What an amazing Valentine's Day and post Valentine's weekend (well, after my last post anyway).
Quick recap - after work on Valentine's, I went home and finished a few cleaning chores for Doug to come over the next night for our official Valentine celebration before heading to his house to join him and the roommates in dinner. When I got to his house, he said we had to run to his parents' house for a minute. When we walked in, they surprised us with having dinner ready and the table set. So, what he expected to be a quick visit, turned in to a little over 2 hours of dinner and visiting. He kept apologizing to me when we left because he honestly thought he was going over to see the garage door he is supposed to help his dad install later this week. I kept telling him that I honestly hadn't minded and really enjoyed chatting with his folks. The truth is that not only are they super sweet and easy to talk to, I also love seeing how much they obviously still love and enjoy each other. It brings me hope.
We decided a week earlier to do our Valentine's on Friday night so that we wouldn't have to rush so that the other could get home, and we could each get in bed early enough for work. I had also asked if we would mind coming to my place so that we could really have time to ourselves without the interruptions of the roommates and numerous pets (which I actually meant the non-stop talking of Emily or the either rude-and-irritated looks OR overbearing-queen-of-the-house interruption of Laura K). I can deal with it on a regular day, but since we never get time to be just the two of us, I was going to take advantage of the opportunity.
Doug had been dropping hints for weeks saying that he was afraid we may never have a Valentine as big and special as this one, saying he needed brandy for something he was fixing this week, reserving one chicken breast out of the marinade from dinner a few nights ago, saying he hoped he would use something he had gotten me again since he was breaking it in on Valentine's, and saying that what he had gotten me was very "us." Of course, I was just so happy that something was "us" that I didn't even care what it was, but I could not make all the pieces fit. So, when he came in the door at my place with a huge overflowing grocery bag (I knew he was making a meal for us), I was still in the dark. He put the bag down and slowly emptied it, giving me more clues. He first held up 2 difference cheeses. I had no ideas. Then, he held up a plastic bag and said, "A bag of raw meat." I think I may have shreiked and said, "Oh my god, FONDUE?!" He laughed really heard and said he had never seen anyone that excited by a bag of raw meat.
He had, in fact, gotten me an electric fondue pot. Not only that, he had gotten everything we would need to recreate the cheese and court bouillon courses we had when we went to Melting Pot months ago. He made the cheese fondue with gruyere and smoked gouda based in brandy and cider. He cut up bread, green apple, broccoli, and cauliflower. It was delicious!! We ate it while we watched "The Distinguished Gentleman." When the fondue pot was emptied of every bit of cheese we would get out of it, we realized we were ready to burst! We'd made a meal out of only one course.
We watched a little TV then went to bed. We got up the next morning, and after coffee and some TV, we started cutting up the marinaded meats he had brought for the court bouillon fondue to have for brunch. I put in a movie to watch while we ate, but between the activity of cooking the meats and enjoying all the dipping sauces he had also brought, we were completely focused on our meal. It was all SO amazing! It was like we had gone to the professional restaurant with the quality of the food, but were getting to relax and move at our own pace at my house.
I was (and still am) blown away by the thought and work he put in to Valentine's Day. He sent me a bouquet of irises and stargazers at my office on Valentine's Day, too. When I told him how much I loved it, he said he had looked through all the options and like that one best - especially since roses are what everyone does. I completely agreed and felt like it really showed that he had considered flowers that were a good fit instead of just going with the status quo. Then, he considered an experience that we had shared and enjoyed together to replicate whenever we wanted. PLUS, even with his insanely busy schedule, he managed to prep days in advance everything he needed to make our special meal.
These are only some of the reasons why I literally thank God every night of bringing him in my life and for making him the man he is.
The rest of the weekend was amazing. Saturday afternoon, we moved from my house to his so that we could get back and take care of Horatio. I had actually really missed him last night, but it was best for him not to be around with the hot fondue set. When we got up Sunday morning, it was just Doug, me, and the dogs for 3 hours before any of the other roommates came in. It was heaven! We were watching CBS Sunday Morning (which I started turning on since I usually get to the TV before he does and now he is in the habit of turning it on if I don't) and having intelligent discussions about stories on the show. We would actually pause the show and discuss presidents and politics and history and other things. He challenges me - in a supportive way - to form intelligent and well-supported opinions and arguments. I told him thank you later for doing that because it is something I really enjoy yet rarely have a chance to do otherwise.
It is unbelievable, almost, how compatible we are and how comfortable and easy it is when we are together - especially when it's just the two of us. Between working together in my tiny kitchen to prep the fondue meals and having the time Sunday morning together, I feel like I keep getting little previews of what our lives will be like one day when it IS just the two of us. I can't wait!
On a slight side note - We were watching "Big Bang Theory" where someone in the episode saw someone proposing on Valentine's Day. Doug commented that he was not a fan of proposing on Valentine's Day - that it seemed kinda lazy and that the day was already special enough that proposing should make another day special. He told me about talking about how he wasn't sure that we'd ever be able to top how special this Valentine's Day was going to be around Sherri at the TDT board meeting a few weeks ago. She immediately excitedly "oh!"ed. He said,"No, stop! Not that!" I could see it all in my head and laughed so hard :)
Doug also said something this weekend about how February used to be a really hard month for him - he hated it and would be in a bad mood the whole month. Amy had dumped him two days before Valentine's Day and another relationship had blown up in February another year. Laura K told him one year that February was only a made month because he had decided it would be. If he would change his attitude about it, it wouldn't be that way. I like to think that our Valentine's celebrations (which we have both enjoyed both years so far) is an extension and formalization of that change in attitude.
I love Doug. I love him more than I thought I ever could or would ever have the chance to. While I try to be careful to enjoy each moment and each day together - just letting our lives unfold and progress as that are naturally supposed to, I also can't help but imagine our future together.
Weekends like this make me believe that our future also holds more hope, promise, and love than anything I imagined in my whole life.
