Why Don't You Celebrate Valentine's Day ?

Some people do not celebrate holidays for religious reasons.  Others do not like the commercialization of certain holidays.  Some believe they have no reason to celebrate that particular day.  Others avoid holidays because of painful memories they bring back.  Some consider every day to be special and therefore see no reason to do anything different on a holiday.

None of those are even a small part of the reason that my wife and I do not celebrate Valentine's Day.

The year was 1998 and the millenium was fast approaching.  Was the end of the world near at hand?  Would Y2K destroy everything?  These were the concerns of the day that seemed so important at the time and are now a distant memory or worn-out punch line.

A certain young man had met a certain young woman at a church dance.  They had instantly sparked and were in the early stages of a romantic relationship.  Talk of the future for them centered around potential plans for life and eternity together.  Where would we live?  How many kids would we have? (Although what was decided on that front would forever be disputed.)
The words "I Love You" had been expressed between both parties, while friends and family noticed this thing was getting "serious."

Then the woman left.  She went to Europe.

Gone forever?  Fortunately for this man, it was temporary.  She was simply "hired" to be a nanny for her niece, while her brother and sister-in-law did some work and travelled across Europe.  She was gone for almost 3 weeks, which was just the right amount of time for this young man to make all the preparations to ask this woman to be his eternal bride.  Permission was given by the father of the bride, with a somewhat reluctant "ok" from the mom.  A ring was selected and purchased.  The woman's room was decorated with flowers and a message spelled out in Hershey's kisses on the floor.  The proposal itself was planned and re-planned.  The only snag?  The woman would return to the United States the day after Valentine's Day.

No matter.  The proposal happened.  She accepted.  And the rest, as they say, is history (some still in the making).

Out of that experience came the birth of a new holiday, simply called

"Engagement Day"

 

If you cannot figure out why we call it that, I'm not sure you read the whole story above.

 

This year, 2013, marks the 15th anniversary celebration of that glorious holiday ... and I am very happy that that young woman not only agreed to an eternity of putting up with this (not so much anymore) young man, but that she prefers to celebrate Engagement Day instead of Valentine's Day!

Song Of The Day:
If you only listen to the Top 40 or songs from the last few decades, then you are missing out on some fantastic music!  There are, of course, thousands of songs about love (I am sure it is the most common subject matter for music), but there is only one song performed by the late Nat King Cole (his voice is just amazing!) with the title "L-O-V-E" and it is as close to a perfect song as any I've heard.  So on this day of love, enjoy this classic love song.

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Where Is Everybody ?

Last night for our church basketball game, only 5 guys showed up to play for our team.  That means no subs ... and we were playing against a team that had 12 guys come out to play.

Needless to say we did not win that game.

Oh sure, for the first half we hung with them (only down by two at the break) but it was evident very early on in the second half that we small band of brothers were exhausted.

I just don't understand.  Some weeks it seems like everyone and their brother (and their neighbor and their three friends from work) show up to play.  And other nights, we run with barely enough to field a team.  Why so random?  I guess it must be issues with commitment (typical "guy" thing!)

Song Of The Day:
The song "I'm Tryin'" by Trace Adkins came to mind while we few men tried to keep up with the other team.  Sometimes, that's all you can do.  :)

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Aren't We All Just A Little OCD ?

I recently saw a post on facebook with one of those memes of the "Dos Equis" guy.  The words printed on the picture were to the following effect: "I don't always watch Netflix, but when I do, I find a show I like and watch all 7 seasons in two days and then get depressed when it's over."  That has been my experience with Netflix many times over (in fact I've blogged about several TV shows that Karen and I have watched in that manner).

Our most recent favorite has been "Monk" (although we have been watching it off and on for roughly the past year).  Perhaps my favorite part about the show is how his excessive OCD tendencies and irrational fears highlight that we ALL have some of these fears or OCD preferences.  Monk just happens to have all of them, but if we are honest with ourselves (especially as we get older) it is easier to recognize that we start to have very defined patterns in our day to day life.

I have to have towels folded and hung straight on towel rods.  Ask my kids.

I do not like my ice to be clumped at the bottom of a cup full of water.  I will shake the cup or poke the ice with my finger so it can float freely.

I straighten my desk at work every night before I leave to come home.  The desk has to be "clean" before I can leave.

