What's special about today?

February 19 is just another blank box on my calendar. It comes after Valentine's Day, the anniversary of making covenants in the temple and my birthday - days that I definitely remember, days that were fabulous.

In history, February 19 was a pretty important day for some people. The Donner Party was rescued in 1847. President Roosevelt signed the executive order to allow Japanese internment camps in 1942. William Schroeder was the first patient to leave the hospital after receiving an artificial heart transplant in 1985.

So, what is special about today? Well, I may not feel as grateful to the depth that the Donner Party or Mr. Schroeder and his family probably felt, but I am grateful.

I have a wonderful husband who loves me deeply and shows me his love, not just on Valentine's Day or on my birthday, but everyday, even February 19.

the Chatterbox Pub

Pedro and I enjoyed a fun date night at a local restaurant popular for its family-friendly atmosphere, good food and creative entertainment. Before asking us if we wanted anything to drink, the host asked us what we wanted to play. They have dozens of board games you can choose from to play right at your table as you eat. So, with a strawberry lemonade, a rootbeer, a quesadilla and berry berry crepes, we began an exciting game of Battleship.

It was the luckiest and most intense game of Battleship I've ever played. I hit a ship every random guess until I sunk four of Pedro's five ships. Then, he started catching up. There were only three or four places left where his ship could have been when he found my last ship of two hits. But, then I found his last ship of three. YES! I still had hope if he didn't guess the direction right off . He didn't. One more to go on his . . . Then E8 sunk my last ship. With a grin, he said, "You win." At my confused look, he said, "Actually, you won a long time ago."

This husband of mine is such a tease. Every time I had hit his last ship, he moved it to a different place so the game would last longer.

A jolly holiday to rival Mary Poppins

We enjoyed real treat yesterday: a lovely 36* sunny afternoon. It was so beautiful and so warm, it would have been a crime not to take advantage of the blessing. So, we ditched the idea of deep cleaning our apartment or doing homework, threw on jackets and went for a walk in the park.

Como Park, about a mile away from our place, boasts a free zoo and conservatory, a lake and lots of walking/biking paths. The park was probably the most crowded it has been since the summer time. Everyone took advantage of the nice weather.

We had a jolly good time walking around the lake, breathing in the fresh air and getting a little exercise. We decided to check out the zoo, where we saw monkeys, lions, a tiger, a snow leopard, zebras, giraffes and sea lions. Nostalgia swept over me when I smelled the wax animal models I remember from Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake when I was a kid.

So, our apartment still needs a little cleaning and Pedro still has some homework to get done before class tomorrow, but we had a jolly little holiday in the park - one to rival Mary Poppins.

Hmmm, maybe she could come tidy up a bit - her style.