Cupid cupid

Ryan and I had our fourth valentine's day together.  I had fun thinking through the last three years of valentine's day while i made my first cake ever. German chocolate cake. Its his favorite. I'm really starting to realize i like to bake and cook and all that stuff. it makes it completely worth it when i see his face after he takes the first bite:)

Here we are back from our date at McCormick and Schmick's, the famous seafood restaurant of Chicago...we went to the restaurant part of it, and had an AMAZING dinner of maryland crab soup and clam chowder, juicy Steak AND incredible Lobster, as well as a special chocolate creme brule. it was absolutely amazing. 

We had pretty much an amazing conversation over dinner, and i observed alot of things during this date. i noticed as cold as it was outside, that i was the only young woman in the room NOT showing cleavage or lots of leg. it was sooooo cold outside, yet the room was filled with women showing everything they got. I felt my heart ache for women all around the country that want love so incredibly badly, and this is the night, when sooo many women throw themselves in whichever way they need to to recieve "love." This is the night, one of many many nights, when so many women are taken advantage of because of their vulnerability of desiring to be loved. My heart hurts as so many girls want love so much, yet do not know of the one PERFECT love that won't take advantage of them or use them. just a lil bit on my thoughts about that. 

on a lighter note, my night was lovely with my man:) Ryan had to work all day, so i spent the day with my FIRST LOVE, and had a really really really deep time with Him as i read His Word and prayed while i baked. I did alot of thinking and praying, as God prepared my heart for this day of love. I had alot of fun spending time with Him as i baked, and spent the afternoon talking to God. Loooved spending my day doing that. 

Heres a pic of us in the elevator after our dinner:)

I prepared Ryan's gift. My theme this year was our Love languages. The first envelop was a card with "Words of affirmation" to build Ryan up:) The Red box was the game Sequence, which was to spend "Quality Time" together The second envelop was a giftcard to get chips and salsa and burrito bowl stuff to eat while we played our game. the third envelop had a picture of the German chocolate cake that i made for him:) and the box of russel stover chocolates...his faves:)

This is the first cake i've ever baked...not to mention from scratch! i dont like cake at all...but this one was soooooooo yummy!

these are the twelve roses he gave me....beautiful:)

each year, Ryan writes me a reflection of the last year we had together. every highlight, special events, and ups and downs, he writes down. i have three of them so far:) i love them because they are made specially for me, and completely from him:) this year, he made a little book out of the reflection and binded it together with a little cover and everything:) he's really really good at this whole romantic thing;)

and this is the cake put together...it doesn't LOOK the greatest, but it TASTED amazing.