My high school boyfriend bought life-sized Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and strapped them into the seats (with seatbelts) of my car. Each one had a valentine stuck to it. It was very campy and very sweet.
My first 'serious' bf and I had been officially dating for only a couple of months. When Valentine's Day came around he picked me up at work (told me to leave my car there) and I thought maybe we were going out for a romantic dinner. Nope. We went back to his place and he made burgers. Okay, fine. We watched tv for about an hour and then he went into the bathroom. When he came out a few minutes later he was furious. He said "Pack your shit. You're leaving". I'm all wtf did I do?? He just kept saying "get it all together. I'll take you home. I want you gone" I'm pretty much in tears wondering how it all went so so wrong. So he won't tell me anything and we get in his car. We end up at a motel about 5 miles away. I'm asking why we are stopping (in between crying and apologizing for whatever it was I did) and he said "I need to see someone. Come with me" So here I am, completely bewildered and and I go with him, hoping that will help him forgive me. Walk in and no one is there. But the bed is covered with roses and chocolate and the sink was full of ice and a bottle of champagne. I swear it took dumbass me a good 5 minutes to realize what was going on (I was still apologizing when it finally dawned on me) and spent most of the rest of the night between being very very mad at him and crying with relief. Probably not the end result he expected :) Looking back on it now I appreciate the planning and expense he put into it (we were both watching every penny) and boy oh boy, he should have won an Oscar for the performance he gave that night. He told me it was killing him the whole time I was crying and apologizing but he really wanted it to be a surprise.
Good analogy and I agree with you both. I think I may have inadvertently set myself up though because I once told him that I had never truly been surprised. I was that nosy kid who would open (and reseal) Christmas and Birthday gifts or somehow 'find out' if there was a surprise party planned. Not blaming myself or anything but yeah...that night I really WAS surprised. And mad. Did I mention mad? Like I said whatever he was after he did not receive. Unless of course he was looking to talk about our feelings and what the future holds for us both all night :)
One year, an ex from way back acted like we were not going to do anything for Valentine's. Then at the last minute, he kidnapped me and took me down to Mission Bay Yacht Club, where he had a boat. He sailed me across the bay at sunset and we docked the boat in front of a gorgeous waterfront restaurant at Paradise Point. There was a private table on the dock with candles, wine and flowers. The guy was a pain in the ass but he sure as shit knew how to go over the top in the romance department.
Really, my past boyfriends were all pretty lame when it came to V Day.
My Husband always gives me a really thoughtful gift on Valentine's Day because I have always loved it. The one that really means the most to me is my copy of Nigella Lawson's, "How to Be a Domestic Goddess." We were just dating at the time, and he took me to the Rose Tattoo in Philadelphia. It was over 15 years ago and I remember it like yesterday.
I don't have any groundbreaking sweep-you-off-your-feet stories, but our first Valentine's Day as a married couple, my do-it-yourselfer Dad came over to install cabinets over my washer and dryer and totally drilled holes into our pipes. Well, you try to find a plumber who's going to fix your shit at 5 p.m. on Valentine's Day. I had this whole high-falutin dinner I was going to cook for my hubs and then of course we were going to have a hot night as newlyweds. Well, we ended up packing our bags, eating dinner at the diner and sleeping at my parent's house in my old bedroom. Oh, the romance of it all. Ha ha.
Oh. And I should mention, I love the cookbook because I am a cookbook collector. Not that my now-husband/then-boyfriend was trying to like keep me chaind to the kitchen barefoot and pregnant and all. LOL. He just knows that I love my cookbooks. And I am obsessed with Nigella.
When I was seventeen I had my first boyfriend. We were very innocent. He picked me up in his car, brought me a small bouquet, took us out for burgers. He presented me with a big bottle of body lotion as my gift. When I got home, my mom asked how it went and if he got me anything. I showed her the body lotion and her eyes got all big like..."OH NO." Then later, I was in my room and heard my parents laughing hysterically over the body lotion gift. She was all, "think he's got something on his mind?" And all I could think was...do I smell bad?
