Great Expectations

I remember the first time I encountered Valentine's Day expectations in an office setting. It was ugly.

I'd been married for 47 days. When I showed up for my part-time job as a student assistant in a WSU office, I quickly realized a competition was ensuing. And yes, size did matter. The person who had received a vase of  three arranged roses was quickly trumped by the delivery of a dozen to another waiting coworker. Then someone pulled ahead by getting two dozen. Others fretted, wondering if their husbands had remembered to call the florist. I swear some of them had checklists--"OK, Susie's got hers, Mary, Bev, and Pam have all had deliveries. That just leaves. . . "The office manager broke down in tears--she'd been through a nasty breakup a few months prior, my boss pulled me aside to explain.

And they all looked at me, the newlywed, pitying my empty desk.

The year before on Valentine's Day, I'd received a dozen red roses from Dave, and a cake that said "Be Mine" with an engagement ring inside. But now we were one--heart, soul, and checking account. And there wasn't much in the latter.I certainly hadn't expected him to send me anything. The thought actually hadn't crossed my mind until our office turned into the Rose Bowl.

When the day was over, they all cleared out, balancing their vases of token roses with their briefcases, worrying aloud how they would transport them without spilling. I left empty-handed.

And when I opened the door to our one-bedroom apartment, my new sweet husband Dave was waiting for me with a vase of three roses and a little plush teddy bear. "I never thought about it, but I probably should have had this delivered to you at work," he said.

"Oh, that's okay," I said.

And it was.

Dave made up for any Valentine's Day oversights in the past by surprising me with two dozen roses on our 20th anniversary AFTER we'd spent a week vacationing in Cancun.

Facebook Moments

Some people (I'm thinking of my husband in particular here) say I waste too much time on facebook. While that may be true (OK, it is) there are some redeeming moments from the past year or so that keep me logging in and updating my status.

Mod Reunion
In the fall of 2009, an old college friend mentioned via facebook that she would be in town in a few weeks. With minimal effort, six of us gals who had lived in the same mod (that's Tabor-speak for "dorm") during the 1987-88 school year were able, via facebook messaging, to pick a day, choose a restaurant, and meet for a wonderful extended lunch. We had such a great time. It hadn't happened in 20 years, and I don't think it would have if it hadn't been for facebook.

High School Reunions
The same goes for high school friends. I've had the pleasure of attending a couple of Christmas parties wtih old classmates because they invited through facebook.

Aunt Extrodinaire
I have lots of really neat aunts, but only one is active with facebook. Because of her posts, I've gotten to know her a little bit better. And she makes lots of encouraging comments on my posts. I love that.

Cousin Connection
Through facebook, I've been able to keep up with several cousins who I never did before. Some are interested in four-wheeling, like our family, or running, as I am. Several have read my blog, through a link from facebook. At a gathering one even told my mom that I was a good writer. (Of course I love that!) A cousin linked a news clip when his high school basketball star son had the "play of the week," an awesome alley-oop dunk. A highlight we replayed numerous times. That's my cousin's kid!

Breaking Stereotypes
Through facebook, I discovered that someone I'd dismissed in high school as a goat roper from Durham was now on several library advocacy boards, and volunteered at his son's school book fair, like I usually do. I decided that if I can go from a studious farm girl to a Harley-riding mama, he can change too. That's the fun of growing up, getting past old stereotypes and finding common ground in surprising places.

Renewing Friendships
A girl in our church youth group mainly hung out with my older sister and her crowd. Still, I remember sitting with her on the van back from a mission trip, enjoying talking with her and being amazed at her sketching abilities. I loved her name, and eventually named my daughter after her. She moved several states away and I completely lost contact with her until this past year. It's so fun to see her as a mom of two boys and walk through her flower garden (via her photo albums, of course). We've connected on several creative topics, and she has encouraged me tremendously with my writing. It's amazing that we can be a part of each others lives so easily from hundreds of miles away.