What Dave Ramsey, Christmas and Valentine's Day all have in Common

He gets the last bites of the cream from our Crème brûlée, because I've already eaten all the burnt sugar.

Christmastine's.
 
Yes. I said it. We made it up. But don't be confused, it has immense meaning for us.

And no, Lechner, we don't need calendars. We have them, thankyouverymuch.

Every year we've been married lines up almost perfectly with with every year that Cliff's been working at Lampo (that's where Dave comes in). It was December 2007 and we were leaving the Christmas party (that's where Christmas comes in), walking the streets of Nashville with our jaws dropped so low they were practically doing the street sweepers' jobs. We were blown away that night and were excitedly chattering on and on about which location we'd likely request for our "pick where you want to go" $50 giftcard. 

Well, after little debate, we settled on Bonefish.

Sidenote: our second Valentine's together - in 2006 - was at Bonefish. And that was a pivotal year. What with the recent closing of Houston's, the location of our first Valentine's and the first proper restaurant (Panera doesn't count) that we ever shared a meal together in within a week of dating. Bonefish met every expectation and soon became a favorite - especially for this coastal girl who finds it difficult to get good seafood in a land-locked state. And for the record, Valentine's 2007 was at Zola, which has also since closed. I'm sensing a pattern...

And though we had that giftcard just burning a hole in our proverbial pockets, the days drew closer to our first married Valentine's and it only seemed appropriate to use it then (thanks for the date, Dave!) But, you see, we'd learned our lesson in 2006 when on the actual date of February 14th we stood and waited for an hour and a half at Bonefish, despite already having reservations for dinner that evening. So we booked reservations a couple of nights post-Valentine's, and enjoyed a lovely meal together. At some point in the evening, I said something to this extent: 

"You know - this is like our own holiday, right? Because it's not Christmas, though we're using a Christmas gift. And it's not exactly Valentine's, though it's always nearby. But it's really in the spirit of both. It's like Christmastine's!"

And it stuck.

So every year since, usually just a couple of days before or after February 14, when the waiter or waitress asks "Is this your first time dining with us?", we smile broadly at each other with a knowing look of familiarity, joy, and nostalgia, and say "Oh no, no. We've been here before."

And then, after we've had our adult beverages, eaten our share of an appetizer (I dream about Bang Bang Shrimp) and a shared entree, or if we're feeling frisky, one each - and are polishing off of our traditional Bonefish dessert, I think, "I have got to be the luckiest girl in the world." We slide out of the booth, he grabs my hand in the parking lot, and walks me to the car... and the feeling settles in again: I know I am.