So now I'll just tell people that I went to Paris over the long weekend like it was no big deal

Despite the general feeling o' death that's been hanging over me lately, I have managed to knock a couple more things off of my 101 in 1,001 list.

I'm sure that in my last post, I came off as all kinds of hating Valentine's Day, but I really don't. I have no problems whatsoever with a day that revolves around LOVE and showing love and remembering why you first fell in love, yadda yadda. But I also don't think that we should focus all of our love efforts toward that one (extremely over-commercialized) day. I try (key word) to do things for Steve every day to let him know that I love him.

But since I didn't really DO anything on Valentine's Day (thanks to feeling like I'd been hit by a truck), I decided that I would surprise him with a special, candlelit dinner. Number 72, consider yourself DONE.
So I hit up the Valentine's Day sale section at Target, got a few decorations and some candles and went about setting up our special dinner. I made spaghetti and a chocolate chip pie and got word around 4:30 that he would be leaving work at 5. Well, 5pm came and went. So did 6. So did 7. I may or may not have gotten my panties in a twist over this stupid delay and called my mama to vent it all out. He finally got home around 8 and we had our dinner then. He was still surprised and loved it, and that was really all that I was going for (although eating dinner before our bedtime still ranks pretty high on my list of daily priorities). I took one whole picture before my camera up and died on me.

Notice the lovely plastic cups. We are super classy. I may have also possibly been in my pajamas already during our special candlelit dinner (because it was BEDTIME HELLO) and Steve may have possibly eaten dinner in his underwear and half of his uniform (because HURRY UP DINNER'S GETTING COLD).

Overall, it was a nice way to unwind after a long (although technically short- ha) week.

Earlier that morning, I decided to bite the bullet and make some goodies for Soldier Appreciation Day. I mean, I appreciate the soldiers a lot, even if people can't give me more than a day's notice on making goodies for them. I only made brownie bites for the soldiers, but I stuck an extra treat in Steve's bag and put it in his truck since he wasn't at the motorpool when I dropped off the baked goods.

Normally, I would go for some fancier packaging, but when I am sick and only have a day's notice, you get a ziploc bag with some "personalization" on it. Lovely!

Later on in the (same) day, I got Sam another doctor's appointment. Since finishing his antibiotic for his ear infection(s), he had developed a wet, nasty cough as well as a super-disgusting snotty nose. That was in addition to grabbing at his ears. So. We go to the doc's office and see a NP since our usual doc has the day off. She valiantly puts up with his screaming while getting his pulse taken (ON HIS FOOT for the LOVE) and then it takes three people to physically restrain him while the NP tries to check his ears. I had the pleasure of holding his head, most likely because I am the most deserving of eardrum damage since he is my kid and all. She confirms that he has two RAGING ear infections and apparently that last antibiotic didn't do squat. Awesome. After checking out another (!) two rashes on his hiney, we leave the sweltering office with two new prescriptions and a lot of sweaty clothes. Yes, it was then that I decided that checking out the Valentine's clearance at Target would be a grand idea. And it was. No regrets!

That day was also the candlelit dinner day, and I realize now that I basically told the whole day backwards, or at least in a really funky order. Oh well. You get the gist of it right? (The gist of it being: I NEED WINE. LOTS OF WINE.)

Steve has a 4-day weekend this weekend and we wanted to take full advantage of it, not just putter around ol' Clarksville and waste time (although Steve DID mention something about going to Target, and I was thisclose to taking him up on that offer). Instead, we decided that yesterday, we would go and see Paris, Tennessee, with our own eyes.

The drive there was quite interesting. I love driving through little towns and wondering where on earth the people there do their grocery shopping and if that's their only gas station and seeing how cute the little downtowns are. We arrived in Paris and could NOT locate the Eiffel Tower! You would think it would be stuck in the middle of downtown. Instead, this courthouse was. I guess that is probably more useful than an Eiffel Tower replica. But still.

Charming, no?
The entire downtown area was so cute and we stopped in a sweet little store to ask directions to the Eiffel Tower.

After receiving directions that involved no street names whatsoever ("You go down this road here until you get to the Sonic. Then you go left. And then you go right. Don't go too far past the Lowe's.") We eventually found it, even as directionally-challenged as we are.

There was a nice little park and recreation area surrounding this near-life-size replica of the Eiffel Tower, and Sam was content, once again, to walk around its perimeter, surveying the playset and practicing walking on woodchips. I am hoping that one day, possibly in the close-ish future, Sam might gain the courage to actually play on the playground.

While Paris wasn't exactly what I was expecting, I thought it was a very charming town and we enjoyed our Saturday trip to somewhere new.