Happy Valentine's Day.... A Few Days Early!

Wednesdays are particularly busy days around here so we know that a romantic dinner for just the two of us is not going to happen ON Valentine's Day. I asked my sweet MIL if she would be willing to babysit on Sunday night so Rick and I could have a date night. She agreed and we arranged to drop the kids off around 3:30 or 4:00 so we could hit an early movie. After looking at local listings we decided to head to a new (well, newly renovated), small movie theater downtown that plays a lot of indie and foreign films. We went to see Pan's Labyrinth - a dark and disturbing fairy tale (aren't all the good ones really dark and disturbing if you really think about it? Cinderella? Snow White? Sleeping Beauty? If you read them they are not the light-hearted and happy-go-lucky stories that Disney wants to make them) about a girl who is supposed to be the reincarnated soul of the daughter of the king of the Underworld. She must pass three tests to be allowed to return to her rightful position as Princess of the Underworld. Anyway - the film, which was in Spanish with English subtitles, was excellent. It was a bit intense in places and I literally had to cover my eyes because I did not want to watch some of the more violent scenes (her step-father is a masochistic Captain of the Spanish Army and he is fighting some insurgents who are hiding out in the hills). Just go see it - and cover your eyes at the gory parts like I did if you must - it's a great film!

After the movie (which, by the way, was interrupted for a few minutes right at very end by a young college-aged woman who was having some kind of attack in the back - diabetic attack? panic attack? it was hard to be certain - and had to be taken out on a stretcher!), Rick and I went out to dinner at a brewery down the street from the theater. I allowed myself a little splurge and ordered a beer. How could I not order a local brew?! I must say that I've really been missing my wine and beer since I cut that out of my diet...so it was a splurge that I thoroughly enjoyed. For dinner I had the Tequila-Lime Chicken and Shrimp with garlic mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. All very yummy. And I can tell that my stomach has "shrunk" of late - I'm used to eating so much less food that I could not finish that meal. I left more than half the potatoes and the roll and focused on the grilled chicken and shrimp (the best part!) and the vegetables. Rick ordered the Southwestern Chicken Cordon Bleu and rice pilaf. He liked it but thought it was a bit too salty.

Date night was great and the whole "early Valentine's" treat included an early Valentine's gift from Rick to me! He decided not to wait until Wednesday to give it to me since he had it finished early and since we were celebrating early anyway. I did not know that he had been busy working on a gift for me in his basement workshop while I've been doing my evening workouts. He can be so sneaky! I took a picture so you can see it in all it's glory...

I had told him not long ago that I would love to have a way to organize my jewelry so I can see what I actually have. I have two small jewelry boxes on my dresser and the jewelry was just sort of thrown into them willy-nilly so it always took a while to find a matched pair of earrings and my necklaces were getting all snarled and knotted together. Now I have everything all organized on a jewelry holder that Rick made and that he stained to match the bedroom set. How cool is that? I am THRILLED! Isn't he the best? And so clever?

Happy Valentine's Day to ME! And thank you, Rick, for making my (early) Valentine's Day so very special. I love you more than words can say!