Valentine's Day, Nerds, and 50 Shades Of Grey

Hey there! I hope you had a marvelous Valentine's Day this year. I know I sure did!! I joked to Deek that I wondered what y'all out in the web-world thought we'd do for Valentine's Day. I wonder how many voted for quiet time at home and how many voted for some grand adventure. LOL!

I totally don't know why I put this picture here. It just fit somehow. LOL!

Well, let me tell you my thoughts on Valentine's Day (note: it's NOT a judgement on people who feel differently, just my own personal feelings). I think it's great that there is a day set aside to show the people you love that you love them. Except...I think people should do that every day. ;)

I'm not a cards, flowers, jewelry kind of girl. Chocolate, on the other hand, I will accept year round! Cards get read and thrown away or put into a box (how many times do you go back and reread cards?--be honest). Flowers die. Flowers remind me of that line in Romeo and Juliet where Juliet says, "Oh, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon that monthly changes in her circled orb. Lest that thy love prove likewise variable." Yep, flowers that die...what does that say? I'm being facetious, of course, but that IS what I think when I see flowers. And jewelry...I don't see the point in spending a lot of money on jewelry a month and a half after Christmas. I AM a Dave Ramsey nerd though... Just call me Budget Girl! <da-na-na-na-na-nahhhhh> Plus, I don't wear that much that bling. My mom SELLS jewelry, people. But aside from my wedding ring and earrings (I only like dangley ones), I don't wear much. I don't even wear a watch...

Sooooooo...I say all that to say that Deek and I spent Valentine's Day much the same way we spend other days--enjoying time together. That's all I really want anyway. Time with my husband. His attention. His affection. That's more valuable to me than all the cards, flowers, jewelry, and even chocolate in all the world. We slept in (hooray for sleep!) and then headed over to the mall. We ate lunch at one of my favorite spots--Panda Express. We've been following the paleo/primal diet since December, so going to Panda was a HUGE treat! Then we walked around the mall, hand-in-hand, and talked. We didn't buy anything except for a cheap pair of fake glasses. #NerdsRule  I do have real glasses, but the prescription is so high that I can only see out of a narrow field of vision. So, my contacts plus fake glasses? YES! Perfect combo, and it gives me an artistic, authory, PNW vibe. I dig.

Artsy nerd--woot!

After the mall, we came home to prepare for our big Valentine's Day evening--pizza, Coke, The Proposal, and REESES! But, of course, we took a few pictures! ;)

I LOVE this shot! Hahahaha!

The perfect Valentine's Day spread!

I got what I wanted most this Valentine's Day. More time with my husband. But we do these things every day (minus the pizza, Coke, Reeses and Panda Express since we're paleo). Every day, we make our relationship a priority. We talk, share, joke, and laugh. I want my husband to know every day, not just one day a year, that I love and adore him. He's my own personal sunshine in this world.

I'm going to get on my soapbox for a second, so be prepared. Don't settle, my friends. Your person--the one with whom you can be yourself and with whom you can experience life-altering love--is out there. I read this thing on Facebook recently that said, "One guy can make you hate all men, but one man can show you that not all guys are the same." Deek is the man who showed me just how wonderful men, love, and romance can be. He doesn't fall into the stereotypical "guy" jokes. He helps around the house, cooks better than I do, puts down the toilet seat, is an excellent communicator, and shows me how much he cares all the time. I don't think I can fully express in words just how much I love and adore him. Last night, we were looking at an amazing sunset, and I told him, "There are just some things that can't be captured in photographs or paintings, nor with words. Some things just have to be experienced. Our love is like that." So, my friends, never lose hope that your special someone is out there! 

The sunset on Valentine's Day

I've talked Valentine's Day and shown you nerds, so now for my final topic: 50 Shades of Grey. My husband wrote a great post about it, and you can find that here. I think he said it well, so I'll only add this...

There has been a lot of debate lately about 50 Shades. If you've posted an article on social media (for or against), I've probably read it. I'm not here to convince you one way or the other. We're all adults that can make informed decisions. But whether you're vehemently against the movie or you pre-ordered tickets, it's important to remember that there are women (and some men too) out there who live that lifestyle against their will. 

To those people, I want to say... Get out as soon as you can. If anything your partner wants to do makes you uncomfortable, don't do it. Don't let that person manipulate you into doing things that you don't want to do. Love is not about control. It's your body, and you say what happens to it and what doesn't. If your partner doesn't respect that, he/she is NOT the right person for you. Do not stay and cling to the hope you can change that person. You'll only end up hurting yourself and missing out on the opportunity to be with someone who will love you as you are and make love to you in a way that resonates with your soul. 

Here are some resources if you need help:

NO MORE: http://nomore.org/about/

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence: http://www.ncadv.org/index.php

Love is Respect: http://www.loveisrespect.org/