First Valentine's Day as a Married Couple

Friday night Travalon and I had our romantic Valentine’s Day dinner at the Manna Café. We had amazing rolls shaped like hearts and delicious shrimp and ravioli. (I had the leftovers for lunch today.) We had our usual waiter, and he was sorry to inform Travalon that there was no chicken paprikash that evening because of the special Valentine’s Day menu. Then we came home and exchanged gifts: I gave him a book he wanted, and he gave me jasmine on a heart-shaped trellis and a box of chocolate truffles. What a romantic way to spend Friday the 13^th!

Saturday Travalon and I had brunch at La Brioche, which we hadn’t been to since the morning we left for our honeymoon. It was crazy busy, and there was a pianist who looked stuck in 1979 playing ragtime music. In the evening was Rich’s official birthday party, and I made the cake and helped Travalon bring the pizza. There were no decorations except for Catzookz’s balloons, and I got stuck all night listening to one of the marathon talkers Rich knows. She actually has some interesting things to say, but she never stops talking. So I didn’t really get to talk to any of the other guests, including Kathbert, Luxuli, Prairie Man, and OK Cap. Jilly Moose had to work, so she came late with the group present from the Rosary Ladies: a pink stuffed hippo that raps, “I like big hugs and I cannot lie…”

Sunday after Mass and brunch, Travalon went to a Badger basketball game, but I just went home. I like basketball, but it was awfully cold to make the long trek to the Kohl Center. Then we watched a movie called Oconomowoc, which had no discernible plot and mostly inane dialogue, though there were a few mildly funny lines. Three guys got together and went hundreds of thousands of dollars into debt to make this movie, which strikes me as rather bizarre. Didn’t they have anyone read the script before they threw all that money at it? There were a few scenes actually shot in Oconomowoc, but according to Travalon, a lot of them were in surrounding towns instead. Then Cecil Markovitch wanted us to join him and the Single B-Boy at Mickey’s Tavern for a lamb burger, so we did, and it was a very good burger. Cecil decided we should go to Dotty Dumpling’s Dowry for their fudge-bottom pie, so we did that too, although the B-Boy did not partake. Cecil joked after that we should get a grasshopper somewhere, but Monday morning comes very quickly, so we decided to head home instead.

Today is Handy Woman’s birthday, so a bunch of the retired ladies who used to work with her came in with treats. A lot of us got our jobs because these ladies all retired around the same time, a couple of years back, but they stay in touch with Handy Woman. One lady brought her husband and her adorable toddler granddaughter. Aw! The little girl gave us all hugs when she left. So cute!

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