Morgan Q. O'Reilly writes fiction that is sweet, rough, tender, or furious...anyway you like it. As a multi-published author, she believes that romance doesn't end at twenty-five and it doesn't end with marriage or children, a philosophy that is pervasive in her books. Let your inhibitions take a vacation and check out her newest release, Cowboys Dream, Too. Now, let's see what Morgan has to say about Valentine's Day!
Do you ever look at the computer and wonder just what the heck there is new to write about?
Heh. Happens to me all the time. Like today. So I decided to do a little memory diving into some
Valentine’s Days that stand out. Days when my guy not only got it right, he got it perfect!
My husband and I usually don’t go all out for Valentine’s Day. In fact, it’s pretty much hit or miss for us. Our first one, when we were dating, he took me out for lunch then dropped me back off at the office. I was thrilled and quite pleased with the time and effort. I certainly didn’t expect more. Half an hour later, he came back with a small bouquet of red roses (two or three flowers) and a candle of a raccoon holding a heart. Nearly twenty-five years later, I still have that silly raccoon.
My husband and I usually don’t go all out for Valentine’s Day. In fact, it’s pretty much hit or miss for us. Our first one, when we were dating, he took me out for lunch then dropped me back off at the office. I was thrilled and quite pleased with the time and effort. I certainly didn’t expect more. Half an hour later, he came back with a small bouquet of red roses (two or three flowers) and a candle of a raccoon holding a heart. Nearly twenty-five years later, I still have that silly raccoon.
Then the year we got married, Valentine’s came three months before our scheduled wedding day. At the time my father’s Rotary club had a fund raiser where they delivered a dozen long stemmed red roses for $10 a dozen. Back in the day when I’d worked for my dad, I’d often been given the job of doing his deliveries for him. That year, I worked for someone else and couldn’t do the running. So sitting at my desk in an office hovering over a warehouse, my husband-to-be came to my desk with a familiar box. Wonderful! He kissed me, and walked out. A few minutes later, he came back with three more boxes. Laughing, I kissed him again and once more he left. With my boss looking on, I began to fuss with my flowers. And then my sweetie came back… this time with a five-gallon bucket stuffed with six dozen roses! By then the girls from the office across the warehouse were standing at their window looking my way. No one had sent them roses, much less ten dozen at once! Okay, it’s never happened again… wish I’d had a camera handy that day.What made that day even more fun? I’d had our wedding florist deliver a single, perfect, white rose to his office. In the years since I’ve sent a number equal to the year of our approaching anniversary. These days, well, all those white roses are a bit expensive and times are lean. So I’m thinking hard. What to do?
Several years later, after marriage and our child was in kindergarten, my husband had had a business trip clear across the country over Valentine’s Day. Before he left, my son and I carefully packed some special gifts in his luggage. A couple cards, a small bear that had been hugged lots of time so it was filled up with our hugs for him. Do you think there was a card or small gift hidden somewhere in the house for us? Nope. Think he was in trouble? Just a little. More because I’d thought he’d do something for his young son. For me, well, I could figure that one out. The man is so caught up in thinking about his work, sometimes he’ll step right over the garbage waiting for him to take out mainly because his focus is so tight, he doesn’t see it. The following Monday was President’s Day and a school holiday, but I still had to work my part time job, so he took the role of POD – Parent on Duty – for the day. About lunch time my two favorite guys showed up and my son had in his hand a small box wrapped with a ribbon. Inside? A long gold chain and a heart shaped diamond pendant. To this day, both of them grin when I wear it.
This year, Valentine’s is on Sunday. I didn’t think much of it when a few weeks ago he mentioned the yearly boys’ weekend out at a friend’s cabin was scheduled for Feb 12-ish. Go up Saturday morning, come home Sunday afternoon. Yeah, okay, no problem, go on and have fun (they play cards and munch on snacks. They used to go out on snow machines, but they’re feeling their ages these days). Then last week it smacked me upside the head. Valentine’s weekend. The rats! The dirty rotten rats! All six or seven of them. All but one of them married. All into the double decades. We’re the newlyweds of the group and will celebrate our twentieth anniversary this year. When I called him on it, I laughed. He gets out so rarely, it does him good to hang with the guys, just like it does me good to hang with my girls. I honestly didn’t expect him to change his plans. And he hasn’t. But for one thing. At half past seven on Sunday evening, we’re going out for dinner to a very elegant restaurant.
