Serendipity and Sock Subscriptions

A year ago, Facebook clued me in to the coolest idea: a sock subscription.  Someone shared with someone who is my friend that a company called Foot Cardigan existed.  Their idea is simple and super cool: sign up for a subscription (3, 6, 9, 12 months – you choose) and get a random, cool pair of socks in the mail once a month.  It turns out that I know someone who knows someone who started the company.  So cool – I love when that happens.  Because of the connection and the absolutely cool idea, I decided I wanted a subscription.  I shared the cool idea with the huz one evening – I kind of get excited about cool things – and he listened intently (and might have laughed at me because of how excited I was about a sock subscription).

There was some kind of gift-giving event (Valentine’s Day, maybe) in the near future, and he decided he should get me a subscription.

Shortly after our conversation, the huz gave me a print-out showing that he had purchased a sock subscription for me.  I feel so awful even to this day that my first reaction was to correct him: he had purchased a subscription from Sockgrams.  I should have reacted in gratitude, but it was from the wrong company!  Knowing what I wanted (a sock subscription) but not entirely sure of the name, he had done a search and found a discount code for Sockgrams.  Because of the discount code, he was able to get me a full year (or maybe 13 months) of socks.

Story pause: My man knows that I love a good deal and saving money a lot, so it makes total sense that this happened.  He is a good one.

I was thrilled about a sock subscription, but I still wanted one from Foot Cardigan.  When I get something in my head, it is hard to get it to leave unless I deal with it.  So – I dealt with it a few days later by using some gift money to buy myself three months of Foot Cardigan socks.

Because I have had sock subscriptions from both companies, I thought that I would be in a good position to review the two and compare them on my blog.  The problem is that the two companies really are different (I know, it’s counter-intuitive!). I had even tweeted about this difficulty a while back: “@footcardigan vs @sockgrams – so hard to decide.”  Foot Cardigan responded with a tweet: “How can we help you decide?”

I honestly couldn’t reply to them.  And here is why: the two companies have their place in our society.  They appear to be the same in many respects, but they are very, very different in reality.  And here is the rub: they are both exactly who they say are which makes them attractive in so many ways.

Foot Cardigan is run by four witty guys who share their wit on their website. Imagine Jimmy Fallon  selling sock subscriptions – you laugh, you cry, and you buy…and you feel good dropping $9-$13 (shipping and gift-wrap – if desired – are extra) per pair of socks because they are that cool.  Inventory is limited to the monthly subscriptions and one other option.  Whether good or bad, that is who they are, and they will stay that way.  Cool note: if you get an awesome pair of socks (like I did in my April 2014 package) and want a second pair for a friend because the socks remind you of her (it’s true), they will let you order a second pair if they still have them in stock. This is a fun company. Period. And they have great customer service.  Oh – and their latest thing is a subscription for children called “Whippersnappers.”  I participated in the Kickstarter campaign for this so that my college daughter could get some socks in her size.  She loved them.

Serendipity (noun): an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident. (dictionary.com)

I discovered Sockgrams through their subscription services, but that is not what makes them awesome.  Even though the economy is recovering, few of us have the cash to spend for subscription services every time we would like to thank someone or just let them know we thought of them.  This is where Sockgrams has the right idea. Sockgrams has an amazing website with hundreds of unique sock choices as well as bags, hats, mittens, and spa “stuff.” Every purchase has awesome packaging – check out this video.  Every single sockgram that I have received had this carefully created look.  Every month, I received a coupon so that I could send someone else some happiness (you get a free card that you can customize!).  A subscription is a gateway drug. Their website is like a gift givers’ candy store.  PS: There is a coupon code available on their Facebook page through February 14. Hint. Hint.

As I drove late in the afternoon/early evening yesterday, my cell phone showed that I had an incoming call from Wisconsin.

