Valentine

Last year, Mo surprised me by taking me to White Castle for Valentine's Day. It was fantastic: They closed the restaurant a few hours for reservation-only service that included white tablecloths, sparkling apple cider, tiny cheeseburgers, red roses and a heaping side of l-u-v.

No White Castle this year. Bummer. Hope's still a bit on the small side and we're still in the throes of flu season. We're slowly removing the protective yolk around her, but plopping her for an hour inside a greasy burger joint still falls a shade outside our comfort zone.

So it's a picnic on the living room floor, befitting our season of hibernation. I will stare deeply into Mo's eyes. She will tell me to brush my teeth.


Seriously, it's a happy day. I'm lucky to have a wonderful wife whose patience, strength, intelligence and humor continue to amaze and humble me. Hope has been an absolute joy after a rough stretch for a few weks. She's very active, bright-eyed, attentive and smiling like crazy. Lulu's no slouch either. I have great ladies in my life. The cats are another story.