The Quest for Authentic Manhood

During my courtship of Krissi (my beautiful bride for the past 11 years) I would have a red rose sitting on the front seat of the truck for her when I picked her up for a date. When I would open the door for her it is the first thing she would see before our night out and she would know how special she is to me. It has been some time since I have shown her how special she really is to me. She is supposed to know right?! This year for Valentines Day I am putting together a DVD of our life together over the past 13 years. From courtship to surprise Birthday Parties, Camping Trips and just memorable times. I started selecting the pictures in December 2007 and I have realized how special and important to me Krissi really is. The daily grind of Life as we know it often covers up what we know our priorities should be and what is really a gift from God. I have been blessed with a beautiful bride. My intention is to show Krissi everyday how special she really is to me, while rising above the daily grind.

My Valentine and Beautiful Wife Monica, works and starts her day at 6:00 am, so I will start her day by delivering to her a fresh cup of hot, designer coffee as her feet hit the floor. I will have a red rose waiting for her as she steps out from her shower. The rose will not be in full bloom so that she can enjoy it for several days, as it grows into full bloom, just as our marriage blooms more beautifully each day.

When she returns home from work, I will great her with a small gift (trinket) and a truck full of "Cold Hard Cash"! The truck full of money is to add humor to the day, I will buy a toy truck and a roll of quarters and place the quarters in the freezer while she is at work. When the time is right, I will load the truck with the "Cold Hard Cash" and deliver it to her (Ha Ha). Then off to a nice romantic dinner.

Sadly, we both lost our first mates to cancer, so to have God bless me by bringing this lovely lady into my life deserves every effort to make her Valentines Day as special for her as I can!

Starting 2-1 I will leave a note to my wife June why I love her with verses from the Song of Solomon for 14 day then on 2-14 I will thank God for creating my Eve and helper.

I have never taken a day of vacation on Valentines Day in the 35 years that Jennifer and I have been married. This year will be different. I will surprise her by not getting up at my usual time on a work day and when she rolls over and tells me I am going to be late for work, I will simply say "this day is for you." I will take her out for breakfast tacos, a favorite of hers, followed by shopping at the mall (which I never do). We will then head south into the Spring area for an early dinner at an as yet to be determined restaurant (she loves Italian, Greek, and Chinese cuisine) where we will dine in a relaxed environment. Sometime during dinner I will surprise her by telling her we will finish off the day with a concert by one of her favorite Christian artists, Stephen Curtis Chapman.

This Valentine's Day will be a special one for me and my wife, Karin. It's our first Valentine's Day that we will celebrate as new Christians and we are growing in Christ every day together, along with our four children. So this year, I am planting four trees around our home. Each one of those trees will represent a child and I am going to have the older two boys write a special Valentine's card, which we will hang from two of the trees. I will write two cards for the other trees expressing my love for her as a beautiful wife, and the other with words about her being a fantastic and loving mom. After the older boys and I plant all of the trees, we will have a dedication ceremony for Karin. It will be a very cool tribute to her and a reminder of our family and the growing relationship we have with our kids and God. I love her so much!

Take your love to their dinner of choice, then make your way to a Barne’s & Noble or some bookstore. (preferably one with a coffee shop or tables inside…i.e. Starbuck’s)
Once inside, find the cookbook section. Face her toward the books and stand behind her. (make sure you have a watch with you) Let her know that both of you have five minutes and then proceed with the following instructions:
Both of you are to find a book(s) including an appetizer, entrée, dessert and beverage. The challenge is this: The food items you’re looking for are to describe what you thought of each other upon meeting. (or first date)
Side note: If you want this to be an enjoyable evening stay away from the fish cookbooks. Choosing a Bass for the entrée because you thought she was a “Big Mouth” won’t get you the brownie points you were hoping for!
After beginning, periodically let her know how much time is left. When the five minutes have concluded, take the books you’ve both chosen to the coffee shop and find a table. If you’re not too full from dinner you may want to get a coffee before continuing. (see brownie point #1)
We’ve learned about not being the “passive male”, so you get to go first. As with any dining experience begin describing the beverage, appetizer and so on. Take your time with this and use your words! Cookbooks (especially fine cuisine ones) have some amazing pictures, but don’t let them do the talking for you.
After you’re done, it’s her turn. Prepare to be entertained, because what she says may pleasantly surprise you. Remember, her openness with this unconventional evening will be determined by how open you are…so spare no expense with your explanation.
When you’ve both had your turn, your final statement will put the icing on the cake. Let her know that you’ll be making those very items for her as time goes on. If you’re unable to make them, tell her that you’ll find a restaurant that serves it and take her there on future “date nights.” The same goes for her! (conclude w/ brownie point #2)
Brownie Points:
#1 Find out what coffee or tea she likes prior to the evening and order it for her when the time comes.
#2 Let her know that you didn’t arrive earlier to get a head start on what you were going to say. (all you had was the idea for the night…not the outcome)

Enjoy, and have fun with it!

Our Valentine's Day Family Tradition...

We had an idea about 4 years ago, and have continued, to date our 2 young daughters on Valentine's day. We date each other often, and so we thought we could use this day to let them know how special they are and how they should be treated on a "date". First, during the day, I have always brought a rose to their school, and they always pretend to be surprised to see daddy in the school office.

On Valentine's night, the girls dress up, and mom wears something "visually appealing". My wife decided to make dinner unusual, and more "sensual" by adding music, candlelight, and by only using our hands to eat dinner (this is easy when you have a toddler). So the first time we had shish-kabob and veggies, and since we have branched out to potstickers and spring rolls, but dessert is always the same. Dessert has become the favorite part of our meal. My wife makes a chocolate sauce and pours it into individual martini glasses and we dip fruit, cookies, cake and fingers until we have had our fill!

I read bible verses about love and we tell our girls (& each other) why we love them. We hope to continue to have these special Valentine's dinners; and hope that as our daughters get older that they will choose to invite any "approved dates" to our Valentine's Day date instead of going out.