Story pause: last week,  I had a scammer call me over 30 times from Florida after I told him to leave me alone. I eventually had to have the number blocked by Sprint.  This makes me hesitant to answer calls from unknown numbers.

I know people in Wisconsin, so I figured it must have been someone I knew.  When I answered, though, it was someone from Sockgrams!  In the past week, I have ordered socks for five different people. Earlier in the day, I had shared on the Sockgrams’ Facebook page how happy everyone was with their socks.  The caller relayed to me that, from time to time, they reach out to their customers. We had a lovely conversation that led me to sharing about how I had found their company by accident.  When we finished the call, I knew that I needed to do this blog post.

I love socks, and I love to give gifts.  There are great options out there, and socks are a great and inexpensive way to let people know we thought of them.  Each of the five people who received socks from me this week had earned a big “thank you” from me.  Surprise socks in the mail communicated my gratitude to them in a way that I could afford.

One last plug for a different company: Out of Print Clothing won my heart last week. I had purchased awesome socks on a whim for my college son as a “welcome to second semester” gift to greet him at his college mailbox after Christmas break.  My son loves books, and Out of Print had a great special (right before Christmas) on socks with banned books listed on them.  The original order was lost in the mail, and Out of Print quickly sent out a second pair.  A day after the second pair arrived, the original pair did as well.  When I offered to pair for the second pair, I was told to enjoy them both.  My boy loves them…both.

Music Monday: “The Story” by Brandi Carlile

Some songs pretty much rock from start to finish, and today’s featured song is exactly that.  From the first guitar note pick to the ending strum, this song takes me up and down my emotional ladder while also telling “the story” of my life to a certain extent.

Take a listen:

Found on YouTube–I own no rights to this video.

 

On May 20, the huz and I will celebrate 18 years of marriage.  These years have been filled with trial, tension, fun, and folly – and every day (at some point) I realize that we were made for each other.

The interesting thing is that I am not convinced that we were the “only” ones for the other.  But – as we have grown together through thick and thin, fun and friction, and sadness and joy – we have become the one for the other.

When I said, “I do,” I meant it…but I had no idea WHAT that would mean.  I doubt any of us have any idea what it means, but we learn pretty quickly what it does not mean.

It does not mean that everything is rosy.

It does not mean that marriage is easy.

It does not mean that we will like each other every moment of every day.

What it does mean is that every minutes of every day I will be married to him.  And – much of the time – because of his love for me, I will love him. 

The circle of the conditional becomes much more unconditional as every minute ticks by – with every fight, with every moment of forgiveness, and with every decision to be a we.

Happy Monday!

An Obstructed View

I find nothing more frustrating than having my view blocked.  To only be able to see a bit of something wonderful is quite possibly something that could me over the edge.  I remember as a child attending a MN Vikings football game and having an obstructed view ticket.  This did not bother me that much because the conversation with the women around me was much more exciting than the game in front of me.  Side note: this has nothing to do with the Vikings themselves –  though, now that I am an adult, I might have to say that was the root of the problem.

However, if this had been a University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux hockey game, I am quite sure that I would have been upset.  I love the Sioux!  And I love hockey…so missing any of that game would have been a tragedy (side note again – mostly for my son’s amusement): I realize that using tragedy in relation to a mere hockey game is an exaggeration, but I do love hockey!).

In the same way, I love the ocean, and missing any of that view makes me upset.

On my trip to the east coast a few weeks ago, I spent a few days alone in Rockport, MA.  I did a lot of walking, and I saw a lot of great views.  I also saw a lot of views through gate doors and between houses.  I found that my view was obstructed often, and that bothered me.  I like to be able to see what I love.

Sometimes the only thing to do is to move so that I get what I want.

Very often, we forget that we are the mobile ones in most scenarios.  If I wanted to see the ocean better, I just needed to move.  The ocean was not going to go anywhere, and the Blue Gate had no intention of letting me inside.  I needed to move if I had any hope of getting what I wanted – a view of something beautiful.

