Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Whether or not you're celebrating, I hope you have a great day. We're not really doing anything that special, mostly since we're going out of town next week and are just waiting until then to celebrate. Here are some more fun little factoids about the holiday... enjoy!

1. Wearing a wedding ring on the fourth finger of the left hand dates back to ancient Egypt, where it was believed that the vein of love ran from this finger directly to the heart.


2. In America, the pilgrims sent confections, such as sugar wafers, marzipan, sweetmeats and sugar plums, to their betrothed. Great value was placed on these gifts because they included what was then a rare commodity, sugar. After the late 1800's, beet sugar became widely used and more available, and sweet gifts continued to be valued and enjoyed.


3. Cupid, another symbol of Valentines Day, became associated with it because he was the son of Venus, the Roman god of love and beauty. Cupid often appears on Valentine cards holding a bow and arrows because he is believed to use magical arrows to inspire feelings of love.


4. In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.


5. In the United States, 64 percent of men do not make plans in advance for a romantic Valentine's Day with their sweethearts.


6. In Victorian times it was considered bad luck to sign a Valentine's Day card.


7. In Wales, wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favorite decorations on the spoons. The decoration meant, "You unlock my heart!"


8. It wasn't until 1537 that St. Valentine's Day was declared an official holiday. England's King Henry VIII declared February 14th a holiday.


9. 15% of U.S. women send themselves flowers on Valentine's Day.


10. 73% of people who buy flowers for Valentine's Day are men, while only 27 percent are women.


11. About 1 billion Valentine's Day cards are exchanged each year. That's the largest seasonal card-sending occasion of the year, next to Christmas.


12. About 3% of pet owners will give Valentine's Day gifts to their pets.


13. Teachers will receive the most Valentine's Day cards, followed by children, mothers, wives, and then, sweethearts.


14. Children ages 6 to 10 exchange more than 650 million Valentine's cards with teachers, classmates, and family members.


15. The heart is the most common symbol of romantic love. Ancient cultures believed the human soul lived in the heart. Others thought it to be the source of emotion and intelligence. Some believed the heart embodied a man's truth, strength and nobility. The heart may be associated with love because the ancient Greeks believed it was the target of Eros, known as Cupid to the Romans. Anyone shot in the heart by one of Cupid's arrows would fall hopelessly in love. Because the heart is so closely linked to love, it's red colour is thought to be the most romantic.


16. The Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare's lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet every Valentine's Day.

Kissology 101

With Valentine's coming in a couple days, I thought I would post a little kissing trivia for your reading enjoyment. I found these in the newspaper today.

1. Anthropologists estimate that 90 percent of the world's people engage in kissing.


2. Half of all people have their first kiss before the age of 14.


3. Humans aren't the only species to exhibit kissing behavior. Bonobo apes kiss one another frequently, and many mammals nuzzle and lick each other's faces. Many species of birds also exhibit beak-to-beak behavior sometimes interpreted as kissing. (I defer to Melissa on the birds thing - is it really interpreted as kissing?)


4. The average woman will kiss 79 guys before she's married. (Okay, I don't know about you, but I am way way under average here. I don't think Eric minds though.)


5. A man who kisses his woman goodbye every morning averages a higher income than a guy who doesn't.


6. The average one-minute kiss burns 26 calories.


7. Kissing is a complex behavior that requires the use of 34 muscles.

Tag...I'm it

Well, I've been tagged by Lani. I think, as long as you don't get bombarded with them, that these things can be great at letting others know a little more about you. Not that there is anything too exciting about me to tell. I have fun reading little tidbits about others on their blogs, so hopefully you'll enjoy this at least a little.

ERIC & HOLLY

How long have you been together?
Our story is rather unique, but let's just say we've been together between 5 and 6 years, depending on how the reckoning is done.

How long did you date?

Again, unique situation. The term "courting" might be more accurate, but we "dated" for about a year.How old is he?He is 27, and almost exactly 14 months younger than me. And let me tell you, younger men are the best. Some of you know what I'm talkin' about. And you better believe that I play up the "old card" whenever I can. For example, "No, I can't shovel today, I'm too old."

Who eats more?

It's about the same, unless you're talking about Haribo Gummy Bears. If so, then lookout, I win big time.

