Heart & Soul

As this Valentine's Day comes to an end I hope everyone reading this had a wonderful day, I hope all expectations were met and if not, I hope the anger has subsided. Our Valentine's Day started with room service breakfast in bed, so no matter what happened during the day, it couldn't be bad. D is so smart, the change of venue is a brilliant way to literally get away from any problems at home. For me there are added bonuses: no cooking, no cleaning and NO MAKING THE BED!! Leaving the TMZ rules. After a lovely meal cooked by someone else and delivered to my bed we checked out of our beachfront retreat and hit the nearby Camarillo outlets. While I am a huge fan of all things discount, I detest these outlet places with a passion usually reserved for Costco. First, you aren't fooling me, I was raised in the rag trade and I know what real outlets are. I know what "seconds" are and I shop enough to know that most of the crap in most of the stores are years old. That being said if you are a good shopper (like me) there are plenty of shopportunities out there, if you have patience (I don't) and can leave your kids at home (I did not) it might actually be fun. We didn't plan on staying too long, just long enough to spend the $50 gift card that came with our room (score!) I won't bore you with the complete shopping details but I got a super cute pair of jeans, D got a cool pair of shoes and K got a bright pink sweatsuit (is it still called a sweatsuit?) We all got those kickass pears from Harry & David, and of course what visit to H&D is complete unless you take home those terribly awful (can I have more please) chocolate covered fruit things. Damn you delicious high carb "fruit" snacks!!!

Did I say long enough to spend $50? Yeah, we spent way more than that and were there for HOURS!!!I knew I had lost it when a Snickers-covered carmel apple sounded like a good lunch idea. We left to find a less chocolaty lunch which made us all feel better, even K ate actual food!

The ride home was OK until we thought wouldn't it be lovely to take PCH home? No it would not, while the ride was quiet because K was asleep, it took hours longer than it should have, good thing I had those H&D "fruit" snacks with me. Car rule: If you're on the road all dietary rules are suspended. I guess it was a lovely idea after all, D and I got some alone time and we both got to eat all the "fruit" snacks we wanted. Yum!

We came home, exchanged cards and gifts and put K to bed, alone at last!! I spent a lot of time today thinking about this "holiday" and why it means so much to people. Most of us go through our day in a mental state of autopilot, we all need constant reminders of what needs to be done. We make to-do checklists, put yellow sticky notes everywhere, we even leave messages to ourselves. No wonder we need a "holiday" to remind us to tell our loved ones that we care. I guess I get it now, what I still don't get is the gift thing. I like buying gifts when I feel like it, when I see something that I think would be appreciated. What do flowers, candy, jewelry, teddy bears or lingerie have to do with a message from the heart?

I know what D and I are going to give next year. It's so simple. It's the one thing we all need, it's the one thing we cannot live without, and it's the only thing that comes directly from the heart, and it only comes in red. It's perfect. Next year, on February 14th D and I are going to give blood. I invite you all to join us, it will be the one gift you give that will not disappoint.