I always place a napkin across my leg whenever eating a meal.  I use a separate napkin to wipe my mouth and hands.  The one on my leg is almost never touched.

I don't think these are problematic quirks and I am betting that you have many of your own.  My suggestion is to take a moment and think about them.  Recognize that your quirks seem completely normal to you.  In fact, you probably have a very good reason for doing things that way.  It would be good to keep that in mind before judging someone else's quirks as odd or inappropriate.

Song Of The Day:
I know this song has nothing to do with being normal, in fact quite the opposite, but it fits.  "People Are Strange" by Brave People (originally by the Doors) is a song that was introduced to me by Gail B back in good ol' Greeley, CO.

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Do You Ever Sleep In ?

Some people never sleep in.  I call these morning people.  No matter what time they were up until the night before; no matter what they don't have going on that next day; no matter how exhausted their body is; they just have an internal alarm clock that wakes them up and forces them out of bed at roughly the same time every day.

I am NOT one of those people.

I believe, given the right circumstances, that I could sleep well into the afternoon hours.  Of course the guilt afterward for having "wasted" all those precious daytime hours would be terrible, but who's to say that our bodies don't need that occasional "reboot" which only comes from a system shut down that exceeds the normal pattern?

Today is one of those days.  I won't say when I slept in until, but it was plenty of time (more than a typical night of sleep should account for).  Of course I am somewhat more refreshed while also disappointed in the "wasted" time on one of my two days off ... But there is not too much regret.  I still had time to finish my "chores" and run the errands I had committed to today's schedule.  I just had to forego a few other activities that I know I would have enjoyed.

Song Of The Day:
I love how you can buy an artist's CD based on one song you like, only to find out later that it is not your favorite song on that CD.  This doesn't happen as often as it used to, especially now that you can buy individual songs and also preview portions of every song on a CD before making a purchase.  That said, today's song is one that I happened upon after buying Jason Mraz's first CD.  The song is titled "Sleep All Day" and (as always with his music) the words to the tune are just as enjoyable as the melody and music.

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Why Dey Haftoo Go Home ?!

That was the question that my youngest daughter (Myra, age 2 1/2) asked tonight as our guests were headed out the door to their house (after a few hours of hanging out and playing games).

She was beside herself in tears and filled with devastation at their departure.  It was like she thought she would never see them again (in fact a short while later she made that very comment - "I nevuh gonna see dem agayin.  Dey nevuh gon' come back agayin!" )

Of course she was overtired and within 15 minutes was asleep in her bed.  But it was a very cute experience that I wanted to make note of so I can tell it to her when she is older and can appreciate her youthful reaction.

Song Of The Day:
It's a bit of a stretch but today's song is from Maroon 5 and is titled "Won't Go Home Without You"   This is probably my favorite of all their songs (and they have had LOTS that are pretty sweet!)

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Do You Wear Glasses ?

I am "legally blind" without corrective lenses.  I have been for as long as I can remember.  I have not worn glasses on a regular basis for decades though.

A rare photo of me
in my "spectacles"

I love to play basketball and I'm a big fan of peripheral vision, hence my preference for contact lenses.
Most people at work have never seen me wearing glasses but it still surprises me when someone asks me if I wear contacts.

My two oldest kids, both boys, wear glasses.  But when I was a kid that was a bad thing and an easy way to get picked on.
Nowadays, it seems it makes kids cooler (especially if the glasses look ridiculous like that Old Navy lady or all those "hipsters.")  That is equally weird to me, but I'm not switching back to glasses!

Song Of The Day:
Another country group that is quite popular across genres is Lady Antebellum.  But my favorite song of theirs is not one that was ever released on the radio (that I know of).  It is titled "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" and is a beautiful ballad of love.  I think the tie in with my blog topic today is reasonably obvious.  :)

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Need A Laugh ?

Me and my little sister at a 5k race

Shout out to my sister Jaimee for the great tip on the hilarious movie for tonight.
Pitch Perfect is quite hilarious (although a little raunchy at times).  If you can appreciate acapella music (and some aca-humor) then you will love this movie.

Song Of The Day:
In honor of my sister, here is a recent favorite acapella song that I think she will enjoy ... The song is "Careless" by the Tufts Beelzebubs (who I have already featured before).  The album version is even better but this one is quite good too.

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