I realized some things as I stared through the Blue Gate and contemplated this.

• I tend to focus on the door (or something/someone who seems like a door).
• Sometimes I do not think about the fact that I am the one who needs to move in a situation or relationship.
• Quite often, I refuse to do what is necessary to move beyond a road block in a situation.
• I miss out on great things because of this.

In this particular situation, it was pretty obvious that I just needed to get moving in order to get a view of the ocean.  However, for those times when it is not so obvious, I need to consider how I can change and make a situation better.  When not-so-physical doors get in the way of great opportunities, I need to step back and consider how my “location” in a situation or relationship could change in order to bring about an excellent result.

In what way will I need to move today?  In what relationship might I need to be the one who makes a step around a barrier?  How will I focus less on the door and more on the view?

To Be Seen

As I mentioned in a previous post, our family recently went to see the Festival Theatre’s production of Man of La Mancha. 

As is typical in theatre, literature, and film, there is a man in love with a girl. But this love interest is different than our modern, over-the-top, and inappropriate relationship.  Don Quixote loves “pure and chaste from afar” and though, he declares his love to his lady, they rarely even touch.

What is even more unconventional about this relationship is who they they are.  He is a peasant who – by all accounts of those around him – is a madman for believing that he is a knight.  She is … well, how shall we say … a whore who describes herself as “no one … nothing at all.”

The twist?  Don Quixote’s “madness” allows him to see the bar-maid/prostitute named Aldonza as the lady Dulcinea (translated from Spanish to English = sweet one).

Dulcinea claims that Don Quixote torments her with his rants about her being a lady.  At one point, she pleads:

Won’t you look at me, look at me,
God, won’t you look at me!
Look at the kitchen slut reeking with sweat!
Born on a dung heap to die on a dung heap,
A strumpet men use and forget! ¹

But he will not back down.  He has chosen to see her as a lady, and he will not be swayed.

SPOILER ALERT: if you continue to read this post, you will learn about the end of the musical.  Just letting you know!

At the end of the musical, we see Don Quixote on his deathbed – madness gone replaced with (in my opinion) depression.  As I see it, once his dream died, he basically had nothing for which to live.  Aldonza/Duclinea rushes in to speak with him.  She needs him to know who she is, to remember what he called her, and (in my opinion) to remember why he called her that.

Somehow, through his madness, Aldonza was able to see herself through Don Quixote’s eyes as Dulcinea.  Before Don Quixote came along, she believed that – because she circumstances – she would never rise above from whence she had come.  However, Don Quixote essentially gave her new eyes when he showed her the way that he saw her.  Because he essentially created a future of hope rather than despair, she could live as Dulcinea.

How someone else sees us has so much power…

We each hold someone else’s future in our vision.  If we choose to discourage someone from seeing hope, we could kill a dream.  But if choose to encourage, we could give wings so that they can fly (sorry for the cliché!). But it s true!

This completely boggles my mind!

Imagine what we could do if we all saw those “born in a dung heap” as lords and ladies worthy of our deference.  Imagine how lives would be changed if we used a little madness now and then better the world by going on quests, dreaming the impossible dream, righting the unrightable wrongs, and seeing people beyond their circumstances.

What will I choose today?  What will you choose today?  What quests are we called to start today that will take us on adventures and misadventures and that will ask us to see people in ways for which we may not be ready?

_________________________________________________________

1: source

http://www.lyricsondemand.com/soundtracks/m/manoflamanchalyrics/aldonzalyrics.html

"Fifty Shades" of Double Standards

The ways that men and women experience most things in life differ more often than not. Women tend to experience life through words. Men tend to do so through images. Because of these differences, it can be hard to know when a double standard occurs. As a woman, I feel the impact of double standards on almost a daily basis.  Men can talk a certain way, act a certain way, and be treated a certain way…I can’t.

Double standards hurt when they impact me as a woman.  I should be equally as appalled when a double standard impact the men around me.

