Last night we were going to kick off Valentine’s weekend at an expensive downtown restaurant. But as the afternoon unfolded, I couldn’t help but have an uneasy feeling about it. Did I really want to get dressed up, fight the traffic, lay out $100 for a heavy meal and then get home tired and stuffed? It just didn’t appeal to me. So instead, I went with my instincts and decided to cancel the reservation.

A new farmer’s market just opened right down the street, so I checked it out for the first time. I picked up a fresh baguette, artichoke hearts, marinated mushrooms, brie, dill havarti, strawberries, blackberries, assorted nuts, dried salami, chocolate rugalah and a nice bottle of orange seltzer. I laid out a beautiful picnic in the living room and filled it with candles. My husband had given me a CD called Bossa Nova for Lovers, and on it went.

When he came to the door, I told him I canceled the dinner reservation. When he asked me if I felt OK, I said “Yes!” and ushered him into the house. He loved it. And so did I. The whole dinner picnic felt luxurious, simple and abundant. Then he did about the most generous thing a man could do… he actually watched Somewhere in Time with me. One of my all time favorite movies. I’ve got to hand it to him. He sat through the whole thing, God love him.

So this morning (the real Valentine’s Day) I awoke to several sweet gifts including a beautiful new journal, Law of Attraction cards by Esther and Jerry Hicks, A Writer’s Toolbox and Living the Simple Life by Elaine St. James. These were extremely thoughtful presents and I’m really going to enjoy them. Oh, and don’t forget the roses and truffles. What a beautiful way to start my day. I felt deeply rested and knew that our young son was having the time of his life at his grandparent’s.

And tonight, we had an actual dress-up date. We went to see the amazing performance troupe, Circus Oz. The acrobats, musicians, aerialists, etc. were stunning. It was inventive, funny, energetic and mesmerizing. And, of course, I love those Aussie accents! We left the theater in such a good frame of mind. Tomorrow, we will pick up our son and give him his very own valentine surprise… lollipops, trains, a frog and too many kisses to count.