The wife and I don't like Valentine's Day.

Well, it's not that we don't like it. We just don't give in to the ridiculous corporate pressure to buy something else expensive just six weeks after Christmas to show "how much we love you."

Like my brother in law said, "If you don't know how much I love you after the other 364 days, this one day isn't gonna make any difference."

There's no good reason to dislike it like I do really. I just don't like being hit over the head for three weeks by the various jewelers/chocolatiers/florists/car dealers saying "don't you owe it to her to buy (insert product here)?"

No. I don't owe it to her. If I wanted to buy her something nice, I would just buy it for her. I won't wait until I see some commercials from Zale's to do it.

So, in honor of that, I bring you this story that's turned into a gift.

Three weeks ago, my wife and daughters were coming to the office to visit. Before they arrived, I had been at Publix picking up lunch and decided to get her some flowers to surprise her. I got back to the office and put them in the overhead storage bin at my desk.

That night at the car dealership, we were sitting in the salesman's office going thru the minutia of buying a car when out of the corner of my eye I saw a woman carrying a bsket of flowers.

"FUCK!!" I exclaimed.

Startled, my wife asked "Ummm...what's wrong?"

"I bought you flowers today to surprise you, and they're still sitting in the cabinet above my desk, and by Monday they'll be worthless."

"Awwww..." she said. "That was awfully sweet."

Anyway, move forward three weeks and I have still forgotten to take those flowers out of the cabinet...until today.

Happy Valentine's Day honey.

p.s. Don't mention this to her. She doesn't read my blogs until the evenings and not usually for a few days. It'll be our little secret.