Valentines and Memories of Years Past : My Top 3 Monthly Contest - Top 3 Date Night

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@yourtop3
Your Top 3 Monthly Contest 💞February🥂 2020 {Share Your Top 3 To Win A STEEM Prize}

This is my entry into this month’s Top 3 contest.

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My All Time Favorite Date Night

OH WHAT A RELIEF IT WAS!

Early into my marriage, I landed a great job. But it was extremely stressful. I was experiencing a particularly hectic week. My constant complaining elicited the usual sympathy for a hard-working wife overworked and underpaid. After three days, my stress level was high.

On Thursday, I received a call from the receptionist stating my husband was in the lobby. That was a total surprise. He wanted to take me on a lunch date. Lunch break was an hour, so I readily agreed. He didn't indicate where we were headed.

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Image by Annie Spratt from Unsplash

A few blocks later, we pulled into the Park. I was puzzled why we were there. Then I thought how nice; we were having lunch in the Park. Silent, he took my hand and led me to the merry-go-round and told me to jump on. Laughing, I did, and he pushed me around, until I was dizzy. Then we headed over to the seesaw. By now, my office problems seemed trivial. Finally, we entered the swings. It hadn't been on playground equipment in years. Imagine the looks on the other children's faces. An absolutely memorable lunch break.

To spend the middle of the day in the Park was the most enjoyable lunch date. I still remember every detail of that hour together. It was also a turning point for me. We talked on the way back. He told me something that helped me through the next 35 years of working:

Work is not your life.
Family is what matters.
Don’t let stress rule you.

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My Second Favorite Date

THREE TIMES THE CHARM

My second favorite date night was actually an all-day event. This was a Valentine's celebration. It was a total surprise the way the day unfolded. I woke to find an envelope on my dresser. I knew it was Valentine's Day, so I took my time getting settled with coffee before opening my card.

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I was surprised because the card was actually a different type of greeting card. The message was a beautiful one, full of sentiment about our early years together. Not only was the card a surprise, it transported me back to the beginning of our relationship. I thought about the message all the while I was busy with my daily routine.

Then, at lunchtime, he called. I suspected the purpose was to see whether I'd read the card and my thoughts. He actually called to say he had a gift for me. But I needed to retrieve it from the closet. I thought he'd bought me a new outfit. After finding the gift, it was another greeting card. This time the message focused our life together up to that point. Finished reading it, I called back, and we discussed both cards. We compared notes on the memories that each one evoked.

It's amazing how two different interpretations were derived from reading the same cards. The giver, and the memories or emotions that prompted him to select that particular card. The recipient, and the emotions or memories felt upon reading it. We didn't make any plans for that day, so I wasn't expecting any.

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Finally, upon arriving home, he presented me with yet a third card. This time the card was a large one, and felt like an actual gift was included. The Valentine's card was beautiful. Inside was an invitation to dinner at our favorite restaurant and a gift card to my favorite clothing outlet.

This was an eventful Valentine's Day filled with old memories and the making of new ones as I kept all three cards and other memorabilia from that day safely stored. It was so much fun to retrieve, revisit, and share them today.

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My Third Favorite Date Night

FAMILY VALENTINE'S CELERATION

My third best date night remembrance was for our decision to have all our family together. This celeration included our parents who were still with us. My family loves to have gatherings in a buffet setting. So we decided to arrange a get-together in our favorite buffet restaurant.

I can't locate a picture of this particular event, but the restaurant was on a sle such as this one:

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Image by Jinsoo Choi from Unsplash

We all chose different items from the buffet. The good thing about a buffet for a large family is that there is something on the menu for everyone. And the desserts are usually the first items the kids spot upon arrival.

I've found the prices to be reasonble at the buffet-style restaurants I've attended, such as Golden Corral. My family enjoyed the outing. Valentine cards and gifts were given to parents. The only obstacle was trying to get everyone together. But it was a great day that turned out well.

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Thanks,
@justclickindiva

Happy rest of the week everyone with whatever your endeavors.


SOURCES:
a) JustClickin PHC signature created by and purchased from @zord189.
b) Unless otherwise noted, all photos taken by me with my (i) Samsung Galaxy 10" Tablet, (ii) Samsung Phone, & (iii) FUJI FinePix S3380 - 14 Mega Pixels Digital Camera
c) Purple Butterfly part of purchased set of Spiritual Clip Art for my Personal Use
d) Separator Lines Free ClipArt Belt from Public Domain Vectors & ShadedLine from ClipArt-Library
e) All Tribe logos used with permission of Tribe Discord Channel admins.

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25 comments
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Lovely memories!

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Why thank you @fionasfavorites for your kind words. I thought so, and was hoping others would see the meaning in them I saw. I know others have similar experiences for their keepsakes. I hope everyone in this lifetime gets to experience in their own way the relationship they desire.

Appreciate your support and encouragement. Have a lovely day.

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Wonderful memories treasured for ever, loved the idea of the cards throughout the day reflecting feelings by writing them down is so expressive. Well done and good luck with future memories you will make.

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After 48 years later, we do have plenty others, but for some reason, those just stick out so vividly. I realize how fortunate I am. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read my post @joanstewart because it's lengthy but I just didn't want to leave anything out.

Appreciate your continued support. Have a great day, and take care.

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Yes a long time with good memories mingled with tougher decisions in between, have a wonderful day.

