So, I should totally be packing for the men's retreat I'm going on this weekend. Well, I had to get this pics off of my camera before I leave, right?

So, I totally forgot to share what we did for Valentine's Day. I told Kelly to meet me at my house, dressed for a low-key night out. Nothing too fancy, but a little nicer than sweats. She came to my house, expecting to simply pick me up and we'd go. Little did she know, there was nowhere else to go! I had totally cleaned out our kitchen, then hung a new shower curtain as a door, so it was suddenly a new, moderately private, room.


I had candles burning, soft romantic music playing, etc. So we sat down to a gourmet dinner:

• Appetizer: Swiss cheese crostini with a spicy sausage/yogurt/rosemary topping
• Salad: Spring greens with Gorgonzola crumbles and almonds, topped with a raspberry vinaigrette
• Entree: Tourne potatoes, baby asparagus, and breaded Chicken Kiev, stuffed with spinach, bacon, Gorgonzola and ricotta cheese. Paired with a Jacob's Creek Cabernet/Shiraz.
  

For dessert, we went back to Cafe Delirium, where we had our engagement party back in January. Being a Wednesday night, we then went back to the house for Lost. It wasn't a half-bad night!

Next holiday on my list, as some of you may know, is St. Patty's Day. Not because of my Irish heritage, but because it marks the one year anniversary of when Kelly and I went on our first date. Now, the 17th was a Saturday this year, so I unfortunately had to work in the afternoon. Actually, I ended up working until 4 in the morning Sunday... but I'm getting ahead of myself.

I got up early to surprise Kelly. Do you all remember the ring from the last post? (You should, it's like 4 inches (7.8 cm) below this...) Well, Kelly thought we should take that morning and go downtown to pick up that ring, and run a couple other downtown errands. Well, I thought the ring would be cool, but errands not so much. So, I hatched a more devious plan!

In the morning, I called Kelly feeling really tired from being at work until 2. Which was truth, by the way! Anyway, I called her asking if she could drive today. She said sure, she'd give me a few minutes then come pick me up. Only, she went out to her car and found a little something on the hood...

I had, unbeknownst to her, gone in Friday before work and picked up the ring on my own! So, I presented it with some candles and a potpourri pillow on her hood! She really likes it, and I do to. Now, we agree that she can't really wear it until our wedding. But, I gave her visitation rights that weekend. She got my ring out too, and we got to wear them both that day. Afterwards, we went to Laurelhurst Park and just walked and talked for a while, soaking up the wonderful sunlight and company. I thought it was cool how they made the water that green color, just for St. Patty's Day!

OK, now I've totally gotta go pack for this retreat. See you all later!