the valentine's day special

february 14th this year was a much different day than the february 14ths of years past. the day of pink hearts and red roses never really caused me to sulk over the fact that i was boyfriendless, as is customary for many people without a significant other. i was always aware that my day to be showered with kisses, love, and a dozen red roses would eventually make its debut. and yesterday was the day.

jonathan arrived at my door shortly after 1 p.m. with his right arm cradled around a red glass vase holding 12 beautiful red roses with a touch of baby's breath. we found a place on top of my dresser to put them where they can easily be admired. i put on my shoes, grabbed my coat, and we were out the door heading toward the mall and a light lunch at chick-fil-a. after lunch, we browsed a little through the mall and then made our way to target, where jonathan bought me a pair of brown heels that would go with my dress for the evening.

we parked at the deck to avoid the evil parking services tickets. jonathan had to grab some things he brought for me out of the trunk...including his guitar! i absolutely love when he plays his guitar for me and he knows it :). he played for me for about 20 minutes before i had to get ready for our early dinner so that we could beat the valentine's day dinner rush.

jonathan dropped me off at the last resort so we could get on the waiting list (they didn't take reservations) and i wouldn't have to walk uphill in my heels. just as jonathan made it inside, the host was leading us to our table for two. the tables were draped with white tablecloths and were set with tea light candles and a tiny vase with a small pink rose. the heat lights by the kitchen cast a red glow on our faces, but it went along with the valentines vibe.

it seemed odd to us, since they didn't take reservations, that the table next to us was perfectly set up for about 10 young women. it took me until the end of our delicious meal to realize that it was the gym dogs. of course, there are special exceptions to the "no reservation" policy. good for them.

jonathan and i went back to my dorm to exchange gifts, so i had him park in a general lot, assuming that it would be safe after 7 p.m. on valentine's day. after we finished opening gifts (jonathan got me two adorable skirts and a matching camisole), we headed to his car to go to a coffee place and found a special pink-enveloped valentine tucked under his windshield wiper from parking services with a $40 ticket enclosed. it had been left no more than 15 minutes after we had parked. that put a damper on things, but a warm hot chocolate cheered things up a bit.

since nothing was really out in theaters, jonathan and i decided to watch a dvd. i'd never seen signs, so that was the romantic movie of choice :). i got pathetically scared quite easily, but it turned out to be pretty good.

in summary, jonathan was the most wonderful first valentine's date i could have ever hoped for. he spent a whole afternoon and evening with me and went above and beyond every minute to make this valentine's day special.

jonathan, thank you for showering me with kisses, love, and a dozen red roses :).