Happy Valentine's Day

I know Valentine's Day was last week but it's all relative! As you might have read in my 100 things about me post, I'm not generally a fan of V-Day. I don't like the commercialism that has enveloped around this holiday. Why do we need Hallmark to set a date for us to tell our loved ones how we feel about them? Why can't we do that on our own, everyday? Of course since I'm a cheapskate, I also don't like how places jack up their prices so these poor men have to spend who knows how much just to compete with the next guy. I have always told Wes no flowers. If he wants to get me flowers, buy them on March 24th or some other random day and spend 1/2 the amount you would on Valentine's Day. Thankfully I don't work in an office where the women all get flowers or other gifts on Valentine's, or I might have a slightly different outlook on the holiday. As is with so many things in life, it's all about wanting what someone else has and trying to keep up with the Jones'.

With that said, I am a HUGE fan of surprises and I'll take those whenever I can get them. Wes has mastered the art of surprise but he does still need Hallmark to dictate to him when to conjure one up. So about a week before V-Day he sends me an email telling me he had V-Day taken care of. What? We are doing something? I thought we were just staying at home because of Colin. You see since my dear Mother watches Colin 2-3 times a week, we feel so guilty asking her to do anything more. Apparently she had asked Wes what we were doing and he took that to mean she was volunteering to watch Colin. Knowing her, that's exactly what she was doing. So on V-Day, I get my first clue via email. Yes! I love nothing more than a puzzle, riddle, or scavenger hunt! The first clue was concerning where we'd be spending the evening. I had to get this one correct before I could get the next one. The clue went like this:
On what street/road does our destination lie?
Here are your hints:
- You won't find a rifle there. (You may have to ask a hunter in your office.)
- I wouldn't give a nickel for it.
- It's not the road where wealthy people live.
- It won't be a problem if you find yourself up there without a paddle.
- A British person might try to shop there.

Ok, so needless to say he's quite good at writing clues. I didn't figure it out right away so he told me the first 4 clues were roads it was not and the last clue was the road it was. A coworker helped me with the first one by telling me that Winchester was a brand of ammunition for guns. So it's not Winchester Road. Now I got the hang of it. The second one was NICHOLasville Road, the third was RICHmond Road, the fourth was Tates CREEK Road, and the final one was HARRODSburg Road.

The second clue was ridiculous! I never did get it. It was, "The place we're going can be found at this location: 1) The first half of the name is someone you'd find in Hazzard County. 2) The second half of the name is also found in a state's name. (This one is "very" easy.)

Are you kidding me?! I had no idea. I'll just skip the first one altogether and work on the second one. There are only 50 states so how hard could this be?! Except wait, how do I narrow those 50 states down. I had to plead for help again. He told me that very was in quotes because that had something to do with the state. Part of the word very was in the state's name. So I proceed to sing the states song that I learned in elementary school and came up with 4 states - New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Yes, I left out VERmont! That was the one that would have helped me. I guess the restaurant to be Azur based on the first clue of Harrodsburg Road. I think Wes was a little frustrated with me but explained his clue. It was supposed to be Beau ("Bo" Duke) and mont (VerMONT) Center. Then there was to be another clue but I messed up those plans!

I think what we can learn here is that Wes's clues are too complex for my tiny brain. Perhaps I should tell him to pretend he's making clues for his 7-year old sister. Maybe then I'll be able to figure them out. But don't worry, his birthday is coming up in just over a month and I plan to stump him. I've already started thinking so if you have any suggestions, please feel free to share. Oh and in case you were wondering, our dinner was FANTASTIC! I might just write a review of Azur in the near future.

When we got home, Grams had left us Valentine's from her and Colin on our bed. She had secretly dressed Colin up and taken pictures of him in this adorable outfit. Those pictures were laying out on the bed too. What a great gift. I'll post those pictures later.

Colin sent a few of his own Valentine's too. One of those was sent to his girlfriend, Sidney Hiltz. Below is a picture of Sidney with her card. She loved it so much that she cried when her mom tried to take it away from her. Sidney's Dad is not so sure how he feels about this. When I told Colin, he got the biggest grin on his face. Ah, puppy love.