Things I Love...in honor of Valentine's Day

First I must start with a wee complaint, and then I'll move on to the real purpose of my post.  Since when did Valentine's Day get high jacked by children?  I mean seriously...don't they already lay claim to Christmas, Halloween and Easter?  Valentine's Day should be for people in love...not another reason for kids to get candy and torture their parents by making them slave over Valentine's boxes to collect said candy (not to mention waste their money on little cards that no one cares about UNLESS there is candy attached..)  I'm just sayin'...

That being said, what IS Valentine's Day?  I know it's supposed to be about romance and all that stuff...but I have never put a lot of stock in the whole "one day a year romance" thing.  Flowers will die, card are mostly lame, and I definitely don't need the candy...I'd rather spend the money actually doing something together than buying things we don't need as odd tokens of love, which is usually what we do.  I think Valentine's Day should not be so much about romance as it is about HAPPINESS...and I usually like to take some time at Valentine's Day every year to think about the things that I love that bring me happiness...and if you're out to dinner, talking about these things make for good conversation, and you just might learn something about each other that you didn't know (it actually surprises me when, after almost 20 years of marriage, I learn things I didn't know already...but it happens sometimes.)
So here's a list, in no particular order, of things I love.  (I left my children and family off the list...because...well...duh! That''s just too obvious an answer...if I didn't love them I certainly wouldn't still be hanging around washing their laundry.)

1. I love laying in bed at night during a rainstorm...and I like lightening in the distance.  I can do without the wind though.
2. I love that my cat loves me.  She follows me around like a little lost puppy all day just waiting for me to sit down so she can jump in my lap.  And I love that she feels like a heavy blanket when she does.
3. I love good mystery books...especially if they are mixed in with a little romance and a LOT of humor (I like crass humor too, so if you don't like that you might want to be careful taking book recommendations from me)
4. I love watching  Patrick snuggling with giant Braden in his lap.  They are practically the same height, but Braden still likes to be held.  They usually fall asleep together in the chair.  I'm surprised Patrick can breathe with him on top of him--he's gotten very large.
5. I love the television.  I love reality shows, dramas, and news programs (some cable ones--not all of them) I especially love TNT, USA, and Fox News. I used to like sitcoms but now they are mostly nasty and unappealing. I know I should spend less time watching it, but I don't want to.  So sue me.
6. I LOVE to go to bed. I especially love it when the sheets are freshly washed.  It's hard to believe there was a time in my life when I fought to stay up all the time, considering how much I love it now.  I wish I could telepathically send some of this love to my kids so they wouldn't fight me at bedtime every night.
7. I love Mrs.Cavanaugh's candy--especially the french mints.  My mouth is watering just thinking about them. All other candy tastes like crap in comparison. .
8. I love hearing the garage door opening on Saturday night when Patrick is finally home from work...especially when there is bad weather and I am worried about him driving the canyon in the snowy night.
9. I love hearing Colby and Dylan laying in their beds in the dark talking to each other.  It reminds me that they are good friends and hopefully will be good friends their whole lives.
10. I love anything with gravy (....okay, anything except dessert).  There is nothing like mashed potatoes and gravy to remind me of home....it's my ultimate comfort food.

I could go on and on, but I really need to save things for next year, and the year after that...and the year after that.  And speaking of love...Patrick LOVES pork loin, and that's what I'm cooking for our Valentine's dinner tonight...so I guess I better go get moving...