Be Mine

Our Valentine's Day was simple and sweet this year.  Because it was during the same week 
as Mardi Gras, Valentine's Day really snuck up on us.  I found myself running through 
town like a mad woman on Wednesday gathering cards and teddy bears and baking 
ingredients to get prepared.  But we kept it real: store bought cards with matching pencils 
for Isabelle and Brees to hand out to their friends and classmates.  We sat around the 
kitchen table after dinner and put them together, trying our hardest to keep Brees 
from scribbling AKA coloring on every single card.  They were very pleased with their 
work.  On Thursday, I sent the girls off to school and daycare with their special treats, 
all decked out in pink, and promised them good things when we all got home that night.  
My patients all loaded me down with love: I received homegrown oranges, handmade 
cards, and glow in the dark rings for the girls.  Working on a holiday as a nurse is 
incredibly rewarding as patients shower you with love and appreciation.  Each and 
every house I went to that day reminded me of how thankful they were for my service.  It 
was incredibly enlightening.  When I got home from work, I was bombarded with hugs 
and kisses and cards dripping in glitter.  Shawn and I sent the girls outside to play so that 
we could set the kitchen table with all their special treats: cotton candy, little boxes 
of chocolate, singing cards (they are OBSESSED with singing cards) and lots of stickers.  
When they came inside, their little shrieking voices said it all: Thank you, Mommy 
and Daddy!!  I was the happiest Valentine of all when my sweet husband surprised me with 
the most amazing waffle iron, something I've wanted for a long time.  He even bought 
an array of toppings so that we could have a waffle supper extravaganza.  We made a ton 
of waffles with strawberries and bananas and ate until we were ready to pop.  Then we 
made brownies and had ice cream, too.  It was Valentine's Day, after all.  Bed time was a 
breeze that night as the girls were in a complete sugar coma.  And I fell asleep on the chest 
of the man I love, in a home filled with peace.  It was a really wonderful day.