A Surprise Gift

Years ago IT Prof and I fell into the habit of calling whatever practical item we happened to purchase around February 14th our Valentine's Day gift to each other.  We both try to avoid candy (because of our weight), and much of the floral world seems to induce an asthma attack in me.  So, practicality seemed like a good solution.

However, this year IT Prof surprised me.  He was also basically adorable in how he presented the gift.  First, he was anxiously awaiting me when I returned home from the grocery store; then he was a bit disappointed in that we had to haul the groceries into the kitchen and put the frozen food in the freezer.  OK, I was thinking.  He just wants me to start dinner.

Wrong!  Before we put the perishables in the refrigerator, IT Prof couldn't wait any longer.  He made me stop putting groceries away, and then I really halted when he told me he had a Valentine's Day gift for me that he couldn't wait any longer for me to open.

"But," I stammered, "I thought we weren't buying anything for each other."

"That's OK," IT Prof replied.  "Just open your present."

When I saw the box, I knew my present was going to be something special.

I was right.

What a treat!

And, because chocolate-covered strawberries are fruit, they're a healthy food; right?  If chocolate is on a strawberry, the chocolate has to be an insignificant source of calories.  Isn't that a rule?  Also, I love strawberries; they are my favorite fruit.

We decided that my Valentine's Day gift to IT Prof would be half of my strawberries.  (He was very pleased with that decision.)  We ate the strawberries for dinner last night (because we are empty nesters and no longer need to set a good example at our meals), and the strawberries were every bit as delicious as they look.

Edible Arrangements' fruit supplier has better strawberries than our grocery store's distributor does.  And, at this time of the year, that is high praise.

So, IT Prof, if you are reading this, I sincerely appreciate my excellent gift and am extremely touched that you would go to the trouble of finding me a special present.  Thank you very much!

More as an anticlimax now (because it's difficult to top strawberries), yesterday I also found my dress for Tremor and Aurora's rehearsal dinner.

 

(Once again Blogger's photo uploading mechanism rotated my photo to the right.  Does anyone know how to avoid this problem?)

I was easily sold on this dress because the color looks good on me, and the length is not-too-short and not-too-long.  I also think that, while blue is not one of the wedding colors, the blue tends toward turquoise and probably won't look to incompatible in photographs.  The sleeves should be cool enough for outside in July but also warm enough for inside with air conditioning in July, too.  Also, the dress does not have a fitted waist, which is good for someone like me with a bigger tummy.

This really has been Fashion Week for me.  I can't remember when I last bought two dresses in the same week.

I have worked on quilting January's big block from The Star, but I haven't finished yet.  I will post a photo when I have.  For those of you who are anxiously waiting, I did decide to try Cotton Theory quilting.  I hope the experiment turns out to be successful.