My sweet husband

So this year Nick turned Valentine's Day into a whole "Extravaganza" week of surprises for me--yeah! :) I thought I would just brag on him, since it was so much fun to be pampered a little each day!

Day 1...Monday I got 2 dozen red roses and a bottle of resling wine...my favorite kind of white wine. He also stopped by and picked up my pictures from Sams on his was home from work--bonus!

Day 2...Tuesday I got the "Just Married" DVD. We like watching it since they went to some of the same places in Italy for their honeymoon too. My favorite part is the end when they "kiss and make up"...ahh, always the romantic in me!

Day 3...Wednesday I got a box of chocolate-covered-strawberries from one of the local shops here in Odessa (Suzie's South 40 Confections).

Day 4...Thursday (Valentines Day) I got several things. You will notice that he got me some chocolates, a Beth Moore "Jesus" book, an onion chopper (no more tears here!), a cute stuffed puppy (that Gabi already likes to play with), and two pair of earrings (CZs in 14 ct. gold for my sensitive skin). Did I mention that we also went out to eat at McAlister's Deli so I didn't have to cook dinner? I think that I have the most wonderful husband ever! :)

The Story of Valentine's Day

I also wanted to share the story from the book that I gave to Gabrielle (I don't think I had actually heard the story before this year). For those of you who read Jill's blog, my story is just a little different...of course it could be because my version is coming from a children's book by Nancy J. Skarmeas.

On Valentine's Day we give cards, cookies, and candy to the people we like. In school, children decorate their classrooms with red hearts. They give valentines to their friends. But do you know why we celebrate Valentine's Day?

Long ago, in the city of Rome, there lived a man named Valentine. He was kind and all the children loved him. One day, the King of Rome made a law. He said, "All young men will be in my army. They cannot ever get married." The young men and women were very sad.

Valentine tried to help the young men and women. The King became very angry and threw Valentine in jail. The children were sad to see Valentine in jail. They made cards and wrote letters and sent them to Valentine. One little girl, who was blind, brought food to Velentine. He thanked her and prayed for her. Then a miracle happened. The little girl could see! Valentine sent the girl a letter and signed it, "From your Valentine."

On February 14th, we remember Valentine. All over the world, people send cards called "Valentines" to celebrate this special day. On Valentine's Day we show our love for our friends and family with gifts and cards. And, like Valentine and the children of Rome...we remember that all God's children should love one another.