In Search of Lost Valentines
OK, so I’m feeling Proustian since we reminisced about some Valentine Days past at dinner tonight. We didn’t have a madeleine moment in the strictest sense, but we did while… well, let’s set the stage like Marcel would have done. But with a lot less talent. Diabetics are suggested to skip this post for fear of insulin shock. We’ll dial back the “wayback machine” to our first romantic weekend together, or maybe just a little before then…
I answered an AOL personal ad I saw posted looking for a hiking partner. I was new to the Northern California area and was trying to pace myself in exploring all the new places to hike & visit. I saw the AOL ad and responded—spelling out places I had hiked in my first few months out here, places I hoped to hike, and reasons I was responding to her ad. The main reasons I responded was there were several hikes I wanted to do, but they would be best if there were two people—one car at each end of the hike (so weI could hike many miles in one direction without having to worry hiking half the way, then doubling back).
It turns out I was the only responder that didn’t ask about her personal stats. We decided to meet at a public restaurant and planned a Saturday hike on the spot. She knew things were probably OK when I brought a trail book and map to the first meeting. I was able to point out to her places and hikes I had experienced in my few months out here that she didn’t know very much about. We hiked together for several months, then started doing more together—I cooked for her, we went to hockey games, art exhibits, movies, etc. It took us about 6 months of this to realize there was more to us than just “hiking buddies.”
We decided to go out for New Year’s Eve together, and that was the first inkling I had that things were progressing beyond just friends. I had warned her that I would need to be hit over the head with a 2x4 if things were to go further, and she provided the lumber. So cut to a few days later--Here I am in early January realizing I need to do something for Valentine’s Day and I had absolutely nothing planned. At this point I’m sharing an office with our departmental admin and she is laughing as I call place after place trying to book a romantic weekend away in mid-February. Everything is booked up, the waiting lists a mile long. These places aren't even taking optional names anymore.
So cut to Plan B. Instead of hitting Napa or Sonoma Valley, what about the coast? I am finally able to locate an inn that has an open room for the long weekend (which includes the Presidents Day holiday). I already had a long list of things we could do that would be romantic in the area, but when I get the confirmation from the inn, they recommend a place close by that has fabulous dinners that aren’t advertised widely. Among the other things I plan, this dinner is one I decide to take a flyer on and book an evening for us.
This ended up being one of the best evenings we have had together. It started hesitantly as the couples are introducing ourselves—we sat with couples that were celebrating their 25 year and 10 year anniversaries. And we were celebrating 6 weeks together. I would love to get in touch with these people to let them know how things have progressed since then...
Our relationship has been known as the “Plan B” relationship every since. It was the most fabulous of weekends, and I could not have planned a better trip if I knew every stop along the Northern California coast. The dinner at the ‘private dinner place’ was the first in a series of wonderful dinners at this location, and eventually ended up being our marriage location (you’ll notice I’m not giving a lot of detail on these sites, and that’s on purpose). So while I kid about decorating the master bedroom as our Valentine’s gift, the real thing will be in a couple of weekends when we travel up the northern California coast and stay and eat at some of the same places we did nine years ago.
Marcel, eat your heart out. I remember almost every detail from that first romatic weekend, and just like you, they will resonate for a lifetime.
I answered an AOL personal ad I saw posted looking for a hiking partner. I was new to the Northern California area and was trying to pace myself in exploring all the new places to hike & visit. I saw the AOL ad and responded—spelling out places I had hiked in my first few months out here, places I hoped to hike, and reasons I was responding to her ad. The main reasons I responded was there were several hikes I wanted to do, but they would be best if there were two people—one car at each end of the hike (so weI could hike many miles in one direction without having to worry hiking half the way, then doubling back).
It turns out I was the only responder that didn’t ask about her personal stats. We decided to meet at a public restaurant and planned a Saturday hike on the spot. She knew things were probably OK when I brought a trail book and map to the first meeting. I was able to point out to her places and hikes I had experienced in my few months out here that she didn’t know very much about. We hiked together for several months, then started doing more together—I cooked for her, we went to hockey games, art exhibits, movies, etc. It took us about 6 months of this to realize there was more to us than just “hiking buddies.”
We decided to go out for New Year’s Eve together, and that was the first inkling I had that things were progressing beyond just friends. I had warned her that I would need to be hit over the head with a 2x4 if things were to go further, and she provided the lumber. So cut to a few days later--Here I am in early January realizing I need to do something for Valentine’s Day and I had absolutely nothing planned. At this point I’m sharing an office with our departmental admin and she is laughing as I call place after place trying to book a romantic weekend away in mid-February. Everything is booked up, the waiting lists a mile long. These places aren't even taking optional names anymore.
So cut to Plan B. Instead of hitting Napa or Sonoma Valley, what about the coast? I am finally able to locate an inn that has an open room for the long weekend (which includes the Presidents Day holiday). I already had a long list of things we could do that would be romantic in the area, but when I get the confirmation from the inn, they recommend a place close by that has fabulous dinners that aren’t advertised widely. Among the other things I plan, this dinner is one I decide to take a flyer on and book an evening for us.
This ended up being one of the best evenings we have had together. It started hesitantly as the couples are introducing ourselves—we sat with couples that were celebrating their 25 year and 10 year anniversaries. And we were celebrating 6 weeks together. I would love to get in touch with these people to let them know how things have progressed since then...
Our relationship has been known as the “Plan B” relationship every since. It was the most fabulous of weekends, and I could not have planned a better trip if I knew every stop along the Northern California coast. The dinner at the ‘private dinner place’ was the first in a series of wonderful dinners at this location, and eventually ended up being our marriage location (you’ll notice I’m not giving a lot of detail on these sites, and that’s on purpose). So while I kid about decorating the master bedroom as our Valentine’s gift, the real thing will be in a couple of weekends when we travel up the northern California coast and stay and eat at some of the same places we did nine years ago.
Marcel, eat your heart out. I remember almost every detail from that first romatic weekend, and just like you, they will resonate for a lifetime.
posted by Dwight at
10:30 PM
2 Comments:
Wonderful post!
By
SMB, at 8:40 AM
Good for you for taking the time to think about this stuff. With a two year old, we have to try really hard to even have a conversation every day that's not about the kid, daycare logistics, work, or something house-related.
By
Tiredbuthappy, at 2:43 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home