...this week we got to have supper together for the fist time in about 5 weeks. It was so great. We went to Pizza Hut so Lillian could use her book-it certificate. We'd been to this Pizza Hut before, and knew that it was basically a CRAP HOLE disguised as a Pizza Hut. But we didn't care. I think it's mostly just a take out one, so like, they don't have any plates (oh, actually they did this time. paper ones.) and they just hand you your boxes and you eat at dirty tables while your coat and clothes soak up the really old broaster oil smell or something. But we totally didn't care. I wasn't cooking, and we were together. It was splendid.

And then we were supposed to leave on Friday night to head up to OC, but since Steve's car (which is not actually his car because his car broke) had a flat tire and he was unable to get a new tire because he works all the time during open business hours, he was using the van. Well, the only way for us to get to OC was the van, so he had to come home from work on Friday night so we could take the van. Well, then once I got him home on a friday night I sure as heck didn't want to leave, so we just hung out for a couple hours before totally ZONKING out on the couch like two people who are ridiculously tired do. And then I left with the kids in the morning.

and THEN...on Sunday night he picked up a babysitter on his way home from work and we went out on a date. a real date! We ate at Chipotle, went to see The King's Speech, and then picked up a few groceries on the way home. It sounds so wonderfully boring as I write it, but I was just really really craving some time with my dear husband. I feel so lucky that I still get the SAME feelings that I got when I was 16 when I spend time with this man. I totally have a crush on my husband. :)

YES, the movie was great. Everyone is asking. But heck, we could have been watching Clash of the Titans for all I cared. (ok, that's probably not totally true. I would have cared.) But it was so good to get away from the kids and the house with a million things we should be working on and just BE together, it was just a bonus that the movie was great. I just couldn't get enough of seeing him awake...and smelling him...and begging him to scratch me. (I'm having some major skin issues if you haven't gathered. but that's for another post.)

We don't normally go all out for Valentine's Day. I'm a "refuse to buy (read: pay for) a Hallmark card" kind of girl, so I make some dorky little homemade card for Steve every year. And if we do presents, it's usually kind of a 'hm...what is something we both really want that we can justify by calling it our Vday present to each other' type of thing. :)

But this year, all I wanted was time with him. and I got it.

It wasn't even the REAL valentines day, but it sure felt like the day of love. :)