When I married my husband, I did so for better or for worse.  Over the course of our seventeen years of marriage, there have been times of each.  Never, however, have we had to deal with issues that would arise from him watching or looking at porn.  I cannot imagine what that would do to me as his wife.  I cannot imagine what that would do to our marriage.  I just simply cannot imagine it.  As I write these words, I get a little anxious knowing full well that many women have dealt with this or do deal with it.  I doubt that it would be a marriage breaker for us because I believe in the power of Christ, but it would be a pretty hard thing to deal with.

As the Fifty Shades of Grey has recently swept across my radar, I have had little to no interest in reading the book.  I never thought that I would write a blog post about the book (not having read it – I am typically pretty opposed to doing something like that), but I found that I had to defend why I was not reading it and encourage others to stay away as well.  I shared my reasons in a post a few days ago.  Several friends had asked why I was not reading it, and it just became easier to write a blog post.

I never thought that I would write a follow up post, but the comments on the various blogs have led me to write this post.

My favorite:

We would have a cow if our Christian bros were reading/watching this type of stuff and supporting the objectification of women… so why is the reverse considered acceptable? Um, it’s not.

So true…

If we, as women, are opposed to our husbands, brothers, fathers, and male friends watching  or looking at pornography, we – as women –  have to oppose reading Fifty Shades of Grey.  In the same way that I do not have to watch a pornographic film to know that I should not watch it, I do not have to read the book to know that I should not read it.

Because we (male vs female) tend to experience life differently, men are drawn to images while women are drawn to words.  This is only difference between “adult” films and “adult” reading.  If we, as women, do not recognize this in ourselves, we need to step back and consider.  They both have the same end through different means. And the same end needs to be avoided.

If not, then a double standard is being applied.  We, as women, are continuously up in arms about the double standards that we seem to encounter often.  We should be able to spot a double standard when we see it.  And when we do, we need to acknowledge it and listen to it.

What is not good for the goose is also not good for the gander.

What happens if the double standard continues in this area?  The men in our lives will soon realize it, and the voice against “adult entertainment”…an industry that damages so many…will fall on deaf ears. If that happens, our world will see a new era of darkness.

Mark, a commenter from the areavoices.com site on which I post, stated it perfectly:

When do we as individuals and as a nation start to mourn, rather than celebrate, the slow but sure degradation of our morals into a miry shade of grey where war can be peace and hate can be love? I fear the wake-up call for many will be at the moment when they desperately need human compassion to rescue them from a helpless situation and they only receive cold indifference from those whom they thought were family and friends.

It’s time for us to wake up and stand up – stand against all forms of entertainment that blur the lines of appropriate and healthy relationships.  It is time to face the fact that Fifty Shades of Grey is porn for the woman’s mind.  If we say no to the image-based porn, we have to say no to word-based porn.

I know that I am drawing the line in the sand with these posts.  I know that I have taken a stand that may be unpopular.  But when my gut says that something is ugly, it is usually right.  And if my gut asks me to share my view with others, the mind will not quiet until the fingers obey and share what is on my heart.  I respectfully welcome the thoughts of others and only ask that you be respectful toward me in your disagreement. 

Through all who have disagreed with me so far, the one thing that I have yet to hear is what redeeming value this book has. Is there any?

Black, White, and “Fifty Shades of Grey”

The older I get, the less convinced I am about absolutes.  As a teacher, I know that some of this has to do with stages of development. As a critical thinker, I think that this has to do with gathering more information and seeing concepts from different angles.  Some things are black and white – easy to get to the answer and then move on.  More and more, though, I find that I live in the grey areas (even the spelling of the color is an area such as this!).

There is nothing grey about whether or not to read Fifty Shades of Grey. 

Just don’t.

