Valentine's Day is about showing each other how much you love each other. And what better way to show the man in your life how much you love him then by letting him off the hook. What hook you ask? The one that causes him to scramble into a 7-11 on his way home from working 8 hours, not to mention the hour commute both ways, and buy weathered roses, a poorly stuffed teddy bear, and the last box of picked through chocolates (which means you're getting the cordial cherry stuffed ones, yuck). Not to mention the embarrassment that one might feel for being one of those guys who waited until the last minute. (Just kidding. I don't think mine feels the embarrassment, but I'm embarrassed for him, okay.) All this just to "show me" he loves me.

Well, this year I let mine off the hook. Because the truth is, even though he's not one to think ahead for Valentine's Day, he shows myself and the kids how much he loves us all year long. He shows it by going to work every day and paying all the bills so that I can stay at home with our kids. He shows it by taking out the trash and reading to my son every night and taking care of the chickens (didn't see that one coming, did you) and letting me go to Target alone. And when I informed him last night that he didn't have to get me anything for Valentine's Day, you should've seen the pure joy that came across his face. He said, "Honey, I love you." So, I guess you could say we keep the love alive by accepting each other's strengths and weaknesses and loving each other anyways.

And just in case you think that I'm settling, let me assure you...I am. I'm settling for a real life with a real person who happens to not plan date nights or bring home flowers (that's actually my strength), but is so appreciative when I take the time to do so because he knows how awful he is at remembering to do things like that. He's too busy fixing the things around the house that I ask him too and finishing all the diy projects that I don't have the skills to do. I guess being each other's hero is how we keep our love alive!