Our Life-Changing Valentine's Day

The day was finally over, & I was able to relax.  Every day as a second grade teacher was exhausting.  Most days, I would come home & collapse on the sofa for a nap.  Most evenings, I would veg out in front of the TV, too spent to do much of anything else.  This day was no different, especially with the fervor surrounding Valentine's Day.  My kids - what I always called my students - were hyped up on excitement & sugar, which certainly didn't lessen their already chatty dispositions.  But I remember that day as a good day.  As always, I was spoiled with candy & presents.  My babies - my other pet name for them - always knew that I loved them & they loved me, too.  So, I made my short way home laden down with my loot & spent an uneventful, too-tired-to-do-anything evening on my couch.  Unbeknownst to me, my life was about to change.  This was my last Valentine's Day as a single woman.

My phone rang sometime in the 8 o'clock hour, & on the other end was one Michael Boyd.  We had been communicating through eHarmony's system, & I had taken the bold - & very unusual for me - move of giving my phone number if he should want to call.  Being a sweet romantic & thinking it would be a special anniversary should a relationship blossom between us, he chose Valentine's Day as our first phone call.  We spoke for a few hours that first night, & every night thereafter the phone was glued to our ears practically nonstop!  Within 2 weeks, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life as his wife.  A mere 7 weeks after that first phone call, he proposed next to a sweet little lake & slipped the most exquisite ring on my finger.  And only 4 months from start to finish my dream came true, & I became Mrs. Michael Boyd.  Since that day, my life has been pure bliss!  I am most blessed among women to be married to this remarkable man!

Because of his foresight, Valentine's Day holds special meaning in our household due to the change that was wrought in our lives with that one phone call.  So, we celebrated our love for each other today - as we do every day - with thankfulness to God for bringing us together & sustaining our love.  It was a special day!  Michael came home from work this morning, pink tulips, a gift, & Turtles in hand.  He also came bearing breakfast, knowing I would be hungry!  Of course, having worked all night, he had to take a nap before our day of romance could commence.  Once he was somewhat rested, we headed up to Joe's Italian Restaurant for our hot date.  It was quite a drive, but the company was superb & the dinner & dessert that greeted us at the end of our journey was totally worth it!  The restaurant was so sweetly decorated with Valentine's Day garlands & floating balloons.  The food was beyond wonderful & the service was excellent.  We had the best time!  We finished off our date with a trip to . . . can you guess where?  Costco!  The parking lot was practically empty - something I've never seen before - & we joked that he's the only husband dragging his wife to Costco on Valentine's Day!  ;-)  That's okay; it made him happy, & Jakey-Baby got some awesome toys out of the deal!

It's hard to fathom the wondrous changes that have taken place in my life since that fateful Valentine's Day four years ago.  God has been so gracious to me & has blessed me so richly!  Happy Valentine's Day to you all!  And to Michael - I love you, my darling!