Happy Valentine's Day!!!!!!

I must admit, I'm not really a romantic kind of gal. I think my brother Tom summed it up best when he told me that he wished he could find a girlfriend who was as low-maintenance as I was. I'm like a guy, he said; not a "real" girl. What does that mean?! There is a little bit of truth to that, though, which I discovered about myself in high school. You know how you dream about some hunky guy who will bring you flowers, whisper sweet nothings in your ear, and woo you with gifts, love, and romance? In 11th grade, I actually had a boyfriend who was like that. He bought me those sappy Hallmark cards with scripty writing on them. He gave me little satin heart pillows that said I love you. He dropped notes in my locker in the afternoon to tell me that he missed me...from seeing me that morning.

He drove me nuts.

At first, I thought...awwww, how sweet and romantic. What a cutie. Then I thought...ok, this is getting to be a little over the top. Finally I decided...he's a total sap and I hate him.

It only took me a few weeks to come to the conclusion that I did NOT want a romantic dreamboat. Our relationship didn't last very long, and after I dumped him, I treated him horribly just so I could try to get his lovey-dovey-ness as far away from me as possible. How cruel was I? Let's just say that years later, when we were both in college and catching up one day over Christmas break, he admitted that I was the second worst girlfriend he'd ever had. (First place went to one of my best friends - heh, heh.)

Anyway, the experience made me realize that I just wanted a regular guy who was more of a friend than a flower crazed lovebird. And believe me, marrying an engineer is almost a guarantee that you're not going to be drowning in romance. So Valentine's Day always makes me smile. While the rest of the world is swooning over roses and sharing wine over a candlelit dinner, I'm just snuggling up to the greatest love of my life, hanging out in our little home and totally and utterly happy.