Happy Valentine's Day!

I was sad that Kevin had to be in China on Valentine's Day, but I decided to make the best of it and have my mom and a couple of her friends over for an elegant Valentine's lunch. They are all widowed or divorced, so I wanted to make the day kind of special for them. I bought them each a little box of chocolates and set the table with red tulips, wine glasses and even little heart place cards. Unfortunately, although I have Martha Stewart intentions, my end product is usually more the 3 Stooges. As I was preparing a beautiful raddichio and pear salad (radicchio leaves, sliced bosc pears, toasted walnuts, raspberries and shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese topped with raspberry-walnut vinaigrette--so easy, so pretty, so yummy!) I sliced a chunk of my finger off while chopping up a pear. It was hard to tell for sure since the salad is full of the red hues of radicchio and raspberries, but I might have bled into the bowl. I wasn't taking any chances, so after stopping the bleeding, I threw away the possibly sullied salad, grabbed a clean bowl and started anew. At this point, I was running a bit behind schedule, and really hoping that the rest of my preparations would go smoothly (and that my guests would be a few minutes late). But, it wouldn't be my slapstick comedy of a life if something else didn't go wrong, and suddenly I heard the telltale hacking sound of a cat coughing up a hairball. I grabbed a wad of paper towels and raced through the house, trying to find the nastiness. I checked all the couch cushions--no hairball. I peeked in all the corners--no hairball. The doorbell rang and I was torn...should I answer the door and risk my guests stumbling upon (or stepping in) cat puke, or should I leave my guests outside in the cold while I continue to hunt for the elusive pile. Thank goodness I decided to continue my search, as the hairball had been deposited under the dining room table--nothing ruins a meal faster than a puddle of vomit! I quickly cleaned it up and sprinted to the door. Did I trip and twist my ankle on the way down the stairs? Of course I did! I was panting, flushed and limping when I finally threw open the door. Not quite the composed and collected impression I wanted to make when ushering my guests into the new house for the first time! It really wasn't a big deal as my mom and her friends are very casual and easy going, but it made me realize that I'm probably not ready to handle anything as complex as hosting a dinner party just yet!
Actually, everything ended up turning out very well. Everyone loved the food, and they were all very touched by the boxes of candy. I think it was good for me to throw myself into a festive little Valentine's Day celebration too--it helped keep my mind off how much I miss Kevin, and how he won't return from China until next week. After my guests left and all the dishes were done, I drove to the animal shelter. (Not the one where I just applied--I still haven't heard from them.) I took some pictures of the new animals, I cuddled with some cats, I played with some dogs. On the drive home I still felt kind of down, wishing Kevin was around so we could celebrate over a romantic dinner...the big bouquet of roses, box of chocolates and thoughtful card which were waiting for me when I arrived back at the house definitely cheered me up!
Thanks, Kev! Happy Valentine's Day! I can't wait for you to come home!