I tend to get really angry when people make statements about books or movies that they have not read or seen.  How can someone say something so absolute about a book or a movie if they have not experienced it?  For that reason, I read the Harry Potter series when it came out (and loved it, thank you very much!).  And for that reason, I read the Twilight series when it came out (I would like those hours back, please).  In researching both of these series, the jury was completely divided, and I needed to decide for myself.

With Fifty Shades of Grey, deciding for myself means that I do not need to read it.

Reason #1

When I looked up this book on amazon.com, the classification is erotic fiction. This is not a genre that I tend to frequent, and I do not intend to start now.

Reason #2

As I researched the book a bit, I discovered that it originated as “fan fiction” following the Twilight series.  I will not reiterate my distaste for the Twilight books, but readers can find the blogs and read my objections (fyi: my objections have nothing to do with the fact that vampires are in the books).  The bottom line for me was that more unhealthy relationships was not something that I wanted to read; I had already lost enough of my life to the Twilight series itself.

Reason #3

I barely have time (or perhaps TAKE TIME) to read books that actually have some redeeming value. Why would I spend my time reading something that lacks value and pollutes my mind? A Facebook friend posted a link to 101 Books to Read This Summer Instead of Fifty Shades of Grey. I am ashamed to admit that I have read less than half of the books on the list.

Reason #4

In my research, I happened upon a couple of blog posts that made so much sense about why we should stay away from this book (which is now a series!?!?!?).  The first author’s reasonable and Biblical approach made so much sense to me.  I highly suggest that you click here and read the post yourself.  I discovered that I resonated with this woman’s reasoning, and it held true for me.  The second post came via Relevant Magazine and highlighted the dulling of our conscience that occurs when we read and accepts books such as these.  The amount of sexual violence – the “dominant” (man) can do whatever her likes with the “submissive” (woman) – in the book can dangerously blind us to the real, living crimes that take place against women around the world each day.

As a wife, teacher, pastor’s wife, mentor, mother, and friend, I implore all women to consider what this book/series does to our minds and hearts.  This is not fluff; this is damaging stuff, and we should stay away.  I had no intention of writing a blog post about this book, but I recently realized that we all need to take a stand.

Are you willing to take a stand against domestic and relational violence by spreading the word that this book is damaging to our view of marriage and relationships?

Literarily Appalling

On Monday as I drove from Minneapolis to Cloquet for work, I passed a billboard for a Chippendale performance at one of the casinos.  I will not apologize for the fact that I do not support performances such as this.  Why does a pastor’s wife know what a Chippendale performance consists of?  It is not because I have attended one; it is because I do not live under a rock.  I was young once, and I had friends and relatives who flocked to these performances.  It is not something that I ever thought would be a good time, so I never went.  As I have aged (I cannot believe that I just wrote that), I have become more and more against these types of things.

I enjoy being married, and I even enjoy the physical side of that relationship.  I can say that; it is ok … in fact, it is good for me to say that.  Even the Bible says I should.  Click here to hear an entire sermon series from my huz about why.  But – it is because I hold the sanctity of marriage so high that I oppose performances like the one mentioned above.

I suppose that I could go on and on about this, but that is actually not the entire point of today’s post.  It may be hard to believe, but the teacher in me is actually more opposed to what else was on the billboard than the wife, woman, and pastor’s wife in me is.

The billboard also advertised an after party hosted by a DJ by the name of Hesta Prynn.

Wow!

For those readers who skipped their high school English classes (or went to a school that did not assign it – shame on them [myself included as I taught at a seat-based school that did not permit me to assign it!]), Hester Prynne is the main character of my favorite American literature classic – The Scarlet Letter.  While many find this book tedious (it was written in 1850 but about Puritan life in the seventeenth century), I find it so full of hope.  The main character is a woman who bears a child out of wedlock.  Because she will not name the father, the Puritan leaders force her to wear a scarlet letter “A” so that all would know of her crime.

Spoiler alert: it turns out that the father of the child is the town’s minister who physically punishes himself daily for his unrevealed crime.