Who said I love you first?

He did, but is wasn't "said," it was written in a letter (not an email, an actual physical letter).

Who sings better?

Me. But if you're talking about anything else in the field of music, he by far out performs me.

Who is smarter?

Well, knowing he reads this blog I can't be too mean (or honest), so I'll just say that it depends on the subject matter. I have done better on IQ tests though...whatever that means. =) Although he did propose to me, so that shows how smart he is (no laughing - I meant that as a good thing).

Who does the Laundry?

Well, if it ever gets done, I do it. And that's a big if. Sometimes I would rather just throw away our clothes when they get dirty and start over with new ones.

Who does the dishes?

He usually does. He's nice that way. He knows that washing dishes is my least favorite job in the house. Honest. I would rather scrub a toilet. It doesn't help that we don't have a dishwasher - not by choice, that's the horror of renting. He often has a little helper though (which actually makes the job take longer). I feel the same way about dishes as clothes, I would almost rather throw them away than wash them. Paper plates you say? I know, I could, but they lack a certain charm and sophistication don't you think?

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?

Eric does.

Who pays the bills?

We both do. That way not just one of us is stuck with that horrible job.

Who mows the lawn?

He does. He likes doing yard work. I think it's because it means we have some kind of yard to speak of. He sometimes has a helper with this job too.

Who cooks dinner?

Cook? What? Just kidding. I usually do, but anyone who knows us know we both love to cook. Sometimes he gets after me for not letting him do it more often. For me, it's just the dishes after that are a chore. Desserts are our specialty. Come by some time and we'll show you.

Who is more stubborn?

Hello? Red hair anyone?!! I am way more stubborn than he is. I am leaps and bounds ahead of where I was when I was younger (sorry Mom and Dad...and John...and Jill... and Michael...and anyone else I've offended through the years).

Who kissed who first?

We're a little weird. Newsflash I know. But, our first kiss was right after he proposed. He initiated it, but I think we both enjoyed it. =)

Who asked who out first?

A common theme here is that our story was unique. I'll just say that it was fairly mutual. I mean, I threatened, and then he asked - all perfectly mutual. J/K. We mostly got to know each other through letters while on our missions, so by the time we had our first "date" it was definately a joint decision.

Who proposed?

He did...in German...in Las Vegas...before anyone in my family had met him...and only a month after he got home from his mission. But again, I threatened first. =)

Who is more sensitive?

Well, if you've ever seen me while watching a penguin movie shortly after giving birth while still trying to figure out the emotional roller coaster that motherhood is, you'd know it's me.

Who has more siblings?

In my family there are 4 and in his there are 6, so he does by two, but his mom was in the hospital giving birth the same number of times as my mom. Confused? It's because Eric is a triplet.

Who are you tagging?

I will tag Christy and Craig & Robin.

Name Calling

Eric has been home a lot more in the past few days than usual. No, I'm not complaining about that, just prefacing my story with it. He's actually been home sick, so it hasn't been as fun as it sounds. Anyway, yesterday I was playing with Emma and tickling her foot with some of my hair, and she was giggling really cute. Sometimes when Eric or I wrestle with Emma or gang up on her etc. as we play, she'll call out to the other one for help (help mommy or help daddy). So, as I was playing with Emma, I turned to Eric and said, "Hey Eric, look." He looked, and then Emma started saying, "Eric help, Eric help." Well, a more phoenetically correct spelling would be "airwick help, airwick help." I've never heard her call him Eric before. I know that all kids eventually learn that mom and dad have other names, and maybe most learn this before Emma did, but it was so funny. I realized that I'm not very good at refering to Eric as "daddy." I only do it when I'm talking to Emma about him. If I'm just saying something to him, whether Emma's in the room or not, I call him Eric. I've discovered that I'm not as careful around Emma with what I say as I should be anyway. Don't worry, she's not swearing or anything (and I'm not either...usually), but she'll also use words like "butt" instead of "bum"... you get the idea. I'm always impressed with the parenting skills of my friends and family, and how guarded and disciplined they are. Maybe it's not a matter of discipline, but just a matter of them really being that good (except for a couple of you... you know who you are). Wow. I guess I need to work on it some more.