Really, really happy.
For all the times where I'm having a hard time, the bad days, frustration... there are days like these where I feel like I'm floating. Of course it doesn't hurt that Monday was Valentine’s Day and it seemed the world was wearing rose colored glasses. Or at least I was. But Hallmark Holidays aside Monday was a good day for many reasons, and I went to bed at the end of the day feeling very loved.
I love days like that.
Out of the five Valentines Days D and I have been together he's been home for three, which isn't too bad all considering. We've had a tradition of making some romantic gesture towards one another every year, some years more grandiose than others. Our first Valentine’s Day together he took me on a dinner cruise on the Hornblower around San Diego harbor and Coronado Island. It was a lot of fun and quite romantic, and every year since he's found some thoughtful way to show me (and/or tell me) that he loves me.
(<--- lucky girl)
I'd learned last Friday night that a girlfriend was going to be alone on Valentine’s Day like I was (her guy had an out of town gig so he wouldn't be home), and I told her she should come over for dinner at my house. I'd been planning on spoiling myself with a delicious Valentine’s Day meal for one, but it would be that much better if there was someone else to share it with and she happily accepted.
I was particularly excited about this meal because I was going to attempt something I'd never done before: I was going to make homemade hollandaise sauce. Julia Child's hollandaise sauce. Last year D and I saw "Julie & Julia" right before Valentine’s Day and it threw me into a Julia Child frenzy. I wanted to cook like that – with that joie-de-vie that Julia possesses – and turn out amazing, butter laden things that make your taste buds sing in delight. Being the wonderful, thoughtful, butter-loving man that he is, D promptly went online and ordered "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" Vol I & II for me for Valentine’s Day (the ultimate act of foodie LOVE!)
So naturally, it only seemed fitting that I should make this year's Valentine’s Day meal with last year's Valentine’s Day gift in honor of D, who is currently enjoying record snow fall in Korea (and I use the term 'enjoying' very loosely, of course...)
Monday morning came and I woke up feeling energized. It just felt like it was going to be a good day. I even went so far as to dress for the occasion: all red and pink, right down to my cardigan and shoes. All day all I could think about was the fabulous meal I was going to go home and make, and how excited I was to finally attempt Hollandaise (what can I say, it's the little things in life that excite me).
I got away from my desk for lunch and indulged in a spicy tuna sushi salad at Bristol Farms. Seriously, one of the best things. Ever. The sunshine felt wonderful and it was an absolutely beautiful day. To make a great day even better though, I came back from lunch to this on my desk:
You have to understand, I've never gotten flowers from D before, EVER. These were my first flowers in five years with the man, so this was not something I expected at all. To have them on my desk that afternoon while I was working (along with the very sweet note he sent) made him feel not so far away. It's those kinds of moments that really keep me going while he's gone because it's yet another reminder that even with over six thousand miles between us, we know how the other feels without having to be physically present. Love has to be expressed through words and gestures when you're not around to show it, and at the end of the day I know my husband loves me with all his heart.
After work my coworker and I had some chocolate spice martinis while we nibbled on triple crème brie with homemade crostini and rosemary Marcona almonds in my kitchen (YUM!). We visited while I prepared dinner and got together all the ingredients for the hollandaise, and it felt like what used to be a normal weeknight for me. When D was home and we'd talk about our day while we cooked dinner together.
I miss that. A lot.
Everything was coming together nicely and right as I was finishing up the hollandaise and getting ready to plate our dinner my phone rang. It was D calling to wish me a happy Valentine’s Day. While standing in the snow. Outside the internet cafe because it wasn't open yet (he was able to log into Skype on his iPhone from outside the cafe using their free Wi-Fi. Yay for Skype!) It was a brief conversation because I was juggling plates and he was technically at work, but it was so good to hear his voice.
That phone call was the missing piece to the puzzle, and my Valentine’s Day was complete. Flowers AND a phone call in one day! I could have died a happy girl. It truly was the perfect ending to a wonderful day.
(Well, that and this... because every wonderful day needs a molten chocolate cake with vanilla crème fraîche to be complete, right?) ;)
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