The Quest for Authentic Manhood

This Valentines Day I am planning on presenting my wife of 22 years with a journal. This journal will contain hand written entries recounting significant moments in our lives. Most specifically the journal entries will contain my observations of how excellently she handled the significant as well as the mundane moments in our lives together. I plan on making the journal an ongoing project and will make entries on random occasions (when I want to make brownie points)as well as making entires on special occasions.

My valentine suggestion is to replace one of those wedding or other special occasion photos that tend to sit in a photo album on in a dusty photo frame with a oil painting. I found several artists that are willing to take a photograph and actually paint the picture on canvas. Combine it with a nice frame and display it proudly on a wall in the house. personally i picked our wedding picture because that day was the ultimate expression of our love for each other.

Valentines Day Gift Ideas
-Get a couple of pictures from your wedding or a picture of the two of you and get them blown up and frame them.

Valentine's Day celebration suggestion - The week previous to Valentine day we watched the movie "Shall we dance" with Richard Gere. I wanted her to remember the scene where Richard comes up the elevator with a rose. This is important for the theme of the Valentines events to follow.

The day before Valentines, you should show up at her work wearing a tuxedo (like Richard Gere). Be there before she arrives so she walks toward you. Have two dozen roses in your hand to give to her. The two dozen roses will allow her to give some of them to others at the office. You should also give her another present that is just for her. Have it wrapped with a bow. It can be jewelry but again, it is personal to her. A bracelet with a Rose shape on it works great and keeps the rose theme going.

Along with the gift, you should have a card that is personalized and dripping with love thoughts that only she can appreciate. Tell her you will advise her later when to open the card.

Along with these, you will need to have (in a bag), a portable CD player with the song "when a man loves a woman" by Percy Sledge. The CD player will need some portable speakers. Turn on the music and dance with her right there. The music is a slow dance.

Call her at lunch and see how she is doing. Tell her to open her card.

That evening, have reservations at a nice restaurant. Meet her there right after she gets off of work with another dozen roses. Have another gift for her that is wrapped the same as the one from the morning. The gift should carry the same theme as the one in the morning.

At the dinner, advise her you will see her very early the next morning (that will be Valentines day). Give her a time you will come to the house. You wake up early, put on the tuxedo, arrive on time, and have a dozen roses for her, and six roses for each daughter or a gift for each child. You also have the complete ingredients to make pancakes for her family. Put on your apron and cook. Clean up the dishes as she and her children are busy getting ready for work and school.

The reason for doing this over two days; the day before Valentines is just about her. You are celebrating that day to make her special with her friends also.

The family breakfast celebrates her with her family. It recognizes her as a mother as well as that special person in your life.

Have fun with this one. I did.