great expectations...

So excited that today...I am a GUEST BLOGGER over at Wide Open Spaces!

Jordan is one of my favorite writers... I started following her blog from my friend Krislyn's blog; Spreading her Wings. 

Here is my L.O.V.E. story!

I can distinctly remember being 13-years-old and crossing the day off my calendar with a dull black sharpie.

February the 14th would come around and everyone would have their bouquets of flowers, boxes of chocolates, large and slightly annoying balloons, and walk around school flaunting them for all to see.

My Valentine’s Day looked a little bit different. I would spend the day with my dad. Wearing all black. At the shooting range. It gave me something to look forward to, and some good quality time with my dad. And after getting my heart broken by a guy a few years ago, that target bore quite a similar resemblance.

I met my (now) husband at the end of February 2010. As Pride and Prejudice would say, he ‘bewitched me, body and soul’, and we quickly knew we would be together forever. Five months to the day of our first date, Ryan got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife.

When the next February rolled around, I had some HIGH expectations for Valentine’s Day. After all, it was going to be my very first experience of a true Valentine’s Day.

I pictured chocolates, dinner out, a mushy card, lots of kisses, time spent looking deep into each other’s eyes and him telling me everything he loved about me...I wanted ROMANCE.

However, I forgot one big thing.

Being that Ryan a) was a man, and b) had never done Valentine’s Day before either, he was….clueless.

THE BIG DAY landed on a Monday and I remember getting dressed in the morning in my teacher-appropriate red/pink/white clothing even though it was freezing out. I curled my hair and put on a little bit more make-up in anticipation for the evening. I quickly hurried to Ryan’s apartment after work with my sparkly mushy card in hand awaiting all that he had planned.

He opened the door and….. looked at me like I was crazy. Yep, he forgot!

He quickly realized the disappointment on my face, realized it was Valentine’s Day (I think the HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY card may have given it away), and apologized more times than I can count. He insisted on taking me out to dinner, and we finally found the only place that didn’t have a wait agreed on dinner at Azteca.

After I stopped pouting powdered my nose in the mirror, we had a great dinner and decided to go back to Ryan’s afterwards for a movie and some cuddling. We rented the movie Valentine’s Day, burrowed ourselves under a blanket and just enjoyed each other’s company.

That night was a big reality check for me. Everything surrounding me told me I needed BIG gestures, and needed that night to be a BIG deal. But did I? Nope. What I needed was me, my man, and TIME TOGETHER. What I needed to realize was that we showed each other love each and every day of our lives. One day did not define our relationship or our love for each other.

THIS year, we are happily married and have a little bit better understanding of some of our expectations.

I like some of those cheesy gestures like cards or chocolates, and he likes a quiet evening home.

THIS year, I already have a few things in the works to surprise him with.

 (Read: a couple’s massage. I think it is a serious win-win.)

THIS year, I know I am going to cherish that time together celebrating the thing that first brought us together:

love.