Our First Married Valentine's Day

Did you have a nice long weekend? Ours was fairly low key, spent chilling on the couch watching TV when not running errands, but we did get dressed up and go out for a nice dinner on Saturday night, for our first married Valentine's Day. G surprised me that morning with a beautiful bouquet of pink- and peach-hued tulips, my favorite flower next to dahlias. (I may have dropped a couple hints over the past few weeks, ooh-ing and aah-ing whenever I saw a bunch of tulips at the store. He's a good man and picked up on my not-so-subtle cues.) He then made us a delicious lunch at home, a chicken pesto risotto, and we exchanged gifts. 

Though I told G that we should keep gifts small this year since we have lots of travel expenses coming up, he took to heart my longing for a new, large, sturdy purse and bought me a big beautiful bag—complete with fringe! He said he thought it would come in handy when I fly to California, since it can fit my laptop, kindle and wallet with ease. Men, always thinking about function and practicality. But it is truly a gorgeous bag and I was even more impressed to hear that he went downtown to browse small boutiques to find it. G's card also came with a sparkling layered necklace. He's such a good hubby. I, on the other hand, did keep my gift simple. To encourage his new hobby, I ordered him two unique, hand-forged guitar picks from UncommonGoods: a glass glazed stoneware pick (in ocean) and a ridged glass pick (in surf). G tried them out and was pleased with the look, feel and sound, so I'd call it a success. 

After opening presents, I finished one more surprise for him: homemade chocolate truffles. (I'll be sharing the incredibly simple recipe later this week!) We ate a couple that afternoon, and a few more after we got home from our Valentine's dinner at RumFish Grill in St. Pete Beach, and we finished off the plate by Sunday.

Photos from our day, if you'd like to see...

[ Gorgeous pink and peach tulips. ]

[ Valentine's Day lunch: Creamy chicken pesto risotto. ]

[ A little calligraphy to dress up my husband's gifts. ]

[ Valentine's Day gifts. G and I were laughing at the size difference! ]

[ One-of-a-kind stoneware and glass guitar picks for G. ]

[ A card with a sparkling surprise. ] 

[ G gifted me a big, beautiful and stylish bag to hold all my essentials. ] 

[ Sweets for my sweet. Homemade chocolate truffles. ] 

[ New dress, lace details. Bucked tradition by wearing sky blue instead of pink or red! ]

[ Killing time before dinner by taking silly photos in the lobby at RumFish Grill. ]

[ Fish, real and faux, grace the walls at RumFish Grill. ] 

[ We ate our meal in the glow of a huge aquarium. Dinner and a show! ]

[ An illuminated menu full of tantalizing seafood options. ]

[ Our date started with cocktails at the bar. Gin and tonic for G, his usual, and a Sparkling White Peach made with Kappa Pisco, prosecco and Grand Marnier for me. The hubs enjoyed a bowl of the Spiced Blue Crab Bisque and the Grilled Jerk Swordfish while I tried the Pan-Seared Grouper Picatta, since that is the fish Florida is best known for. ] 

[ The aquarium was very active, with all types of fish swimming by. ]

[ G was particularly impressed with this green eel, named Frankie. ] 

[ Me & my love cheesin' outside the restaurant at the end of the night. ]