Being that I am a red blooded Valentine, Mr. Romance figured out early that Valentine’s Day was not to be taken lightly around here. He’s managed to rock the last 11 years of our marriage when it comes to February in general, and for the most part always manages to surprise me.
But sadly, my man left on Monday for five weeks of mandatory training, (which he’s trying really hard to pretend that he’s dreading, but we all know he’s secretly feeling like a kid in a candy store filled with ammo and fake bad guys) and is going to completely miss Valentine’s Day.
I’ve got to admit, I haven’t given this much thought. I mean, three kids, busy life, I figured he’d do the old flowers and chocolate via mail order cupid and call it good.
So imagine my lack of surprise when I opened my e-mail on Saturday and skipped right over his two “forwards.” I did not read them, I was busy and grumpy and thinking about how sick I’m getting of Junie pooping her pants.
My mom called a while later. “So, did you get any fun e-mails today?”
“No, should I have?”
“Well, have you checked your account? Someone told me they sent you a really nice email and I’m waiting for you to open it.”
So back to the laptop. I opened my account again, but there was nothing there but a few forwards from the man. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, “Who’s this e-mail from? What does it say?”
“Oh, well, they told me not to say anything. I’m sure it will come later.”
Let me take a moment to say that this kind of sneaky “I’m not going to tell you anything” only added to my total and complete weekend irritation. I hate it when there’s a secret that I don’t know.
So I sat back down at the laptop with Mr. I Love To Read Over Your Shoulder standing behind me as I opened my email. “My mom is driving me crazy!” I said. “She says there’s supposed to be some special message for me but … wait a second, what’s this?”
That’s when I found it. My weekend itinerary from my very own Fabio. It wasn’t a lame forward, it was the cutest, sweetest “I planned an entire weekend of fun and romance and it’s all about you” e-mail I’ve ever received.
Is it stupid that I bawled? Is it lame that all I could think of was how glad I am that he still cares this much about me and Valentine’s Day and being romantic in general?
Because the fact of the matter is this. Sometimes marriage is tough. It doesn’t matter how perfectly a couple is matched, keeping all your edges lined up takes serious work and dedication. It means being willing to put yourself out there, think outside the box of chocolates you usually buy the night before Valentine’s Day, and do something special for that person you’ve committed your life to.
It doesn’t matter how old your flame might be, or how damp the coals are because of current marital weather patterns, take a moment to pour some lighter fluid on your relationship and do something that your sweetheart doesn’t expect this year. Write a note, take an afternoon off, recreate that first glorious date. 
I can tell you right now, chances are you’ll get more out of it than you put into it. I know my husband certainly did.

See more at Annie's blog at regardingannie.com