How we don't celebrate Valentine's Day

This is a crazy time of year for us. There are so many celebrations that we become numb to what they mean. Here, let me make a list. I love lists.

• Thanksgiving
• Christmas
• New Years
• Sister's Birthday - Jan 8th
  
• Wedding Anniversary - Jan 15th
• Brother's Birthday - Jan 25th
  
• Stephanie's Birthday - Feb 8th
• Valentine's Day
• Doc's Birthday - Feb 18th

So you can see that celebrations where gift giving is involved for Doc and I, one to the other, piles up around this time of year. Christmas, Anniversary, Birthdays and Valentine's Day. So when we were first married we decided that Valentine's Day had become redundant in the middle of our birthdays. So we moved it... to July 14th, six months later. And for 8 years this is how we have done it.

Every year Doc want to confirm that we are still doing it this way. He does not want to be caught off guard. I seems to always slip in something on the actual day. It never ceases to catch him by surprise because he has taken me at my word. (This year no worries hon, I did not do this.)

Every year I wait until after Valentine's Day and take advantage of the sales. Chocolates, cards, heart underwear, you know all the classic Valentine's Day treats get stashed away til mid summer.

Doc and I only dated a year before we were married. In fact, we were married on the anniversary of our first date. So we only celebrated one Valentine's Day in February. Our first date and our wedding anniversary are January 15th. One month later, Doc actually delivered a dozen roses to my work dressed as a florist deliveryman. He tried to get the florist to lend his clothes to this romantic endeavor but the florist cited some liability issues. So he found or bought a cap and put it low over his head as a disguise. I was not quite cooperative though because I had left work early so he ended up having to deliver the roses to my apartment. But it was one of the sweetest thing he has ever done. (The night he proposed was a very elaborate scavenger hunt with poems he had written as clue to where to find him. Eventually I ended up at the location of our first date, a cafe in a book store where we had talked for hours. But that is another story.)

So today is like any other day. There is no love in the air here. Just candy treat for kid's Valentine's day parties and Valentine's day cards that have to be addressed to every kid in the class. Nope there is no love going on here... just alot of work. Off to Avery's Valentine's Day party now then she comes home early. Oh joy! oh hearts! oh, flowers! NOT.