Um nothing. Well I guess this guy who was in love with me and who's heart I broke randomly showed up at my work with a rose on Valentine's day. It was more awkward than sweet, but in his defense he's the only one who's ever done anything without my reminding/begging. I usually pick out something from tiffanys, and get it. But I've literally never gone out to dinner or been surprised other than by the crazy pants. Sooo. Yeah. I asked for a pink michael kors bag this year, but I also just dropped a large chunk of change on a workshop at the end of February and got told it was my Valentine's Day present so that's probably it. Except my son is a little romantic like his mom and keeps saying he can't wait to buy my flowers and a heart box with candy. Awe love him.
My favorite gifts for Valentine's Day were never given to me by girlfriends. The first one was in 1980 and my Dad went out and bought me an Atari VCS, my first home game console setting me on a path that I still follow today (he always says I spend too much on video games but it's his fault for starting me on them lol). I remember he bought it on a Thursday (He only had to work 4 days a week, 10 hours a day back then) and we played it so much and so late, he let me stay home from school that Friday, but being in 1st grade, I was able to go to the Vday party anyway. Went in an hour before school ended just for it lol.
The second one was back in the late 90's. This was when those silk shirts with the all over designs (usually Anime like Dragonball-Z characters on them) were popular. Well, my brother's then girlfriend was totally in love with me (not in a romantic way, you know) and I was with my girlfriend. I had got my girlfriend a nice ring and earrings, but as usual, she didn't think of even getting me a card (this is the same one that I found a few years later in bed with a guy, kicked her out of the house and she stole most of my stuff). When my brother's girlfriend came over that night and asked if my girlfriend liked her gifts I told her that she loved them. Then she asked what she got me and I told her the truth, not a damn thing. My bros gf then said "That's a bitch thing to do, you deserve better, I've never seen a better boyfriend than you've been". Then she left for about an hour and when she came back she said, "Well, here, you deserve a Valentine's gift. I love you, Bubba (my nickname from my brother all of his girlfriends called me, too)" and gave me a hug and kiss on the cheek and handed me a box. Inside were two of those silk shirts I was talking about, one with Spider-Man and Venom, the other with Optimus Prime and Megatron. She knew what I liked lol It was then I realized I was just riding out the time with my girlfriend as she was too worried about what was in it for her. I mean, my girlfriend made almost $20 an hour working full time and my bro's girlfriend made $50 a week working her part time job since she was in high school. The two shirts she gave me was about 2 weeks of her salary and my girlfriend couldn't even pick up a .50 card from the dollar store a block from her house. Ironically, the night I found her in bed with the other guy was 12 years ago tonight! But even with all the shit that has gone wrong in my life in that time period, it's still better than it would've been staying with her.
Me & my ex got married on Valentine's Day so it was also our anniversary. In the 15 years we were married I cannot tell you anything great I got for Valentines Day/my anniversary. He actually completely forgot it the last year we were together.
You gotta be some kind of mentally checked out to forget both on the same day. Explains why we split just 4 months later.
The Opster cut out big wood heart shapes and painted red with lettering WILL YOU BE MY VALENTINE? And put them up outside my office at a job I just started. I think it was our 2nd year together. Everyone was extremy impressed and he must have worked a week and late into the night to do it. Then he made me an amazing dinner with a menu and everything. I'm fact our 2nd date was on Valentines day. He's always done something for me every year. No wonder I'm so madly in love with him after all this time.
I have loved hearing others stories as well although Bacons was so mean!!
Its also my birthday, so growing up we always had a party for me, but with valentine decorations, a mailbox and great food and gifts, so everyone was involved, so i never got the idea it was only for romantic duos. On valentines day1970, myself and mr liddy decided to get married. I love valentines day! And i wish everyone cld hv as much fun as i do/ have!
My high school boyfriend bought life-sized Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and strapped them into the seats (with seatbelts) of my car. Each one had a valentine stuck to it. It was very campy and very sweet.
ReplyDeleteAwww that IS sweet!!
