Valentine's Day Part II - Progressive Date

Valentine's Day, no matter how much you claim not to care, always puts a certain amount of pressure on a couple. This can end well or not so great depending on the couple. This year, it was a good stimulus to goad us into romancing one another.

Camping a few weeks ago left an imprint on Chase's heart, and he was so proud of all the photos he took over the weekend of God's beautiful canvas. I decided to make these a lasting memory somewhere he would see them all the time. I also had blank wall space screaming to be filled.

Chase came home on Friday thinking he had a night of surprises waiting for me, but I had a surprise for him first. He went through his usual routine, but when he went to put down the book he's studying for the PE, he noticed something different in his office.

I also hung a watercolor of our sweet baby Alice that we've been meaning to hang for awhile.

Surprised and grateful, he said, "Whoa! What's this? And you hung the picure of Alice, too? I love it!" We stood and discussed the pictures for a little while, and how I'd gotten away with the surprise (he stalks me through our finances on an hourly basis). Then we went to get ready for his surprise for me.

We had the toughest time deciding what to wear (it was ridiculously cold, and Chase told me we'd be doing "some" walking), but eventually we were dressed and on the road. He asked me at every turn whether I thought he would go "left or right." I mostly guessed correctly, but he threw me off a little here and there. We ended up in downtown McKinney. We have been to Sauced on the Square, Square Burger (grass-fed beef...LOVE), Landon Winery, and Aparicio's, but Chase told me we were going somewhere we'd never been. A note about us...we love new places. We often do not have a "favorite" place for a certain type of food because we like to try something new every time. 

Sadly, we didn't get any pictures of our first stop, Cafe Malaga. They serve Tapas, and their food was scrum-diddly-umptious. We had a late dinner reservation, so we had plenty of time to relax, dote on each other, and enjoy our time together. 

Second stop: Landon Winery. They treated us to a few samples, and we decided on the "Peach" and "Yellow Rose" flavors. Their wine is wonderful, and their "Wine-a-Ritas" hit the spot on hot Texas days.

We asked some nice ladies to take a photo of us...after several attempts, we got one! I mean, we should've known in a winery it might take a few tries, bless their hearts!

Our final stop was Rick's Chophouse. The mood was cozy and romantic. We had the perfect little booth where we could talk and feel miles away from the rest of the world. Our waitress, Jerah, was fantastic. She was the epitome of a sweet and sassy southern belle. Warm and welcoming, she cracked little jokes and made great suggestions. Chase ordered the peppercorn crusted elk with grilled asparagus and a potato gratine. I thoroughly enjoyed my filet with red wine demi, steamed asparagus with Bearnaise, and garlic mashed potatoes. When we couldn't decide on a dessert and were between her two recommendations, Jerah brought us both and comped one (did I mention she was the best?).

Extreme self-control was exercised in order to capture this moment.

Chase had the pecan pie with Henry's Mexican vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce, and I had the apple pie puff pastry with Henry's bourbon ice cream and caramel sauce. Jerah actually laughed when she returned a few minutes later to discover us both with nearly cleaned plates.

Holding hands on our walk to the car (Chase had offered to go get it, but I wasn't having that), we took our time at first, gazing in little shop windows as we passed. The crisp night air quickly chilled us to the bone, and we decided to make a run for it...heels and all. It was a bit like being a kid again, and was the perfect close to our magical evening. I could not be more thankful for the sweet blessing Chase is as a husband. Happy Valentine's day!