Hearts and Candy and Flowers? Blech!

Yeah, it's that time of year again...Valentine's Day. This day has never been good to me - ever. My first appointment ever with a gynocologist was on Valentine's Day. Sheesh!

I'm in a committed relationship - therefore, I'm supposed to be happy on this day. Right? WRONG! My boyfriend is my opposite in pretty much every way imaginable. I'm the romantic one, full of ideas about how to make this "the bestest Valentine's Day ever". That's what I say every year. He has no understanding of the meaning of the word "romantic". His idea of going out for dinner is eating at the nearest Rally's or Burger King. And I usually pay for the food.

Then I take a look at the diamond ring on the third finger of my left hand. In usual circumstances, this would be considered an engagement ring. It looks like an engagement ring, but I have no idea what it is. I didn't get a marriage proposal with my ring. Let me tell you what he did...

We were at a Wal-Mart almost two weeks ago, and he pulled a ring box out of his pocket and tossed it to me. I barely caught it, because I wasn't expecting it. "There ya go", he said. I opened the box and put it on my finger. Honestly, I expected at least a "Will you marry me?". This is what I got instead: "What kind of cat food have you been buying lately"? Yeah, we were in the pet food aisle of a local Wal-Mart when I got my engagment ring. I think it's an engagement ring, because he didn't actually ask me to marry him. He's asked me in the past, but never with a ring. And now that he had a ring to give me, he didn't ask me. AAAAARGH!!!

What's a girl to do? Should I marry this man who is so insensitive to my romantic needs, or should I move on? I love my boyfriend, or fiance, or whatever he is...but I'm not in love with him. And I haven't been for a long time. I've been with this guy for the better part of 7 years, so I should know him very well. But I don't, because he keeps his feelings and emotions locked up inside and rarely lets them out. Our little joke is that I'm emotional enough for the both of us. He would rather stay at home all the time, and I'm always itching to get out of the house and do something fun. The one thing we have in common is Notre Dame football. Even though college football compatibility is important in a healthy relationship, it's not the most important thing.

I need a man who is intelligent, considerate, financially stable, ambitious, knows how to dress, has a great sense of humor, and yes...a man who is somewhat of a romantic. Not necessarily the sappy kind of romantic, but the kind who would by me flowers or a bunch of balloons for no reason except the fact that he loves having me in his life. I know I'm asking for a lot, but a girl can dream...can't she? Until the day my Mr. Right makes himself known to me, the two songs I'll be humming and singing are "When You Wish Upon a Star" and "Someday My Prince Will Come".