As a teenager, I’ve never celebrated Valentine’s Day at a movie theatre, and never thought that a couple of years later, as a more matured person in a real relationship, I would actually be at a movie theatre with the love of my life on Valentine’s Day.

Hand in hand, walking up towards intimidating SilverCity, I kept repeating to Eli my disbelief that we were actually heading to the movies on Valentine’s Day like a couple of middle school kids!

Not that there was any movie we were intending to catch though. SilverCity just happened to be the most convenient location for us to carry on our Valentine’s Day tradition of fast food dinner. Yummy, guilt-free treat of fries and loads of ketchup.

The day was spent gallivanting in downtown Vancouver and doing our part as residents of the 2010 Olympic City, to partake of the festivities. We parked outside the City, walked Cambie Bridge, passed the Olympic Village, had a picnic lunch at False Creek and watched street performers do their stunts on Robson and Granville. Oh, we also lined up to get into one of those Olympic booths – a complete waste of time.

But, because of the way we spend Valentine’s Day, I know we can keep being Us for the rest of our lives.

Without doing anything spectacularly out of the ordinary where you feel like you have to top the previous year’s celebration, yet have a special day that you will look back with such fond memories, our Valentine’s Day is marked by a stem of red rose, a card that holds the sweetest words and dinner made up of food from a fast food joint. Oh, and a box of bling blings.

And this is what I like best about our February 14^th. These are the things I can see us still doing when we are gray-haired and when any display of affection on our part will severely gross out our grandchildren. We may never eat a heart-shaped something or dine off a Valentine’s Day special menu, but I know I will never tire of collecting and drying off single long-stem roses for many years to come.

I am also guessing that fast food establishments will continue to withstand the attack of healthy eating nut-zis, so we won’t have a problem continuing this tradition.

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We need not allow Valentine’s Day to become yet another Hallmark holiday. Eli and I did not spend a cent on our adventures for the day and still came home happy, loved and filled with great memories. It was sweet and romantic without having to spend too much. Our only expense was on the serving after serving of fries from Burger King!

Another indication that the world can do nothing to ruin our romance – our romance will still be strong even when we run out of money!