PlanJam!From your screen to the scene

My guy and I have been together for over a decade, so I think I know a thing or two about what makes a great Valentine’s Day and what doesn’t. Now granted, I’m not a diamonds and champagne kind of gal, but time and time again, whenever I share some of my date stories, I always get a swoon from the ladies and a nod of approval from the guys! Here’s a little story that I’m sure will get your gears going!

The first V Day we celebrated together wasn’t really all that “together”. We were only dating for a little over a month at the time, so I wasn’t expecting a whole lot. I was working at a gas station and couldn’t get the night off anyway, so I wasn’t that upset. Even so, that handsome fella with the big green eyes came down to my job to spend a couple hours with me after the boss left for the night. That meant a lot to me, but the gift he gave me was even more special.

Before he came in, I remember wondering why he was sitting in the car for over half an hour, obviously twiddling with something. I thought perhaps he had some kind of car problem, but since I couldn’t leave my station anyway, I patiently waited and watched him through the window. When he finally came in, he handed me a single red rose and a simple card. Nice gesture, I thought, though a bit old fashioned and none too imaginative.

He had an actual gift for me, a necklace, that he held in his hand. He had just made it himself out there in the car, from beads and nylon strapping he bought from a kiosk at the nearby shopping mall. Sure, it probably cost him less than a fast food lunch special, but that wasn’t what impressed me. What I adored was the fact he made it himself, and he had dug through thousands of tiny beads to find just the right ones, including four metallic letter beads to spell out my name. I was very impressed by that, because he actually remembered how I spell my name – even my teachers used to screw that up! From that night on, I had never taken it off until several years later, when it finally fell apart from wear. I have what’s left of that necklace in my jewelry box, and thankfully, the letter beads are still there.