My Wonderfully Normal Valentine's Night

Well, the weekend is over and I hope that everyone had a very Happy Valentine's Day. For once, just once, I wasn't "Last Minute Lester". There were years when I just picked my wife up from work and walked into three or four "tony" (I always keep it "tony" on Valentine's Day) restaurants only to be told... "I'm sorry sir, we're all booked. You should've called for reservations." We had to hope for a little luck, mixed with divine intervention, to get into a nice spot.

Last year, three days before V-Day, I realized that I hadn't made any reservations so I said, "Forget it. It's too cold to even go out so, I'm going to do something original." I went to Bed, Bath, & Beyond and bought new silverware and plates. Then, I went to the State Store and purchased a bottle of wine. Next, I went to the market and had them to cook some seasoned shrimp and scallops. While I was waiting for that, I purchased some lamb chops, potatoes, and some fresh lettuce and vegetables for a nice salad.

Long story short, when my wife came home, I had the candles lit and a nice meal cooked that included lamb chops, shrimps, scallops, au gratin potatoes, salad, and a bottle of wine chillin' in the refrigerator. I had the remote control in my hand and I hit the CD player which began playing "Just To Be Close To You" by The Commodores... one of her favorite songs. She was surprised, to say the least, and happy. When you calculate it all, I may have spent the same amount of money if we had went out. The night was just as fabulous and better still because it was original. But, that was last year...

This year, I called and made reservations at a nice restaurant like I was supposed to do. (Ahhh, the wonders of Microsoft Outlook and its reminders!) With the reservations made and confirmed days ahead, I was free to get that fresh haircut, get my clothes ready, buy a V-Day card, and gas-up the car for the occasion. As a result, yesterday went off without a hitch. We enjoyed a delicious meal by candle light at a very nice spot, saw a small jazz band, and had a delightful "Clark Gable"-like conversation (I was "Dark Gable").

If you were expecting somebody to take their shoes off, pull out their teeth, or anything else bizarre, you are reading the wrong post. It didn't happen last night and we had a very nice time. I may need some of the money from President Obama's stimulus package to help pay my Visa bill next month, though. (I'm kidding... well, not completely!)