Valentine's Day 2011 -- and 500 posts!

Ah, Valentine's Day.

However, you might notice it is after 10:30 pm, three days after the 14th. I really wanted to have a post on Valentine's Day, all lovey and sentimental. This year, Valentine's Day really didn't feel all sentimental, to be honest. It felt like the Monday to a very busy week, which it was.

My husband brought me roses and a card and chocolate and a dinner reservation (for the 6 of us), though we didn't actually make it to a restaurant. Tim saw the way that the day was proceeding, so we opted for take out lo mein instead. We love lo mein.

Valentine's for me really didn't come until last night.

Last night, we put the kids to bed and Tim snuck out to Sonic and brought back a Peanut Butter Cup Blast for us to share while we watched one of our favorite tv shows that we had on the dvr. And that's it. We sat together with a blanket and held hands and chatted. He kept my feet warm. It was delightful. Perfect. Exactly what we needed. After a long day (or two or three) with the kids, being alone with my husband absolutely refreshes me. I find myself becoming more dependent upon him for my sanity and direction in these crazy days. His hugs can take a lot of stress from my shoulders. His presence encourages me. He's my partner, my leader, my best friend and the man I love. I'm so grateful for him.

Best $3 date ever.

This votive holder was one of the things that Tim gave me for our very first Valentine's Day ever. We were about 6 weeks away from our wedding day.

Something else that has blessed our marriage immensely in the last few months has been our early morning coffee dates. Normally, Tim leaves for work while I'm still snoozing, but now, 4- 5 times a week, I wake up early with him and we enjoy a wonderful cup of coffee, read the Bible and pray together. It's also been a wonderful time to synchronize our days together.

Whether it's 10 minutes together or 30, this time together has been a huge blessing with great benefits to our marriage. A time to read your Bible is absolutely necessary, but if you can do it together with your husband, I would highly recommend it. This time has brought Tim and me much closer together and it is so worth the tiny bit of extra effort.

Hope your Valentine's Day (whenever it was) was as great as mine.