A Valentine's Day Present ....

For most of our married lives, Chuck and I have viewed Valentine's Day as a very low key day in terms of holidays. We would exchange boxes of candy or small gifts, but we rarely went out for special dinners or  marked it with shows of extravagant gestures. It is not that we didn't treasure each other enough to make the effort, it's just that we both believed that we should treat each other as Valentine's throughout the year, not just on one special day.

Last year, however, a close friend invited us to attend the AFCEA Annual Valentine's Ball as a guest of his company. He suggested we book a hotel room for the night, so we could relax and enjoy the evening. Both of our daughters were still living at home at that point, and it had been far too long since we  had actually gotten away for an overnight by ourselves. We decided to break the pattern, and celebrate the day with our friends at the ball. We had such a nice time getting away that we decided to start taking more weekends just for ourselves, so over the last year even as I struggled with my health challenges, we managed to get away for weekends to Rehobeth Beach, Virginia Beach, Myrtle Beach and Greenville South Carolina. No matter how crazy things were at work for us, or how bad I felt, these weekends away would rejuvenate both of us for the weeks ahead. So when our friends invited us to join them again at this year's AFCEA Ball, the answer was pretty easy.

My New Shoes

Saturday afternoon we packed our bags and headed to the Sheraton in Tyson's Corner for our 2nd Annual AFCEA Valentine's Ball and our first get-away weekend of the year! We had the tux, the dress, and my lap top just in case I got inspired somewhere along the way. The only thing we forgot were the shoes to my dress which a quick trip to a nearby Macy's took care of. We had a few drinks, had a nice dinner, re-connected with old friends and got our dance on! And, as seems to happen rather frequently, at some point during the evening, I had a blog moment ...a small event that triggers a future posting. So as the evening wound down, I was already shaping the words in my head into something more.

When we got back to our room I reached for my lap top to quickly type some ideas. I had not written my posting for the next day, so if I at least could jot a few of my ideas down while Chuck got out of his penguin suit, then I could probably still put my posting together in the morning in time to make my self-imposed deadline. I opened the lap top and logged onto my web site. Chuck casually asked me if I had any new comments. He was truly my most ardent supporter. He read all of my postings, regularly showed them to friends and would patiently sit next to me while I tuned the rest of the house out as I tapped out my thoughts each night. But as I looked at the empty screen waiting for me to fill the page, I had a second blog moment. I wasn't going to make my posting the next morning. I was going to put my lap top away for the rest of our trip and give my husband the attention he deserved for our first weekend getaway of the year.

So yesterday is the first time since I began my blog that I did not submit a daily posting. The act I believe was still a reflection of my new commitment to leading a balanced and healthier life though. This weekend I gave a Valentine's present to both my husband and myself..... I put my lap top down for a short time and permitted myself  the flexibility to enjoy the journey.