I just might have to find at least one white rose for him. I think a boutonniere just like the kind he wore for our wedding will do nicely.
Got special plans or traditions? What makes Valentine’s Day really rock for you?
11 comments:
Well, BF and I were supposed to go dancing, but since we've got 4 feet of snow here, I don't think that's gonna happen, LOL. Northern VA isn't equipped to deal with this much snow!
My DH and I don't have any plans yet, but he often will come in with a dozen red roses in hand (my favorite flower) and a card. He's done this since the first Valentine's Day. Sweet, sweet man. :) I usually get him a card. He kind of got his Valentine's Day present early this year as my daughter and I made homemade (from scratch) chocolate cupcakes yesterday and dinner consisted of rib eye steak, mashed potatoes, and salad, with the cupcake for desert. I also saved on of the mixer thingies (too tired to think of what they are called right now) full of frosting to lick clean. (g) He was a happy camper. LOL
Wonderful post. That 10 dozen roses story is priceless. I am sure all of the gals were incredibly jealous. :)
Oh, they were, they were!! That year he also took a dozen of roses and passed them out to the secretaries in the building where he worked -- only one flower each! -- and forever earned their good will. He's such a romantic. I still feel pretty lucky to have him.
Sorry about the snow Cindy! However, dancing at home, well now, there's some fun!
Aww, what a sweetie you married! I find Valentine's Day more stressful than anything else, LOL, but I love hearing about the times when everything goes right! Thanks for sharing.
Lovely stories Morgan! Good man you have there.
We don't usually go out on Valentine's Day, it's always been a cook a cool meal at home holiday. I love to go all out on decorating the table and making it all schmaltzy with pink and red heart-shaped, paper doily placemats, balloons and Valentine napkins. I usually make a cake or cupcakes decorated in white and pink. So silly.
Since having kids, they're always part of our celebrations too. I used to write them poems every year--not so much now, since that would be embarrassing. Still, they like the hype even if they don't say so out loud.
I will admit, however, that a couple of my fave Valentine's celebrations were up in Alaska. Two years in a row we went to Homer, AK for Land's End's Valentine's weekend. It was beautiful and very romantic.
And, I'll ALWAYS take flowers. Fortunately, my guy of 35 years still remembers them--most of the time!
So...I like Valentine's Day all ways. Schmaltzy or cuddly or romantic. It's just a cool holiday!
Thanks for the post--a real feel-gooder!
Very sweet!
I'd have to say just being with my wife is the best tradition in the world. All year long we worry about this and that, but for that one day, it's just about us. What better gift can there be but loving someone and letting them know it with lots of chocolate and a dinner that doesn't involve Biggy sizing.
Love it Liz! I know we miss you up here, very much!
Aubrey! The honorary Morgan. So good to see you!
Aw, Jmo, a meal with no Biggie-sizing? Good man! Sounds very romantic and we all know, as far as romantic men go, you're the tops!
Valentine's Day never has been a big one for me, regretfully. Two miscarriages ON V-Day the first two consecutive years of our marriage kind of did the holiday in for me. But the romantic in me yearns for stories like yours! Maybe this year I will buy him a white rose, just for kicks.
Gosh Tamera, those are such sad memories for a day that should be filled with love. I have never been in your shoes, but my mother also lost two babies over the years. All she says is that she knows the kids she has now wouldn't be here had the others been born. She has to trust that their lives are better for being angels from the get-go. I say, buy that rose (or two of them for your angels) and make some fresh memories here on earth! Hugs and prayers to you up in my adopted northland!
Liz, you said better than I ever could have! Hugs to you Tamera! The white rose was what I chose for our wedding, which is why I buy it for my husband. He finally caught on about five years ago and sent me a bunch of them after some surgery.
White roses also represent pure and eternal love. Certainly some as wonderful as the passion represented by red roses. Not a bad way to tell those most precious to you how much you love them!
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