DeleteMy first 'serious' bf and I had been officially dating for only a couple of months. When Valentine's Day came around he picked me up at work (told me to leave my car there) and I thought maybe we were going out for a romantic dinner. Nope. We went back to his place and he made burgers. Okay, fine. We watched tv for about an hour and then he went into the bathroom. When he came out a few minutes later he was furious. He said "Pack your shit. You're leaving". I'm all wtf did I do?? He just kept saying "get it all together. I'll take you home. I want you gone" I'm pretty much in tears wondering how it all went so so wrong. So he won't tell me anything and we get in his car. We end up at a motel about 5 miles away. I'm asking why we are stopping (in between crying and apologizing for whatever it was I did) and he said "I need to see someone. Come with me" So here I am, completely bewildered and and I go with him, hoping that will help him forgive me. Walk in and no one is there. But the bed is covered with roses and chocolate and the sink was full of ice and a bottle of champagne. I swear it took dumbass me a good 5 minutes to realize what was going on (I was still apologizing when it finally dawned on me) and spent most of the rest of the night between being very very mad at him and crying with relief. Probably not the end result he expected :) Looking back on it now I appreciate the planning and expense he put into it (we were both watching every penny) and boy oh boy, he should have won an Oscar for the performance he gave that night. He told me it was killing him the whole time I was crying and apologizing but he really wanted it to be a surprise.
ReplyDeleteThat's crappy, he could have thought up some better way to surprise you instead of hurting your feelings.
DeleteGood analogy and I agree with you both. I think I may have inadvertently set myself up though because I once told him that I had never truly been surprised. I was that nosy kid who would open (and reseal) Christmas and Birthday gifts or somehow 'find out' if there was a surprise party planned.
DeleteNot blaming myself or anything but yeah...that night I really WAS surprised. And mad. Did I mention mad? Like I said whatever he was after he did not receive. Unless of course he was looking to talk about our feelings and what the future holds for us both all night :)
@Bacon! That's messed up, how awful! :(
DeleteOne year, an ex from way back acted like we were not going to do anything for Valentine's. Then at the last minute, he kidnapped me and took me down to Mission Bay Yacht Club, where he had a boat. He sailed me across the bay at sunset and we docked the boat in front of a gorgeous waterfront restaurant at Paradise Point. There was a private table on the dock with candles, wine and flowers. The guy was a pain in the ass but he sure as shit knew how to go over the top in the romance department.
ReplyDeletesailboat, damn.
DeleteWell, I got pregnant last Valentine's Day:) I have a beautiful, happy, fat baby boy to show for it!
ReplyDeleteCongrats, @Colleen! What a great Valentine's Day gift!
Delete@Colleen: Awwww best present EVER!
Delete@ Colleen that is so sweet!!!
DeleteI work with someone who says "WiFive"....
ReplyDeleteKills me every time, but I haven't had the heart to correct her.
I LOVE all of these stories!
ReplyDeleteReally, my past boyfriends were all pretty lame when it came to V Day.
My Husband always gives me a really thoughtful gift on Valentine's Day because I have always loved it. The one that really means the most to me is my copy of Nigella Lawson's, "How to Be a Domestic Goddess." We were just dating at the time, and he took me to the Rose Tattoo in Philadelphia. It was over 15 years ago and I remember it like yesterday.
I don't have any groundbreaking sweep-you-off-your-feet stories, but our first Valentine's Day as a married couple, my do-it-yourselfer Dad came over to install cabinets over my washer and dryer and totally drilled holes into our pipes. Well, you try to find a plumber who's going to fix your shit at 5 p.m. on Valentine's Day. I had this whole high-falutin dinner I was going to cook for my hubs and then of course we were going to have a hot night as newlyweds. Well, we ended up packing our bags, eating dinner at the diner and sleeping at my parent's house in my old bedroom. Oh, the romance of it all. Ha ha.
Oh. And I should mention, I love the cookbook because I am a cookbook collector. Not that my now-husband/then-boyfriend was trying to like keep me chaind to the kitchen barefoot and pregnant and all. LOL. He just knows that I love my cookbooks. And I am obsessed with Nigella.
DeleteThat is too cute @Susan!
DeleteClearly, you've put the cookbooks to great use in your kitchen - and blog!
When I was seventeen I had my first boyfriend. We were very innocent. He picked me up in his car, brought me a small bouquet, took us out for burgers. He presented me with a big bottle of body lotion as my gift. When I got home, my mom asked how it went and if he got me anything. I showed her the body lotion and her eyes got all big like..."OH NO." Then later, I was in my room and heard my parents laughing hysterically over the body lotion gift. She was all, "think he's got something on his mind?" And all I could think was...do I smell bad?
ReplyDeleteHa. This is awesome.
