Chris and Laurie's Valentine's weekend

So today I get to tell you about our Valentine Day celebrating... and no, it'll be clean.

I was at the store Thursday and saw a cute stuffed monkey attached to a box of chocolate.  I said to myself, "Either she will really, REALLY like it, or... she'll eat the chocolate, give the monkey to Scrappy, and I kill two birds with one stone."  So I threw gently placed the gift into the basket and went to the checkout.  There was a u-scan watcher standing there, and she says, "Is that a monkey?  It's so cute!  Are there any more?"  I knew there was a bunch of the things in the box I found it in, so I said, "I think so," and pointed where they were.  She came back moments later saying, "All that was left were BEARS."

I came home, stuffing the gift under my coat so I could surprise her (or them, whichever).  To my surprise, Laurie was delighted, and I told her my theorem if she hadn't wanted another stuffed beast.  Scrappy was keen on the idea, but Laurie told him, "No!  I'll share some chocolate later if you're good, but you can't have my TEDDY BEAR!"

It sure looked like a monkey to ME... I wonder if the cashier couldn't tell the difference, either?


So anyway, we then got invited to a Valentine's dinner at my co-worker Robin's VFW.  This was a very fun time...

Our hostess, she's a sewer where I work... and AVAILABLE!

My other co-worker at the shindig, Celeste, along with her son.  I thought I had her lovely daughter too, but my phone isn't quite my camera... and it was giving me the red battery of death the whole night.

This is Robin's son, who won not one but TWO drawings.  One was booze, the other this big box of chocolates that he gave to his mom (awwwww....).  And since her birthday was the day before, he figured he's covered at least until Christmas.

Laurie about to pick her nose, making sure that Celeste's BF Ron isn't watching...

Robin getting a good shot of the guitar player's butt for her scrapbook...

Now at this point, I should let you know a few things about Laurie that night.  First, she had a little piece of shredded cheese in her pop that gave me unending joy as I speculated on whether it would sink first or dissolve (Sink, very slowly) and chided her for putting it in for flavoring ("Wait until I tell your sister about you drinking Pepsi with cheese!"*).  The other is, that apparently when I'm drunk and she's not, my phone is still drunk if she uses it.  Let me show you what I mean.

The Dowco crew from another camera...

...and from mine...

(* This comes into play because I am known for the invention of the "Cheese-Ho", a ho-ho injected with Cheez-whiz.)


We finished the night with a partial watching of the latest GOP debate- a very un-Valentine-like event, a train wreck of a showing that left me absolutely baffled that I saw THREE different polls say they thought The Donald won , even though Jeb handed him his ass SEVERAL times.  I also found it ridiculous that the ONE candidate that didn't get into a barrel of muck raking was John Kasich, and I saw commenters make fun of him for being the voice of reason.  If I wasn't convinced that politics was just a three ringer before, I am now.