Happy Valentine's Day!

We just got home from and absolutely FANTASTIC Valentine's Day/Getaway weekend in Minneapolis. Fantastic. It was so good, and so good for my heart. I have felt more happy this weekend than I have since we lost the boys.

We started out on Friday with a 60-minute couples' massage... can I tell you how much I needed a massage? Wow. It was so relaxing, and made me feel good to know that J was being pampered and relaxing at the same time. Then we checked into our hotel and relaxed until dinner. Dinner was at Zelo on the Nicollet Mall. I had an amazing whole grain risotto, with asparagus and peppers and goat cheese. Mmm..... We shared a blueberry cobbler with lemon sorbet for dessert. SO GOOD.

On Saturday we slept in, then went the the Guthrie for a play at 1. We saw "Brief Encounter," a romantic comedy/drama/musical, put on by a touring company from London. We had selected this play on a whim (and because it was the only thing worth seeing all weekend), and it turned out to be really impressive! It employed video and other multimedia effects to make the play much more conceptual and interesting than a simple read-through. The acting was great, the story was compelling, and it was all-around very entertaining. It was one of those plays that you talk about for a while afterwards. I like that.

Saturday afternoon after the play was wonderful, just hanging around the hotel, relaxing, etc. Then we had dinner at the Nicollet Island Inn. I was a little worried when we arrived, because it was really busy, and they were only serving their Valentine's menu, which included ahi tuna (ick) and mushroom bisque (gag). BUT, it was really an amazing meal! I never should have doubted the Inn. I even tried and enjoyed the mushroom bisque! The entrees were salmon and tenderloin, dessert was various choclate petit fours. The menu went together so well... every flavor in each course seemed to bring out flavors in the other foods. I couldn't get over how well-conceived the whole meal was. Of course, that's what they pay the chef to do. :-) Over dinner we talked about past Valentine's Days, and our past... including when I liked J sooo much and he had no idea. Dinner was very romantic and sweet, and it was fun to reminisce together.

Today has been completely wonderful from the time I woke up this morning! J has been so sweet and romantic. We had brunch at Hell's Kitchen, which was really yummy... their potatoes are insanely good! There was some live music, and the atmosphere was very entertaining overall. :-)

And now we are back home, and my heart feels so full. More than it has in a while. This weekend has reminded me of God's love for me, and His faithfulness. My marriage to J is one of the biggest examples of that, and one of the best gifts God has given me. J gave me a card that made me cry. It said something about for better or worse, and sticking together in the hard times. I feel very blessed. And I feel like God had been saying all weekend, "Remember how great your life is? Remember how much you love this man? All is not lost, because I love you, and I will not leave you." God is good. I know that is true. What a wonderful weekend.

Tonight we are going over to meet baby Toby. I hope that my high from the weekend can sustain me enough to be happy for the entire visit. I am really, truly, excited to meet him. I hope that my joy for them can come through, instead of my sadness for our loss. But I'm feeling really great right now, so fingers crossed that it lasts!