Valentines & Dirty Underwear.

I’ve never been a huge Valentine’s Day lover.Especially when it’s accentuated by cheap Valentine’s cards with a chocolate piece taped to the inside from fellow school mates. There was usually a boy in the class I had a crush on. I always hoped his Valentine would say something romantic. “You’re the apple of my eye” or “I only have eyes for you, Valentine” or “Be mine sugar-pie!” Instead it usually read “Hey cool bird! Have a cool V-day!”Lame.Oh well. I was only eleven. How romantic can one be at eleven?Stuart and I don’t even exchange the cheap folded Valentine’s cards. Every day is Valentine’s Day for us, baby.If I gave him a Valentine’s Day card, it would no doubt say something more romantic than “Hey cool bird!” but lucky for him, I tell him those romantic sweet things every day.The first words out of my mouth each morning are usually along the lines of Honey, you are so handsome and manly. What a stud I’ve married. I’m so blessed. You are a rock star.…What? You don’t believe me? Okay fine. Those aren’t my first words each day. Usually it’s more like Honey, did you make the coffee yet? Can you bring me some please? And bring me Owen too? And change his diaper? Thanks, baby-waybe.I do love him though. Oh so much. And in those special moments, I do love to whisper a sweet something.But the commercial Valentine’s Day just ain’t my style. I’m not into diamonds or plush teddy bears with balloons. I’ve been a florist for ten years, and even though I love flowers, red roses surely are far from my favorite.While walking around and window shopping in a bookstore yesterday, Stuart showed me an extremely well done and beautiful cookbook on Root Vegetables. I drooled a little bit. Now THAT’S romantic.Did I ever tell you how Stuart and I met?It wasn’t romantic by any means. He was wearing Pink Floyd swim trunks and a sweat band, after all. And I was rocking a bedazzled pink tank top. We don’t need to talk about that, though.At one point, I also jumped on stage to belt out ‘Black Velvet’ with the cover rock band that was playing at the bar. But we don’t need to talk about that, either.Even though it was far from the commercially-produced idea of romance, it was still beautiful. Just as every day married and love-filled life is. The reality of married life is that day-in and day-out, we get a special opportunity to love on this special someone in a beautiful and glorifying way. We also get the special opportunity to wash their dirty underwear.And there is no one’s dirty underwear I’d rather wash than Stuart’s.Isn’t it wonderful when you can experience such a personal relationship with someone else? To know the details of their face and their hands. To know their habits and humor. To know their smell, their struggles, and their dreams.I love getting to experience that.So instead of a Valentine’s card I thought I’d proclaim my love for my dear husband publicly to thousands of people.I love you Stuart Elliott. Even when I’m washing your dirty underwear.Forever and ever, Amen.