I’ve been out of town for a week, and when my husband, Bill, asked (via telephone while on assignment in Florida) if I wanted to do something “special” for Valentine’s Day, I said … no. I am physically and mentally beat, so my ideal day is not taking off my pajamas, watching “Snapped” and “Cheaters” marathons on TV and eating chili from the crock pot.

In my defense, I spent five days last week in Orlando touring theme parks with friends I only see once a year and another three in Pensacola doing interviews for the magazine I work for. In retrospect, I should have worked first and played after. File that little nugget under “Bad Idea #1429.”

Still, I don’t seem to be the only one who doesn’t make special plans for Valentine’s Day. We have in the past but, well, after nearly nine years of marriage, there’s so much more to a relationship. Scrolling my Facebook friends’ statuses, it’s pretty much the same. My sister-in-law spent the day with my nephew watching the Olympics and playing with the toys he got yesterday for his birthday. An old co-worker watched the Daytona 500 with her fiance. A girlfriend’s husband told her to “Get off her butt and fold the clothes.” And here’s my favorite from a high school friend: “choke on your candy, suffocate in your flowers, and cut an artery with your greeting cards.” Reality doesn’t just live in this household!

My daughter and I woke up early and cooked my husband breakfast in bed (eggs, sausage, fresh berries and sparkling cider), to which as soon as our daughter opened the door, my husband sat up in bed and blurted: “Is something burning?!” Nice. He bought me a bottle of cognac and spent the morning helping me iron clothes for an upcoming consignment sale. And our daughter has been watching the movie we got her and drinking the remaining sparkling cider from a champagne glass.

And yes, she’s still in her pajamas, too. I’m breaking open the cognac for a nip and settling in for yet another episode of “Cheaters.” Happy Valentine’s Day from one realist to another!