I just don’t get it. No, I do not understand why someone with a spouse or a significant other would hate Valentine’s Day. Yet, those haters are as plentiful in February as conversation hearts with “QT” inked on them. Yes, we recently experienced “that holiday”, which means it’s time for me to give my yearly lecture on the absurdity of snubbing Valentine’s Day. Get ready to roll your eyes and shake your head at my unrelenting opinions.

I do not dislike Valentine’s Day for I actually savor opportunities to bombard my husband with well-deserved affection, good-natured embarrassment, thoughtful gifts, togetherness-laden activities, etc. because I love him, duh. This year, it was my turn to plan our V Day festivities and I decided that there was no need to settle for just a celebratory evening when I could scheme a week. I wanted each day to include something unexpected, which means Jason knew nothing of my plotting. Here’s how everything played out.

Saturday: Regency Romance Ball

Look at last week’s post if you somehow missed my too-detailed account of this affair.

Sunday: Yurt so Good

Dining in the Mongolian-style yurt at Solitude Resort was something Jason and I had never tried before, and we’ve tried a lot of things. So I was pretty excited about this surprise.

How does dining in a yurt work? Basically, you hike or snowshoe, depending on how recently it’s snowed, up a little trail through lofty evergreens for about half a mile until you reach a small clearing. In that dell you find a round building practically buried in the drifts. That is the yurt. It does not have electricity or plumbing, only a giant gas range for cooking a gourmet meal in front of a captive and hungry audience. It’s cozy, with a max capacity of 24, so if you ever get a hankering to do some fine dining off the grid, make reservations early.

The yurt’s interior was a little chilly without a heating system. I didn’t wear my coat during supper but I didn’t feel inclined to take my scarf off either. Our feast consisted of five courses: tomato bisque soup with falafel and a dab of goat cheese, steak tartar, quail on a bed of polenta, venison, and brownies topped with strawberries and cream. The food was exquisite and we had a lovely conversation with the strangers across the table while we ate.

Monday: Donuts and Inflatables

If your love is invisible to everyone, it’s kind of like it doesn’t exist. Hence, on occasion, I like to make my adoration of Jason as awkwardly public as possible. So I brought a sappy bouquet of balloons and a couple dozen donuts from Daylight Donuts into Jason’s work. Have I mentioned that I am very popular at Jason’s office for obvious reasons?

Tuesday: Cupcakes for Coworkers

I took a couple dozen cupcakes to Jason’s work. Have I mentioned that I am very popular at Jason’s office for obvious reasons?

Wednesday: A Clever Recess (AKA Nothing)

A day without surprises during a week of surprises is a surprise. Hey, I needed to throw Jason off my scent.

Thursday: Lunch and High-School-Style Car Detailing

I had Jason’s coworkers schedule a fake 11:30 meeting with him so I could take him out to lunch at India Palace. Jason and I used to eat lunch together once a week before I was a student with an odd schedule so it was nice to do that again.

I also decided that I should embarrass Jason using a method commonly employed by high school students. Yes, that’s right, I blew up 20 balloons and stuffed them in his car and covered the windows with poorly-drawn hearts all while he was at work.

Improbably enough, Jason did the same thing to my car the next day. He’d planned this before my vehicular enhancements. I guess immature minds think alike.

Friday: Strawberries and Broadway

I had an arrangement of chocolate strawberries delivered to Jason’s place of employment. Admittedly, this wasn’t an entirely altruistic gesture; I like chocolate strawberries and I’m pretty sure Jason likes sharing. We also went to a fabulous Utah Symphony concert, Bravo Broadway, in Salt Lake City that night.

Saturday: Hoof and Vine

We ate at Hoof and Vine. They have tasty steaks. I made sure I dressed properly for the outing with a polka-dotted dress.

Sunday: Pretty Sliders

Besides going to the 30^th-anniversary screening of Pretty in Pink, I had hoped to just spend a nice relaxing day with Jason and without homework. Unfortunately, as much as I tried, my assignments still piled up and we didn’t get to have a school-free Valentine’s Day. But Jason kindly made the sliders that I had planned on preparing for our dinner and I successfully completed enough schoolwork to take the rest of the night off.

And that’s all I did for Jason this Valentine’s Day… well, besides gifts and whatnot. A little much? Probably, but it wasn’t a chore. I enjoy spoiling Jason and, in my illustrious opinion, life is too short not to make special occasions really special. I don’t believe anyone thinks at the end of their days that they should have tried a little less, that they should have made the most important people in their life feel a bit less significant. While Valentine’s Day indulgences should never replace daily thoughtfulness, festive attentions are another way to add a few more layers of gooey icing to your sweet love cake.

Not a fan of high-school hijinks? Spoiling comes in many forms and some of them are a far cry from the purposeful cheesiness demonstrated here. Don’t let a dislike of chocolates and flowers keep you from making your spouse feel cherished on Valentine’s Day. Yearly lecture concluded.