DeleteUm nothing. Well I guess this guy who was in love with me and who's heart I broke randomly showed up at my work with a rose on Valentine's day. It was more awkward than sweet, but in his defense he's the only one who's ever done anything without my reminding/begging. I usually pick out something from tiffanys, and get it. But I've literally never gone out to dinner or been surprised other than by the crazy pants. Sooo. Yeah. I asked for a pink michael kors bag this year, but I also just dropped a large chunk of change on a workshop at the end of February and got told it was my Valentine's Day present so that's probably it. Except my son is a little romantic like his mom and keeps saying he can't wait to buy my flowers and a heart box with candy. Awe love him.
ReplyDeleteMy 7th grade boyfriend gave me a picture of himself in a heart-shaped frame. Yeah, I dumped him soon after that
ReplyDeleteMy favorite gifts for Valentine's Day were never given to me by girlfriends. The first one was in 1980 and my Dad went out and bought me an Atari VCS, my first home game console setting me on a path that I still follow today (he always says I spend too much on video games but it's his fault for starting me on them lol). I remember he bought it on a Thursday (He only had to work 4 days a week, 10 hours a day back then) and we played it so much and so late, he let me stay home from school that Friday, but being in 1st grade, I was able to go to the Vday party anyway. Went in an hour before school ended just for it lol.
ReplyDeleteThe second one was back in the late 90's. This was when those silk shirts with the all over designs (usually Anime like Dragonball-Z characters on them) were popular. Well, my brother's then girlfriend was totally in love with me (not in a romantic way, you know) and I was with my girlfriend. I had got my girlfriend a nice ring and earrings, but as usual, she didn't think of even getting me a card (this is the same one that I found a few years later in bed with a guy, kicked her out of the house and she stole most of my stuff). When my brother's girlfriend came over that night and asked if my girlfriend liked her gifts I told her that she loved them. Then she asked what she got me and I told her the truth, not a damn thing. My bros gf then said "That's a bitch thing to do, you deserve better, I've never seen a better boyfriend than you've been". Then she left for about an hour and when she came back she said, "Well, here, you deserve a Valentine's gift. I love you, Bubba (my nickname from my brother all of his girlfriends called me, too)" and gave me a hug and kiss on the cheek and handed me a box. Inside were two of those silk shirts I was talking about, one with Spider-Man and Venom, the other with Optimus Prime and Megatron. She knew what I liked lol It was then I realized I was just riding out the time with my girlfriend as she was too worried about what was in it for her. I mean, my girlfriend made almost $20 an hour working full time and my bro's girlfriend made $50 a week working her part time job since she was in high school. The two shirts she gave me was about 2 weeks of her salary and my girlfriend couldn't even pick up a .50 card from the dollar store a block from her house. Ironically, the night I found her in bed with the other guy was 12 years ago tonight! But even with all the shit that has gone wrong in my life in that time period, it's still better than it would've been staying with her.
Me & my ex got married on Valentine's Day so it was also our anniversary. In the 15 years we were married I cannot tell you anything great I got for Valentines Day/my anniversary. He actually completely forgot it the last year we were together.
ReplyDeleteYou gotta be some kind of mentally checked out to forget both on the same day. Explains why we split just 4 months later.
Valentine Day is a NON event to me now.
Awww @MinPin...you should surprise yourself with some turquoise bling!
DeleteWhen I was married to my ex, I gifted myself with plenty of turquoise! My fav stone Lady H. How did you know?
DeleteI hate vday and everything associated with it.
ReplyDeleteThe Opster cut out big wood heart shapes and painted red with lettering WILL YOU BE MY VALENTINE? And put them up outside my office at a job I just started. I think it was our 2nd year together. Everyone was extremy impressed and he must have worked a week and late into the night to do it. Then he made me an amazing dinner with a menu and everything. I'm fact our 2nd date was on Valentines day. He's always done something for me every year. No wonder I'm so madly in love with him after all this time.
ReplyDeleteI have loved hearing others stories as well although Bacons was so mean!!
He sounds like a sweetheart Sherry, & extremely thoughtful
DeleteCalif-worked with woman who always called tylenol, " tydenol", seinfeld was "steinfeld", and nuthin' cld convince her otherwise, lol
ReplyDeleteIts also my birthday, so growing up we always had a party for me, but with valentine decorations, a mailbox and great food and gifts, so everyone was involved, so i never got the idea it was only for romantic duos. On valentines day1970, myself and mr liddy decided to get married. I love valentines day! And i wish everyone cld hv as much fun as i do/ have!
ReplyDeleteBirthday and Anniversary? Special day :)
Delete