Both sides of the coin

So, today is V day. I know it's not cool to like it, and everyone goes on and on about how it's just canned sentiment and romance commercialized, big bucks for the florists and Hallmark, a money-maker in the cold months for the restaurants, etc. And I'm sure it's all true. I kinda feel two ways about the holiday: on the one hand, I dislike anything forced when it comes to romance or love. (Jeff will joyfully confirm this.) I don't like being told when I should feel loving toward my other half, or when we should celebrate our love. What if you had a big ugly fight on the night of Feb. 13th? (we didn't). (but still). What if you want to make May 4th your big celebration of love? Or whatever. So that's on the one hand.

But I think, in support of it, that sometimes, as busy as we all get, it's nice to have a day that takes you by the hand and sits you down and smacks you in the face with sentiment and chocolate. It's a day that makes you really parse out your feelings for your significant other, and maybe makes you appreciate him/her a little more than you usually do. Maybe it's a good thing to schedule in some amore, especially because there's really precious little time for it the rest of the year. You know? I find that when I'm writing in the card, or planning the dinner we're having, it's a good reminder of what my husband means to me...makes me tap into & express the things that just become passing, unexpressed thoughts all too often.

So Happy Valentines Day to all of you. Everyone can celebrate it, because we all have people that we love.
In closing, here is something for you, Jeffery Doss: a picture that I love of us, which I was trying to print out & give to you as a gift. The #$()*&@%^# printer won't print the thing, so I am reduced to posting it here, with all my love.

The Snow Day

We got SNOW! FINALLY! We've been having below zero weather for days now...it's gotten down to about 4 or 5 degrees at night sometimes, which for those in Japan is about -15...anyway, we finally got snow!! I was so excited that I stayed way up past my usual bed time just watching it. I felt like the snow sentinel...if I watched it, it wouldn't stop snowing and we would have a nice little blanket of snow in the A.M. And we did!! I took the kids out to play in it, and they had a pretty good time. Then Noah started throwing snowballs at Dilly, who immediately began screaming because snow got on him, and then Zoe started crying because her hands were cold (you know, that painful cold that you get when you've been in snow), so I took her in. Then Dilly was crying about his hands too, and they both screamed merrily in the house for about 10 minutes straight. It was quite humourous and I laughed.
Anyway, enough about my stress free life and wonderful children; here are the pictures (mobile uploads) that Jeff sent home. Alas, I have no camera to record the winter wonderland, because my dear husband took my van to work this A.M with cameras inside. Oh well.
Enjoy!