SPT Challenge Feb 10

Today's SPT challenge, courtesy of Lelly's Musings is part of her ongoing "Feel the Love February" (or something like that) challenge. Today's, specifically, is:

"I think it would be romantic to ......"

Can I just say, I've only been doing this challenge for three weeks now, so it seems a little early to complain ..... but blech. This challenge is especially hard for me because frankly, I don't have a romantic bone in my body. We've been married for twenty-one years ---- who gives two hoots about romance??? As long as the trash is taken out, I'm happy! Throw in a spontaneous vacuuming of the inside of my van and I'm delirious with joy!! Clean up the dog barf so I don't have to, and I will kneel at your feet and worship you forever!!!

Hmmmm. Perhaps I'm confusing romance with thoughtfulness???

Let's list, instead, all the traditional trappings of "romance", at least according to the marketing people at Hallmark, and see what we have:

1. Flowers. Are you kidding me? I am WAY too practical for flowers. Hello, in case you haven't noticed .... they DIE and then you THROW THEM AWAY. That's not to say I don't enjoy them when Blaine sends them .... but honestly, if he's going to spend fifty bucks on a gift for me, I'd much rather have a gift card to Target or Hobby Lobby or Bed Bath and Beyond. Providing me with an opportunity to shop guilt-free for even more picture frames or home decor in one of my favorite stores ?? ... now *that's* romantic!!

2. Chocolate. Ok, yeah, I love me some chocolate. But again, with the practicality. Don't waste money on the wrappings of a big pink heart-shaped box with crinkly cellophane, a bow, and six pieces of frou-frou fancy candy inside. You want to warm my heart via the candy route??? A jumbo-sized box of Milk Duds will do the trick, thank you very much.

3. Jewelry. Sadly, I'm just not a jewelry person. I wear basically the same one pair of earrings, alternate the same two necklaces, and either my wedding ring, or the band Blaine bought me for our fifteenth wedding anniversary, pretty much every day. I have some other jewelry .... about the best I can do is thinking to put on a bracelet once in a while, or maybe another ring if I'm *really* playing dress up. Remind me to tell you the story some time, about one of the worst days of my life, when I lost every single piece of jewelry Blaine had ever bought me, including my engagement ring, AND wrecked my car, all in one day. Ahhhhhh, good memories.

4. A candlelight dinner on the beach. Have I mentioned before that I'm not really a beach person, either? First of all, if you're at the beach, taking a walk in the sand, well, it's really hard to walk in. At least if you're an out-of-shape chick like me. And if you're in firm sand, it's probably sticking to your feet, which I hate. And I've never been on a beach, anywhere in the world, that the wind wasn't blowing in off the water at a kajillion miles per hour. So .... what? It's going to blow that sand all in my food? And blow the candles over and burn the tablecloth? And whip my hair in my mouth the whole time I'm eating??? And is it only me, or is it ALWAYS stinking cold at the beach at night, no matter the time of year?? So it will pretty much kill whatever ambiance we were going for with the romantic, candlelit dinner --- at least that's my opinion.

5. Watching the sunset (or sunrise) on the beach. See #4, minus the food part.

6. Wine. Ummmm, do wine *coolers* count? (clearly, I have no class whatsoever.)

I guess, depending on your perspective, Blaine is either to be envied because I'm so low-maintenance when it comes to romance, or pitied, for marrying such a stick in the mud.

You know, my idea of a good time is how he and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary ..... we hired a sitter, went to Blockbuster and rented a few movies, went to Dairy Queen and bought ice cream blasts, then parked our van in a parking lot and watched movies and ate ice cream together. Honestly, that was a pretty good night.

So maybe my personal "I think it would be romantic to ....." challenge for this week is nothing more than that:



I think it would be romantic to simply go out to dinner, just the two of us, with no kids menus or crayons or chicken fingers at the table. No grabbing a bite before or after soccer practice. A real, live dinner, where we can sit and visit and hang out and enjoy one another's company. Reconnect as a couple, and not just be "the mom and dad" who are constantly busy with work, chores, and chauffeuring children.

And then maybe grab some rented movies, ice cream, and find a parking lot somewhere.