Hester, on the other hand, prospers in her life of one who has her sins revealed.  Although her life is one of humiliation, she lives in spiritual and emotional freedom because all know her sins.  While Dimmesdale, the minister, has to hide his crimes from the community, Hester is able to move beyond her “crime” and thrive.

I am pretty sure that dj Hesta is a smart cookie and knows exactly whose name she has taken as her own.  In fact, I applaud her knowledge – at least she knows what she is doing unlike many who drove past that billboard and had no idea who Hester Prynne is.

What makes me so upset is that it perverts what Nathanial Hawthorne intended in his book.  He did not intend for sexual promiscuity to become the norm; instead, he wanted to point out that Christianity had lost sight of what Christ had come to do on the cross – to set us free from our sins that, once confessed, are forgiven so that we can live free from guilt.

When someone combines a literarily strong name such as Hester Prynne – which should be one that invokes images of grace and freedom – with flagrantly inappropriate sexuality, it makes me sick. I find it personally and professionally appalling.  I am sure that there are those who read this who will disagree with me, but I will not apologize for this.

I am ok with readers disagreeing with me; it happens all the time.

As a Christ follower and a lover of literature, I find this disgusting.

No apologies.

“I Won’t Give Up On Us”

I had been in Grand Forks, ND, from Saturday until last night.  As part of my job, I attend court to provide testimony in truancy cases for the students who attend my school.  People ask me if I am the advocate for the student or the state in these cases. My answer is always that I simply provide accurate attendance records which then allows the judges to determine what to do with students. Yesterday, I was in court for one of my students in Crookston, MN.

As I drove the five hours home after court, I heard the same song twice on the radio.  The song made me cry both times.  The song has a great melody and even better lyrics.  I adore my husband, but we have had our less than perfect times in our marriage.  Even though most of our rough times are not very public ones, we have had our share of difficult moments (or days…or months…or however long they are…).  One thing that I have always been amazed about in those moments is that we have never said that we give up.  We have always said that we will keep working on whatever it is that is not going well.  By my own admission, I am not an easy person to live with – but who is, really?

And I am so grateful that my husband puts up with me.

I Won’t Give Up On Us by Jason Mraz – click here for the link to the song on YouTube

When I look into your eyes
It’s like watching the night sky
Or a beautiful sunrise
There’s so much they hold
And just like them old stars
I see that you’ve come so far
To be right where you are
How old is your soul?

How old is your soul?  Ponder that…

I won’t give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I’m giving you all my love
I’m still looking up

For better…or for worse…

And when you’re needing your space
To do some navigating
I’ll be here patiently waiting
To see what you find
‘Cause even the stars they burn
Some even fall to the earth
We’ve got a lot to learn
God knows we’re worth it
No, I won’t give up

Isn’t it amazing when the ones that we love are willing to give us the space we need to think things through?  My husband is actually someone I can use as a sounding board when things are a little nutty in my mind.

And God truly does know that we are worth it.  God is cheering for every marriage relationship.  He wants them all to succeed.  Although He loves us through it when our relationships fail, His heart breaks.

I don’t wanna be someone who walks away so easily
I’m here to stay and make the difference that I can make
Our differences they do a lot to teach us how to use
The tools and gifts we got yeah, we got a lot at stake
And in the end, you’re still my friend at least we did intend
For us to work we didn’t break, we didn’t burn
We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in
I had to learn what I’ve got, and what I’m not
And who I am

I love these lyrics!  Every marriage has a lot at stake because people get hurt when marriages don’t make it.  And we learn so much from each other and through adversity. 

The problem seems to be when we stop committing to the togetherness of our relationship, when we stop committing to not breaking, and when we stop committing to learning how to bend.

The reason that the song made me cry is because I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the husband that I have, the family that I have, and the life that I have.

I won’t give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I’m giving you all my love
I’m still looking up

 

Lucky? Yes–I Am!

