Happy April's Day!

For most people, today is Valentine's Day... a day for couples to be ultra sweet and lovey-dovey to eachother (and for card companies, restaurants and florists to make tons of money)...or a day for single people to loathe. I guess April and I fall into the former category, but more importantly today is April's birthday, so happy birthday honey! Unfortunately April works most of today, but we do have plans to go for a quick supper tonight and then we will head out to McNally's for a fun-filled night with a bunch of our friends. So while today may be a day when every person in a relationship may feel the pressure to do something special for their significant other, I don't want to make this day a once a year deal because it has been designated "Valentine's Day." Doing something nice and sweet for your loved one and spending lavish amounts of money one day a year does not make up for the other 364 days that you spend with your loved one. I think too much has been made of this day. Lots of people in relationships feel unnecessary pressure to do the stereotypical Valentine's acts: flowers, mushy cards, romantic candle-lit supper, etc. It is also a day designed for single people to feel inadequate because they do not happen to be in a relationship during those 24 hours. April and I exchanged gifts last night (including her birthday present), and April felt that her gifts to me would be underwhelming because of what her mom, sister and friends had said to her about my gift. I know lots of people have gone through this same dilemma on Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day should not be about one-upmanship or who can woo the other person more. I love spending every day with April. I love going out with her, I love staying home with her, I love talking on the phone with her, and I love missing her when she's gone. So while presents are nice, they are not everything. So I want to make this day more special for April because it is her birthday. So I see this as being April's Day... not Valentine's Day.