The squeaky wheel gets greased

Unlike so many of us, Mr. B got President's Day off. He had a fun filled day of not showering, playing catch, watching the West Wing, bowling, and did I mention not showering?

So can you imagine my surprise when I came home to flowers, candy, dinner and a DIY project he did all for me?

Mmm, BIG box of chocolates. Plus little box. Plus Valrhona.

A tear-off calendar of our wedding plan!

Not exactly like this, but pretty darn close.

Well, to be honest, I should have seen this coming. 

See we had a quiet, lazy, do-nothing Valentines Day. I mean, every day is Valentines Day for us, right? Plenty of love, without the need for senseless Hallmark cards. And I was totally on board. 

Until Sunday. Reading blogs and hanging out with friends, I realized we were in a serious romance rut. And I sort of made it known through my usual passive aggressive grumpiness and public sarcastic ribbing.

It took me a good 20 minute conversation before bed to really clearly define A) what was bothering me and B) how it could be remedied. He butted by saying that he had paid for my (fantastic Indian explosion) dinner on the evening of Feb. 14th. I rebutted that there is a difference between planning and executing a nice date, and deciding to 'go get dinner' and then picking up the check like we did on Saturday.

Interestingly, our conversation actually had a resolution: a solid, workable definition of romance! I really didn't want to be the one whining about not getting a box of chocolates and not stepping up to the plate myself, so I made a point of getting Mr. B to pin down an idea of what he would consider a romantic gesture. And ultimately, both of our ideas came down to the same principle. 

For us, romance can be defined as: doing something nice with the thought of your recipient's enjoyment in your mind. It's a gesture that says "Hey, I'm thinking of you!" 

Simple, easy, organized. Mmmm, this girl loves putting a system to romance. And it pays off!