surprised...

to say the least.

lois and i went out for our valentine's dinner last night. we figured we'd beat the crowds and impending cold and snow by celebrating two days early.

what did we get each other? well, lois gave me a bag of belvedere chocolate truffles and a gift card. and i...redeemed some miles for two tix to belize. last month, i mentioned wanting to go there in late may. well, those plans have changed. two weeks after that blog posting, american airlines and citicards announced their quarterly reduced mileage destinations (i.e., go somewhere for 5000 miles less). and wouldn't you know it, there were latin american destinations. so...instead of having to redeem 60,000 miles for two award tix, it only took 50,000...and $30 extra for having to book them via phone. still, 10,000 miles or $30...definitely a no-brainer.

keeping the trip secret for the last ten days was nearly impossible. lois has been aching to go somewhere tropical since december. and the belize research i had been conducting online was so surreptitious, i was erasing the history on a daily basis. you'd think i was sneaking porn or sumpin'...

anyway, we're leaving next friday (23rd). i cannot wait to escape the cold and snow. i know we're finally having a typical winter (after many unseasonably warm and dry ones)...but i am just fed up. did you know that the average february high in belize is 80° and the low...71°?

wish we could stay 'til april ;)