Valentine’s day seems to be sneaking up on us more and more the past few years. We’ve only been married for 3 years, but we’ve also moved to two different cities with the moving date a week before V-day both times! Maybe it’s because we’re going through these transitions, but it felt different this year. I love celebrating just about everything, but this year, V-day didn’t feel special or even worth celebrating.
Instead, it ended up being a great reminder for me to appreciate the here and now. For me, I am still learning to appreciate what it means to be married and to appreciate this phase of life. I’ve been living with the grass is greener on the other side mentality most my life. I’ve been making effort to change it, but it’s a hard habit to kick!
Sometimes I wonder if all my good days are behind me. Whenever I see groups of friends hanging out, it makes me nostalgic. I begin missing the carefree days of just hanging out. Seems like the older you get, the busier everyone is. Sometimes I wonder if I’m waiting on the next phase of life to happen. All my friends are having kids and are always talking about their mommy groups. I know we’re not ready for kids, but I can’t help but feel left out.
I know each phase of life has a purpose and such great gifts that I don’t want them to pass me by. I want to learn to appreciate these gifts fully. After all, years down the road, this may be the moment I want to come back to.
This year, we celebrated on the 13th. We picked a random new dinner spot. The food didn’t end up being very good there, so we opted to find yummy dessert on the strip. We ended up spending the rest of the evening having conversations with someone who grew up in Atlanta and our bartender, who gave us excellent recommendations for places to check out in our area. This was our Valentine’s Day 2014. We didn’t gaze at each other with starry eyes and butterflies in our stomachs. We were just two best friends trying new foods and meeting new people in a new city. And for that, I am thankful.
What about you? What did you do for Valentine’s day? And what are your thoughts V-day? Are you a fan of it?
Gratitude quote of the week by Marcel Pagnol:
Cheers to being more grateful and more in the moment! My next gratitude post next is going to be about why I’m thankful for marriage. This is week 23 of practicing gratitude on my blog. You can see all my other gratitude posts by clicking on the banner:
we don’t celebrate valentine’s. we think it’s all marketing and consumerism and i despise those things. (however i am guilty of buying cheap chocolate after the holiday…) what we do like to do though, is bless others on that day, to surprise people who least expect it.
aww i missed out on cheap candy this year!! yeah, i don’t care about the cards, chocolates, and flowers.. but i still want to celebrate and go on a date.. plus, we need 4 dates a month now and we’ve been slackin!
that’s nice of you guys! i was thinking of getting flowers/chocolates for some single folks.. but then realized i didn’t know anyone single here at the moment. well, i guess i know the younger youtuber guys, who probably don’t want to date at all. :P
Oh yeah.. i found this and thought maybe you would appreciate it. :P https://www.facebook.com/TheChurchMilitant/photos/a.171704916350422.1073741828.171688403018740/224521747735405/?type=1&theater
We don’t do Valentine’s Day either. It takes too much energy to deal with dinner crowds and such. Plus now with the little one, it’s just easier to stay at home. Though, I do enjoy raiding the discount candy at the stores the day after.
I agree with Quinn on the Mommy Group thing, talking about those is better than discussing poopy diapers, sleeping schedules and what foods the baby will/will not eat.
Enjoy your time without kids, don’t feel left out. Being a mom is awesome, but sometimes I’d rather be traveling and being able to enjoy a meal at a restaurant without having to speed eat in order to finish my meal before the toddler throws a tantrum :)
Same here. We don’t like the crowds, so will celebrate any day but the 14th. haha Jacob was excited about the candy too this year. :)
I don’t mind talking to you about all the above… including poopy diapers! :) I get what you guys mean. I guess I wish there were more women’s groups for wives without kids. It’s such an awkward phase because most people are only in it for a few years or less. :P Maybe I should start a wives without kids group.
I’m definitely trying to soak it all in and enjoy it while I can. I still remember our conversation about the.. “do we want the 18 year commitment now or later” and then being surprised shortly after when you announced being pregnant. TIme really flies.
We don’t really do Valentine’s Day. Of course, we acknowledge it. Incorporate a few more hearts into the day and reds + pinks into our wardrobe, but (after 10+ years as a couple and almost 5 married) we like to surprise each other with thoughtful ‘just because’ gifts throughout the year. It takes a lot of pressure out of the day of finding the perfect gift in time or struggling to find a babysitter for the night (nobody really wants to give up their VDays or New Years Eves for babysitting).
PS. All your friends in Mommy Groups talk about them so much because that is usually their only adult interaction all week ;-)
I think it’s better that way to do things throughout the year. :) We definitely try to, but we also like celebrating everything… just not on the day of. We really don’t like dealing with crowds and reservations, that’s why we usually try to celebrate the weekend before or the day before. this year, there were quite a few people celebrating on the 13th.. we might have to permanently move it to another day / month. :P
I guess that makes sense with the mommy groups talk. :) Although sometimes it just feels like a special club that you can’t join until you have kids. haha