"I love us"

I love commercials.  I have always loved commercials.  My Grandma used to tease me for chattering away during her "stories" then staring with rapt attention during commercial breaks and shushing anyone else in the room.  My whole family used to tease me for running around the coffee table singing at the top of my lungs and trying to "wash that gray right out of my hair" at three years old.

So, it's no surprise that I adore the new Hallmark tagline -- "I love us".  Yes, I realize that Valentine's day is a silly, commercial holiday.  Yes, I realize that Hallmark's marketing folks couldn't care less whether or not people across America love and cherish each other, as long as they buy cards and candy and toys and games and everything else under the sun that can be shaped like a heart or colored pink -- but I DON'T CARE!

Hallmark commercials are right up there with Johnson's Baby Shampoo and that really old Polaroid commercial with the little kids taking pictures of all of the adults who are surprising the grandparents with the refrigerator (I think) for their 50th anniversary -- but the real gift ends up being the pictures the kids took -- sigh...

Anyway, rewind 15 to 20 years and I was your typical (slightly pathetic) teenage girl, pining for a certain boy on Valentine's day (who likely had no idea), watching "romantic" videos on MTV and reading the scrolled messages across the bottom of the screen, hoping that just maybe the boy of my dreams was also pining away for me and had called in and declared his love to MTV.  Ok, more than slightly pathetic.

Despite the fact that I was dreaming of heart-felt professions of love, candle-lit dinners, horse drawn carriages, fancy velvet dreses with puffed sleeves, perfect bangs, gourmet chocolates and roses, what I really wanted was to live happily ever after.

The South Carolina contingent spent Valentine's weekend building forts, swinging, making homemade Valentine's for Charlie's teachers, vacuuming, drinking from a big boy cup, going to church, and cooking and eating lots of simple, yummy food in our very own kitchen -- with some Sweetheart candies and Little Debbie Valentine brownies thrown in.  And for our romantic Valentine's dinner tonight?  Pork loin and Rice-a-Roni at home. 

Yep, for me, happily ever after is belly laughs, blueberry pancakes, Radio Flyer wagons, yoga pants, pony tails, drugstore candy and roses.

I wouldn't trade my "ever after" for one second of teenage Jenny's dreams.  I love us!

Fort Fun!

Louie preparing to take down the fort

Vacuuming

Roses from my boys