Valentines Day...

I was out of town this year for Valentines Day, stuck in Minneapolis for the weekend on a business trip with one of my coworkers (at least we walked away with about $800 Delta dollars for our trouble). So that Saturday we decided to spend all day shopping at Kohl’s for our beautiful wives and children. I found a ton of deals, and though most of them looked good, out of the more than dozen items I bought for Summer only 2 or 3 fit and ended up being keepers (it’s the thought that counts right). After a long day of shopping and wishing I was with Summer and the kids, we decided to fill the void with food and lots of it. Tom and I quickly realized that many normal restaurants would not be a good thing to do on Valentines day. Two guys sitting alone together at the Olive Garden putting down all you can eat soup and salad does not bode well in the manly department. After driving around for a while we finally decided to eat at a BBQ restaurant, with the thought in mind that BBQ is not exactly the most romantic dining establishment on Valentine’s Day. I mean seriously, what guy that is trying to please his wife would really suggest all you can eat ribs and cornbread as a romantic interlude (the meat stuck between the teeth and the BBQ sauce dripping off the chin and fingers is best reserved for watching a football game, not a romantic Valentine date). Trust me on this one, all you’ll get later is a stomach ache and maybe a peck on the cheek. So we confidently walked into the BBQ joint and grabbed some menus while we waited to be seated. Suddenly the host walked by with a long-stem red rose to deliver to a couple at a table. We surveyed the host’s counter and realized to our shock that there were many more roses there. Apparently every dinner purchase that night came with a free red rose delivered specially by the host. After the host walked past, Tom and I looked at each other and without a word needing to be said, we realized that are careful plans had been foiled. Left with only one real choice, we simultaneously stood up, left our menus on the counter, and bolted for the door. We ended up eating takeaway from another BBQ joint that only serves take out. And to ensure my manliness was still intact on this Valentines Day, I ended up watching a “romantic” shoot ‘em up action movie while putting down some Cold Stone. I sure missed Summer…