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Hi @joanstewart Yes, can't have all good. And I've had some dozzies in between that made the good ones more memorable. He has been my rock through the past 48 years when the touch decisions needed to be made, and on his side of the family also I've supported his decisions which were not always popular, but right. He said just do what's right, then you'll never be accused of taking sides. That advice has served me well.

I appreciate your continued support and encouragement in all my projects, helping me on to Minnowhood.

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Hey, it’s Q here - the mascot of the Your Top 3 Contest - just swinging by to say thanks for these awesome suggestions for our contest this month! I've given you an upvote and logged your nominations, ready for the dpoll - keep an eye on our blog for the dpoll post!

Make sure you set your post payout to 50/50. You keep the SP and then transfer the STEEM and/or SBD (whichever is paid out at the time) to @yourtop3 with a link to your blog post entry in the transfer memo. This is the minimum entry fee, but you can add as much as you like to it! The more you add, the more you can win.There is no maximum entry fee.

Not sure how to find your post payout? Look in your Steem Wallet under Author Rewards to find the exact payout for your post. In the example below you would send the 0.014 SBD and 6.587 STEEM over to the @yourtop3 account as your entry fee. Our panel take it from there and convert all of the prize pool to SBD for easy prize distribution at the end of the month!

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Yesterday after my post paid out, I transferred the required entry fee to @yourtop. Let me know if you have received it and if it was done correctly. Thank you again for the February contest. I had the most fun with the memories of years past and sharing them with everyone.

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Oh my goodness, what sweet memories! The first two are especially thoughtful. An afternoon feeling like a kid at the park in the middle of a stressful work day sounds like just the thing to break up the day with a positive lunch break. I always enjoy finding appropriate cards for loved ones on holidays, as well, so I love the idea of a few different ones to really express affection. Such a fun day of surprises! And of course nothing beats a meal shared with the whole family. Lovely to see you join us again this round!

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Hi @plantstoplanks Thanks for visiting my post and your nice words. Yes, those memories have forever been with me just as if they were yesterday. After 48 years togethr, those were extremely strong impressions. I'm so glad I kept all the memorabilia from those days. When I took the cards and other items down to scan them for this contest, I took time and re-read them. I laughed and cried all over again.

I'm glad to have found this great group of individuals at @yourtop3 to "hang out with".

I appreciate your support and encouragement. Have a great day, and take care.

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Well we are certainly very happy to have you hang out with us any time! 48 years! Wow, I can only even begin to imagine the memories in that time. My parents will hit 42 years this coming August, and I think my boyfriend's parents hit 44 years around the same time. I have learned a lot from their commitment to each other, and it is always enjoyable to hear some of the stories from before my sisters and I cam along. :)

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Hi @plantstoplanks Wow, that's amazing too. You can certainly watch and learn how they did it. That's a commitment for sure. The stories are endless. Then when they start repeating them, everyone has a good laugh.

My parents were together over 50 years before my mom passed away first, then my dad 18 months later.

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Wonderful times and memories @justclickindiva. I’m glad your husband was able to help with your stress on the job. Love the quote.

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Hello @redheadpei Thank you for taking the time to stop by and view my blog. I appreciate it. Yes, he helped then and has helped up until my retirement. He took in more than his share of complaints even when I forget for a while what he told me. He just reassured me and kept going. He's practical too. He had a lot of one liners that stopped me dead in my tracks whenever I tried to pull him down the rabbit hole. And at the end of it all, I always ended up laughing at myself.

Have a great Sunday and take care.

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That's so sweet. Sounds like you have a really romantic fella there, worth holding on to! xx

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Hi @riverflows Yes, he's so sweet in a quiet way. I've had him for 48 years now, so don't think I can get rid of him now. We're having too much fun in our second wind called "retired senior citizens."

Thank you for your continued support. I appreciate you taking the time to view my post. I know it was quite lengthy.

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Aw! He sounds like a romantic person! You must have felt tremendous love coming from him when you were given the cards. Let's one know that they are paying attention and do remember.

A day at the park is so much fun...and funny too lol. Come to think of it, they need to make adult size parks haha.

Thank you for your entry, it was fun to read :)

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Hi @foxyspirit Yes, he is in a quiet way. He doesn't express much, he shows it, and let the cards speak for him. I've learned that over the years. I had to decide whether I wanted a talker with no backbone behind it, or a doer. I chose the doer. And I've never regretted it. Family First, is his motto he sprouts to anyone who will listen

Did you see my post about our new RV and our retirement now what we do. It's like being on a permanent date without the kids, ha ha. I wanted to run away and live in an RV Park, but he said, EARTH to CHRIS! Get a Grip .

Appreciate the support and encouragement. Have a great day and take care.

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Awesome memories and stories here! Particularly enjoyed the first one as it's so true, if you let work and stress consume you, you miss out on all the fun and important things in life! Great quote from your husband there!

Good luck with the contest this month!

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Thanks so much @nickyhavey for taking the time to read my very lengthy post. I appreciate your support encouragement. Yes, my hubby has been my solid rock for the past 48 years. And I digressed, and fallen many times over the years, but he was always there to remind me of what was ahead for us in retirement. And it happened exactly like he said.

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This post was shared in the Curation Collective Discord community for curators, and upvoted and resteemed by the @c-squared community account after manual review.
@c-squared runs a community witness. Please consider using one of your witness votes on us here
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Hello @c-squared Thanks so much for stopping by and viewing my post. I appreciate the support of your community. I have added my vote for you as a witness. I think you do an awesome job on the blockchain.

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Thanks so much @c-squared for sharing my post in the Curation Collection Discord community. I appreciate the exposure and support of your community.

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