V-Day Weekend

On Friday night, the Omaha Jitterbugs held their annual Pink Party, so Vivian and I decided to take Hannah to her very first night of swing dancing. The usual cast of characters was there in full force, of course, and we enjoyed being able to show our new baby girl to everyone who hadn't seen her yet. Hannah slept through the entire dance, including the part where I decided to take her out on stage for her very first father-daughter dance. Hopefully, this will be the first of many long, happy years of dancing for my baby girl.

On Saturday night, Twin Valley Church held a kind of Valentine's dinner / surprise 25th anniversary party for Rick and Tammi Hall. We all brought an array of Italian food, and I took my hand at a bulk version of fettuccine alfredo. There was also a heart-shaped cake and a bunch of cannolis for dessert. The Hall's wedding video played on a nearby television, and the happy couple gathered for cake-cutting and cake-feeding afterward (Jack commented, "Do what you wanted to do 25 years ago!") Savannah West was on hand to take romantic pictures of people underneath a makeshift archway in the other room, including a couple of the entire Hall family.

After dinner, Vivian and I participated in a "Newlywed Game," along with the Halls and the Sterups (who had recently celebrated 53 years of marriage). Vivian and I didn't score any points in the first round but wound up taking first place by the time the second round was over. Fortunately, I'd asked Vivian questions well in advance such as, "What item would you save first if your house were on fire." We wrapped up the night with a few kind words from the Halls' friends and family.

Naturally, I still had a few tricks up my sleeve for V-Day itself. I woke Vivian up with a surprise breakfast of heart-shaped "egg in a hole" and bacon before she left for work. Over the lunch hour, I dropped by with chili and cornbread for lunch, along with a special gift basket I'd filled up with for of Vivian's favorite things (note the tiny bottle of Bailey's). That evening, we had a big catfish dinner down at the Catfish Lake Restaurant and then got some ice cream at Ted & Wally's afterward to round out our lovely, romantic day.

It's the five-year anniversary of our first Valentine's Day, and I'm amazed at how far we've come since that night of meatloaf and wine. I love you, Vivian!