Too young too smell this old...

For years I whined about how my husband didn't get me anything for Valentine's Day. He stood firmly on his ground of not feeling any pressure from Hallmark to buy me something. So I would pout and be mean to him and have a dessert with peanut butter in it since he hates PB.

Then his heart softened and he began to realize how much he loved me and how much he hated peanut butter ice cream. So finally he gave in and delivered a bouquet of flowers to me at work. While my co-workers swooned over how sweet he is in front of him and his chest puffed out because he believed them, I took my beautiful flowers and felt I had accomplished the change in him I had longed for.

See my Dad set Gene up for failure. When I was a little girl not so long ago, my Dad would either have waiting for me in the morning a card and usually a flower and candy or he would come home after work with something in hand. Being the only love of my life then he showered me with lots of love on Valentine's Day. Then along came Gene and nothing. No card, no chocolates, no candy, no nothin', just an attitude. So, for me to all of a sudden get flowers, in public mind you, was a huge victory for Lelia.

Then came the year of the perfume gift. A beautiful box, perfectly wrapped by a professional gift wrapper woman I could tell. I opened it up and it looked like a box of candy. So pretty I almost didn't open it. But, I did and boy was I surprised.

Newly conformed Valentine's Day Man watched as I opened his gift. A box of perfume...Forever Elizabeth by Elizabeth Taylor. Gulp. Pretty box, I thought with confusion. "Yumm." is the only approval I could give my Valentine as he watched me smell it. All I could picture was this elderly woman standing next to her friend Michael Jackson and now I was going to smell like her. An 80 year old washed up movie star legend and I was going to smell just like Elizabeth...forever.

What woman in her 30's wouldn't want to smell like that? I could hear my friends...

"Oh Lelia...what are you wearing?"

"Forever Elizabeth by Elizabeth Taylor." I would proudly answer.

I just couldn't imagine saying those words to my girlfriends who wore hip perfumes such as Ralph Lauren, Dolce & Gabanna, Victoria's Secret...but not one of my girls smelled like Liz. But me. I did. I will because I had trained him for this day. I had cried, begged, pouted and hoped for this day. So I sprayed some on my wrist and told him I loved it.

Then he said something that wasn't even in his training, he just learned it on his own. Words spoken that sounded so much sweeter than the words "Be Mine" that I thought I wanted to hear. As he grabbed for the remote control, he said, "The sales lady told me to get this for you honey. I didn't even smell it, so if you don't like it you can exchange it for something else. I just liked the box."

Of course, my guy liked the box, not the scent of Liz!!! Thank you Lord for watching over me and yet making me feel like the most blessed girl on that Valentine's Day!! I finally had an arrow shot through my heart...a stinky one, but an arrow from my cupid asking me to be his Valentine. Needless to say, I returned it and bought some lovely perfume from Dolce & Gabanna called Light Blue. I smelled beautiful and my guy loved it...more than the box it came in!

One thing I've learned is that this guy loves me and a card that ends up in a drawer or a bouquet of flowers that eventually dies or chocolate that expands my waist will not prove the love he has for me. While I'm not saying that these things aren't nice, I'm saying they don't prove he loves me anymore than he did February 13th. The man is just crazy about me and no stinky perfume can prove that!

Okay, for Valentine's Day I am having a give away!

All you have to do is leave a comment on my blog. If you don't have a blog you click on the anonymous button and leave it that way. I just need your e-mail address so I'll be able to get in touch with the winner.

So here's the give away...

1.) I love this woman's call from God on her life and I daily visit her blog. Lysa TerKeurst. She is a wife, mom, speaker and author and I'm giving away her book, "What Happens When Women Say Yes to God." Please go visit her blog if you haven't already...she's awesome and she too is having a contest.

2.) You have to have "kissable" lips on Valentine's Day just in case you get "Forever Elizabeth" from your man then you will have soft lips to thank him with. So, I'm giving away Lip Apeel from BeautiControl. It's an incredible "mask" for your lips and also comes with a lip balm to make them soft.

3.) You have to have soft hands in case you get "Forever Elizabeth" from your man so when you wipe away your tears you won't scratch your cheek from having rough hands. So, I'm giving away a big tube of BeautiControl's Regeneration Extreme Repair Hand Therapy. I use it everyday and it is incredible hand lotion.

So,there you go. Post your comment. The contest will end at midnight tonight, February 14th and the winner announced on Friday. So tell your friends to visit me and enter to win some awesome stuff! Oh, and don't forget to visit Lysa's blog too~you'll be blessed, I promise. UPDATE: Contest is extended: will end midnight Friday, February 15th & the winner announced Saturday instead!

Enjoy your day and remember...if you get a gift from your boyfriend, fiancee or husband that leaves you saying intelligent things like "Yumm"...you probably trained him for this moment in time, so smile and receive your gift with much joy! If you get nothing, like I did for many years, be thankful...acting happy while in shock is tougher than you think!

~Many Blessings~

Lelia