My Life as someone who use to hate Valentines Day

So my next blog I was planning on writing about how I was introduced and got in to heavy metal and hard music, but since we are close to Valentines Day, I decided to write this...

Just like the majority of single people I use to HATE Valentines Day, because it's just another day for me to be reminded that I was single. Sure I would just say; "Yeah I'm cool, now I can just stay home and do nothing for the night". But deep down I was thinking; "I wish I had someone to celebrate Valentines Day with." 

Of course there was elementary school, when every one received a Valentines card from each member in the class. We may have just put random Valentines in each classamtes envelope but I use to save the one, that was the most mushy and lovely for the girl I had a crush on, in the class (come on admit it we all did that). Not only did we all get Valentines, but it was a day, in which we got to eat; candy, cupcakes, ice cream, fruit punch, and if you were lucky and had a cool teacher you had pizza. So Valentines Day back in elementary school was a fun day. But after elementary school, Valentines Day just began to suck...

Once we all got into Jr. High and High School for those of us who were not really that popular with the opposite sex, Valentines Day was a sad reminder that you are not loved by anyone (that is someone who is not a family member; i.e, your mom). But at the Jr. High and High Schools I attended there would be Valentine grams you could buy for your "sweetheart" or for your secret crush, which then no longer was a secret crush. These Valentine grams would usually consist of a piece  or a rose, along with a little note. Of course all the popular, good looking kids would always get a gram. And of course there was that one girl (you know the one), who would get around 50 of these grams throughout the day, and her response was always, "Oh my gosh I can't believe it who would give me a Valentine gram". but her facial expression usually showed, "Look at me I'm so pretty." Throughout my Jr. High and High school years I never received one of these grams. One time one was delivered to me in my class (because they always had the cheerleaders deliver these sorry excuse for a fund raiser), but when I saw the name it said to, "Jason" but it was not Arellano, it was for another Jason in class, the girl then took it away, with a look on her face towards me that said; "I'm sorry" and gave the Valentine gram to one the other Jason in the class. So hopefully there are others out there who went through the same thing as me, if so I'm sorry and I know it sucks.

Now jumping ahead to our adult years as being single on Valentines Day. As an adult (for single people) on Valentines Day it doesn't get much better. Valentines Day for single people is pretty much "Single Awareness Day". Most of the time Valentines Day for me as a single guy was sitting on the couch eating, watching TV and movies. Now when I was working at a church they use to have a Valentines Couples Dinner. Being that there was couples there, that also meant people needed child care. So I would be asked to get help from others (which meant other singles) and watch the kids. Now nothing against those kids (I loved them all), but I have to be honest with you and for those of you who knew me then, I'm sorry, but I absolutely hated doing this. It was also real difficult to get people to help with this, because they would tell me the same thing I was thinking; "No, it's just a reminder that I'm single." And I would agree with them, on a few occasions I would have around 30 kids (ages 1-16, the teenagers would help out with the babies), all by myself. The night would usually consists of pizza and watching Veggie Tales. There were a few couples who would come up to me and say; "I'm sorry you have to do this, because you're just being reminded that you're single". And I would say, "Yep". So my days as a single would continue until the Valentines Day of 2010...

Jump ahead to February 2010. During this time I was on staff at Calvary Chapel Upland, I was in my office studying for teaching, when I was told there was a phone call for me. So I picked up the line and it was an old friend who use to attend CCU Kristen Lundquist. First she asked me how things were going with me, I told her they were fine. She then asked me a question that I had been asked way too many times before; "Sooooo are you seeing anyone". After she asked this all these thoughts were going through my head such as; "Oh great here we go again." Now in the past people would want to "set me up" with someone and usually this person was between 10-20 years older than me, had some serious issues, or was just straight out crazy. So when Kristen told me this was not optimistic at all. But as she was telling me about this girl, she actually sounded like someone who I'd like to hang out with and meet. So I got her phone number and email (by the way the little sheet of paper I wrote her name and email on I still have on my wallet), her name was Jeanette (later I found out she spells it Jenette). So after I studied I sent Jeanette (that's how I spelled it in the first email). From there I went to Upland Jr. High School to teach at the Bible club. I got back from the office and there was no email. The next day I did receive a email back from Jenette, from there we just kept on emailing each other back and forth for the remainder of the week. So we finally decided to have a date. Now because we both had busy schedules, the only evening we both had open the following week was Sunday February 14, 2010. So that day I will be honest I was nervous the whole day that I couldn't eat. So the time finally came to pick her up. Now through the emails, Jenette had mentioned a couple things. The first thing was that she said Valentines was just a normal day for her and that I should not do anything special and second she was a huge USC fan. When I told some lady friends this they told me, "No Valentines is not a normal day she does not mean that". So I went and bought her a dozen roses in USC colors and a USC plush football (which for me was very difficult to do being that I'm a UCLA fan). So I knocked on her door and was greeted by her roommate who informed me that Jenette was not ready (which is still normally the case now). After around 20 minutes Jenette came out, and I was blown away by her beauty, I went to shake her hand, but she gave me a hug, which in her family hugs are the norm. From there we went to Starbucks for coffee. Jenette got a tall decaf caramel macchiato and I got a grande americano (which kept me up all night). We ended up talking for almost 3 hours, it would of been longer but they were closing. So being that we were both hungry we went down to King Taco and ended up talking for another hour because they were closing too. Well to not make a long story even longer, it's now 5 years later and we've been married for 4 years and 3 months have a beautiful 2 year old daughter and a daughter to be born any day now. So in closing if you're single don't be discourged it will happen all in God's time, I thought it would never happen for me, but it did. So now I love Valentines Day and ever since then we always go to Starbucks and King Taco on Valentines Day, except for this year we found a new coffee place Auggies in Claremont. I consider myself so blessed to have a wife like Jenette she came into my life at the perfect time. I love her so much, for so much, but most importantly for being my wife and for being the mother of my daughter and soon to be daughters.