Happy Valentine's Day

Don't forget, on Wednesday's you can join in on the memories by visiting Lynnette's blog.

Yes, I know it is early but that is the memory that I have decided to share today - so I am only a few days early!

Hubs and I did not get to share our first Valentine as a married couple together. He was in AIT, training for his permanent 'job' at Ft. Sill, OK and I was here in Dallas with my parents. However, that Valentine's day, he was a sweetheart! He called me a few days before and told me to be looking for a package that I could not open until Valentine's! Wait to open a package from him??? Was he nuts???

The post office came through for him, though, and delivered said package on V-day!

What was inside, you say?

Isn't he adorable??? He has our last name imprinted on his pocket, just like a BDU would have in real life, he has a dog tag that says Ft. Sill and at one point in time, he had a BDU cap....it is somewhere between here and Ft Bragg, probably!!! We were newlyweds so this was a very poignant gift for me! I LOVE HIM!!! (the bear and the hubs!)

The next Valentine's, we were up way too early getting ready for hubs to go to the field and I was 16 wks prego! As I rolled over in bed to give him a kiss, I felt our sweet baby moving and invited him to feel. That was the very first time he had felt our baby move, Feb 14, 1990. He left that morn at 5am and didn't come home until the first week of March. No romantic dinner, no flowers, no time together.

After that, all Valentine's tend to run together. We were parents of small children and finding time and money for such a day just became a burden....physically for him, emotionally for me. I still desired the romance of the day, he didn't! Before too long, romance was totally out of the question...making it through the day became important!

Fast forward a few years, we now had one in elementary school and one still at home but I was falling in love with this man all over again and really wanted to share the day in a special way. I set a lovely table with paper goods, heart shaped balloons and red and white carnations. I was very pleased with myself!

Unfortunately, he was not pleased! I never did learn why but when he came in from work and saw the table, he blew a gasket!!! Well, I of course, melted into tears and I'm sure the block could hear the yelling and screaming that ensued...I know my children won't forget that part of it.

A few more years went by, sometimes I asked for flowers or if he would take me out to dinner and sometimes he surprised me by coming home with roses for me and our girls. His take became, "I love you everyday, why should I have to show it on this certain day because Hallmark wants to make money after Christmas?"

But this year, 20 yrs after that first love filled Valentine box arrived at my parents house, he is sharing the love again! Please, meet 'Rett:



And I am feeling very loved!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow....

God's girl, Pamela

PS - the storms blew through late last night....just moments after DD1 and I walked in the door from picking her up at work! Most of the damage is north of us but our city got hit hard not too far from us, they have not yet confirmed a tornado and more than likely it is straight wind damage but our area has some clean up to do today. Thankfully, our neighborhood was spared. However, our friends north of the border in Oklahoma are dealing with loss of life this morn due to the same storm system. Please pray for them during this time. Thank you.