St. Patrick’s Day’s origins would make a much more profound blog post that the one that I am choosing to write. The rich history behind the saint himself, the country of Ireland and its religious strife, and just the folklore itself would be a great blog post. However, all week long I have thought about today’s post, and one thought keeps coming back to me.

I feel like I am the luckiest person alive right now.

To be honest, more often than not, when I look backwards on my 37 years, I sometimes can only see the negative things that have happened in my life.  I have written posts about those and the lessons I have learned or the way that I have seen God’s hand in all of it. To a certain extent, though, I have realized that sometimes I need to make a list of all the things for which I am thankful.  When I do that, I feel blessed – amazingly so – or…if you will, I feel lucky.

I am thankful for my husband.  I appreciate him so much.  We do not have the perfect marriage, but that is because neither one of us is perfect.  The difference between a good marriage and a bad one is in the acceptance that two imperfect persons cannot have a perfect marriage.  It will always take work; we need to daily choose to sacrifice our own individual wills for the good of the two that has become one.  I am daily thankful for the fact that we have each chosen to remember this on more days than not.  I am daily thankful that we have given each other permission to call each other out when our personal wills get in the way of the good of the marriage or the family.

I am thankful for my children.  They bless me as individuals as well as together.  When they put their minds to do great things, they achieve great things.  They each have their strengths, and they often complement each other when completing a task.  I am impressed by them, and they motivate me to be a better mother.  I am thankful that they are growing into amazing adults-to-be, and I am thankful that I have a few more years with them before they go off to do great things in the world.

I am thankful for the church family with whom we minister at Faith Baptist Church in North Minneapolis.  I am thankful for the that many of them play in the raising of my children.  Just last night I shared with a friend about the numerous men and women from our church who have played key roles – no matter how small – in helping us raise our children.  This is the key to changing the way that youth are growing up today.  I am thankful that I have been called into this community, and I pray that some day all children would have communities like this (faith based or otherwise) to assist in their development.

The list continues…but I have a speech meet to attend as a judge.

In what ways do you consider yourself lucky today?

Valentine’s Day Musings

The huz and I went to our favorite restaurant last night to celebrate an early Valentine’s Day.  Schedules with teenagers, a pastor, and a teacher dictate flexibility in our lives.  Let me rephrase that – it dictates that we have to be willing to be flexible.  In other words, we celebrate some things on the day, other things a day early, and still others a few days late.  We really did not mind too much as we were able to walk in without reservations.

We shared an old stand-by (veal parmesan) as well as a special menu item: pan seared walleye with asparagus risotto.  YUM is the only word that describes the dish!

We ate leisurely and talked about a variety of things that were on our mind, and we discussed Valentine’s Day itself.  I had seen a Facebook friend post about how he did not need to celebrate Valentine’s Day because he “loves up” on his wife all year.  The huz and I talked about this, and – while we agree with the foundational idea behind the argument – we decided that it is nice to have a day on the calendar that asks us to pause and remember our love that we have for each other.

And that conversation led to how much we enjoy talking to each other which led to the huz suggesting that I take a look at a CNN article about courtship and texting.  He thought I might want to interact with it on my blog post today.  I read the article when we got home from dinner as he joined the boy for a television show that they both like.

I actually am speechless about the article.

Really.

I have just sat here and thought about it for 30 minutes.

I do not know what to say.

So, readers – click on that link, read the article, and tell me what you think.  I am speechless and need someone else to get my brain thinking.  Has texting, Facebook, and online dating sites really made this whole romance thing go down the tubes to the point that, as a contributor to the article states an entire generation “is at higher risk for ‘a lot of miscommunication, a lot of conflict, a lot of divorces’”?

BTW…

(that’s “by the way” in text language…thought I would use a little of that in honor of the CNN article)…

my dinner ended wonderfully at Nonna Rosa’s with a  Kahlua Espresso crème brulee.  If dinner was a YUM, dessert was a double YUM!