This time of year gives me the formal opportunity to celebrate Sidney. Her birthday falls at the end of January and then just a couple weeks later comes Valentine’s Day. Some people might refer to it in a negative light as a “double whammy” but I embrace it. What is better than celebrating the person you love?

Of course the people who believe the closeness of the two dates is bad luck will mostly point to monetary and planning issues. Husbands, fiances, and boyfriends are expected to go out of their way to make their significant other feel special (as they should!). However, I would argue that in order to sufficiently celebrate your loved one you only really need to concentrate on one of the “issues” mentioned above.

Hint: I am not talking about the monetary one.

Last year I took Sidney on a weekend getaway to Charlotte for her birthday and treated her to a delicious dinner at Ruth’s Chris for Valentine’s Day. This year I looked forward to doing something a little different. Fresh off of paying for a honeymoon while at the same time looking down the road at many other expenses that will present themselves as we approach the wedding, I challenged myself to be more fiscally responsible. However, I knew “fiscally responsible” could still translate into “making her feel special.”

Instead of going out of town for her birthday this year, we celebrated right here in Myrtle Beach. I went to the school she teaches at to enjoy the lunch hour with her. I arrived with a Subway sandwich, Diet Coke, and pack of Sour Patch Kids for her to enjoy (all her favorites). Although she could have totally been lying through her teeth, Sid said that she really enjoyed having me there. The best part was when I watched the whole cafeteria sing “Happy Birthday” to her.

I loved watching the students and teachers sing Happy Birthday to Sidney.

Later that night, Sidney’s family gathered together and we enjoyed pizza. She opened my gifts to her and we all had a relaxing time. Sure we weren’t at an NBA game or in some fancy movie theater but we were with family. It was perfect.

About a week before February 14, Sid and I both pledged to each other that we would go easy on Valentine’s Day. Again, just because we agreed to keep things simple didn’t mean we couldn’t make each other feel valued.

When Sidney awoke on Sunday, she had a surprise waiting for her on the table downstairs. The piece of furniture was adorned with a simple flower arrangement, a cheesy balloon, another pack of Sour Patch Kids, and a card that came from the heart. Oh yes, at the very end was our favorite type of breakfast to eat together…Bojangles!!

I gave Sidney a very simple Valentine’s Day surprise.

A couple hours later we left her place not to go to a fancy steakhouse but rather to go to her sister’s house. It was here, the exact same place we celebrated her birthday, where we had a Valentine’s Day chicken bog lunch. And believe me, I think that meal hit the spot harder than any filet mignon would have.

Of course Sidney one-upped me. She wrote an even better card than I did and she made me one of my favorite dinners on Friday night. Then, to top it all off, she even let me choose the movie we watched on Sunday!

You don’t always have to go to extravagant lengths on birthdays and other holidays. Sometimes the cliché of all clichés is right…it is the thought that counts. Don’t Blink.