valentine's day surprise

first of all, happy valentine's day to our dear family and friends!

where ever you are, whatever you're doing, we hope you know that you are all very loved and very dear to us!

no roses here... how about a carnation as a virtual valentine instead?

now for the valentine's day surprise:

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NOT what you were expecting, eh?
me either!
turns out, kelvin had a stow-away on his trip back home from georgia/south carolina. these little guys are plentiful down there- we're thinking that maybe he climbed into kelvin's truck, then into a box or tote and got in to the house that way. however he managed to do it, he did so undetected, and has survived unseen in our basement for almost two months. i suppose it's comfortable down there for him, although i'm sure the local cuisine isn't quite what he's used to. i wonder how our spiders and bugs taste compared to the stuff he ate back home?
neither kelvin nor i are fans of creepy-crawly things, so keeping him was out of the question... and on the same token, neither of us had the heart to stick him outside where he'd inevitably freeze to death. so we called a friend of ours, who happens to be accepting of all sorts of creatures whether they be cuddly, crawly or anything in-between- she said we could drop him off at her place.
(many thanks, nicole... from both us AND the lizard!)
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so there was no romantic surprise for anyone today, but that's ok. who says valentine's day needs to be extravagant to be good? in my opinion, it's the sentiment that counts... i couldn't enjoy a big, fancy dinner out, a dozen roses, etc., if i knew it wasn't affordable or convenient. not that i'm anti-hallmark-holiday... secretly ever girl loves to be surprised, spoiled and pampered every now and again. i'd rather take it when it's least expected.
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madi and i are STILL feeling pretty run-down. cole's got some congestion and coughing, but no fever, and he seems to have more energy than us girls. also, madi and i have white "blisters" on our tongues... i called the on-call nurse, but didn't get any real answers. she just said to avoid citrus, drink lots of water and make an appointment. you know, basically what the computer obligated her to say. so technically she did her job. :) every now and again (and we don't call that often) i get a nurse who doesn't just rely on the computer, who is chatty and friendly and treats her callers like they're in the room with her. one who gives valid advice other than what the database says. anyway, i have my prenatal appointment on thursday, so as long as there are no other symptoms that come up (besides the obvious current respiratory stuff), i'm going to wait till then and see what dr h says. now i know why madi's been so insanely, over-the-top crabby... her mouth really hurts! my ice craving kind of numbs mine a bit, but it's still pretty uncomfortable. and any healthcare readers out there, feel free to chime in on this if you know anything about it... :)