By TABATHA RENEGAR

Let’s face it, there is A LOT of pressure on our romantic partners to make Valentine’s Day special! With all the red, foil-wrapped candy, overpriced grocery store roses, and sappy jewelry commercials, it’s enough to make your heart skip a beat… and not for the right reasons! With that in mind, I reached out to some gal pals and asked, “When did Valentine’s Day not quite live up to the hype for you?” Here are their responses. Let’s see if you can relate!

Kelly:

“I received a dozen yellow carnations from a guy that professed to be in love with me. I asked why he sent me yellow flowers since yellow meant friendship! His response was that they were his favorites!! I didn’t tell him that, at that time, I had always associated carnations with funerals. As you can guess, not long after Valentine’s Day, our relationship died!  Also, my first husband proposed to me on Valentine’s, and we all know how that turned out. I think I would have preferred moldy chocolates instead!”

I am happy to report that Kelly is now happily married to a fantastic dude who knows better than carnations or yellow and who will undoubtedly get this holiday right!

Marion:

“It was our first Valentine’s Day living together, and it was a cold February day in North Carolina! You know, the wet cold that gets all the way into your bones?! I walked into the house from work around 5:30 p.m. and I was looking forward to a quiet and, well…. sexy warm night!! Instead, as I entered our home, I was met with a house full of smoke, open windows, and the ceiling fan going full blast! It was definitely a shock to several of my senses! My fiancé informed me that he had made a romantic fire in the fireplace but guess what? He forgot to open the flue! So naturally, what did he do? He panicked and picked up the burning logs with oven mitts and tossed them outside onto the back deck. Yes, the WOODEN back deck!”

Marion and Heinz are celebrating their 30th Anniversary this month and the deck still stands!

Rita:

“The only thing I can come up with is my special memories of 45 Valentine’s Days with the same man! Every year he makes his own card for me by hand and one from whatever doggies we are loving at that time. I have saved them all – Lots of silly!”

I know that the holiday will be special at Rita and Bill’s and that the cards from Scarlet and Clue will be better than anything Hallmark has ever printed!

Here’s wishing you and yours a peaceful, safe, and memorable-for-the-right-reasons Valentine’s Day!