• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Catholic Review

Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Menu
  • Home
  • News
        • Local News
        • World News
        • Vatican News
        • Obituaries
        • Featured Video
        • En Español
        • Sports News
        • Official Clergy Assignments
        • Schools News
  • Commentary
        • Contributors
          • Question Corner
          • George Weigel
          • Elizabeth Scalia
          • Michael R. Heinlein
          • Effie Caldarola
          • Guest Commentary
        • CR Columnists
          • Archbishop William E. Lori
          • Rita Buettner
          • Christopher Gunty
          • George Matysek Jr.
          • Mark Viviano
          • Father Joseph Breighner
          • Father Collin Poston
          • Robyn Barberry
          • Hanael Bianchi
          • Amen Columns
  • Entertainment
        • Events
        • Movie & Television Reviews
        • Arts & Culture
        • Books
        • Recipes
  • About Us
        • Contact Us
        • Our History
        • Meet Our Staff
        • Photos to own
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • CR Media platforms
        • Electronic Edition
  • Advertising
  • Shop
        • Purchase Photos
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • Magazine Subscriptions
        • Archdiocesan Directory
  • CR Radio
        • CR Radio
        • Protagonistas de Fe
  • News Tips
  • Subscribe

A Valentine’s Day proposal, chicken soup with rice, sending valentines, and more (7 Quick Takes)

February 13, 2020
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Open Window

Share
Share on Facebook
Share
Share this
Pin
Pin this
Share
Share on LinkedIn

~1~

Happy Valentine’s Day! Sixteen years ago today, John asked me to be his wife during a beautiful dinner at the Candlelight Inn in Catonsville, Md. I knew in advance he was going to propose. We had gone together weeks before to pick out a Claddagh ring.

There are times in life when surprises are wonderful, but I don’t need to be surprised to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime moment. I don’t recall John’s exact words, but I remember how he knew I wouldn’t want him to make a scene. Instead of going down on one knee, he sat at my side and told me how he loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. Then he gave me the ring.

Side by side. That’s how we sat the night we got engaged. It’s how we sat and knelt together on the altar at the Cathedral on our wedding day. And it’s how our marriage has worked in the best moments. I think, for example, of how we sat together for a thousand hours or so on our two trips to and from China to meet our baby boys.

~2~

If all goes well, this will be the first day in two solid weeks that both of our children have gone to school for the full day. If it doesn’t happen, I will blame this take for whatever occurs. But I will say that you should try to avoid the flu at all costs because it is a beast. Oh, and be careful with Tamiflu.

~3~

When all else fails, make a big pot of chicken and rice soup. Can anyone eat chicken soup with rice without reciting lines from the Maurice Sendak book?

In February, it is nice

While kids play on some cool device

To cook up chicken soup with rice.

Screentime once,

Screentime twice,

Screentime’s over. Pay the price.

~4~

I’m joining in this #FridayIntroductionsYourLoveStory feature on Instagram, and today’s theme is “A Dating Story.” I thought that would be easy until I went looking for photos of us from our dating days.

I could only find one, and it took me most of the week to find it. But by then I was on a tear! Hadn’t we dated? Did we just meet one day and get married the next? Did we never photograph ourselves?

I knew that couldn’t be the case, even though our courtship predated digital photography. I have always loved taking pictures, so they had to exist—even though most of our time together was just the two of us.

Finally, last night, I went looking one more time in a place I could have sworn I had checked, and there was an album that held photos of us way back in our dating phase. It didn’t have lots and lots, but it had some. So, we have proof that we dated after all. And I’ll share more about that on my Instagram account.

~5~

I may have written all my son’s valentines for him. I may have done a terrible job forging his signature, but they’re done—and that’s what matters.

Apparently, candy is banned this year in our fourth-grade classroom. But if that’s the rule, the teacher needs to announce it before I have already ordered the candy—especially during a week of sickness when all I can do is balance a full-time job, helping care for my children who are still recovering from illness, and making an occasional homemade meal. So, we’re giving allergy-friendly candy. Still, we’re giving it with love on the sweetest holiday of the year.

~6~

My friend Annie sent us a valentine with instructions not to open it until Feb. 14. It’s so exciting to have some anticipation around this lovely red envelope.

Meanwhile, my parents mailed us our valentines but sent them to the wrong address. I’m not even sure it’s an address that exists.

So, this is truly the Valentine’s Day of wonder and anticipation. And candy, of course.

~7~

Looking for a recipe to make this weekend? We ended up with lots of extra rice this week, so I made stuffed peppers, which I had forgotten are so good during the winter. I make ours with ground chicken.

Here’s the recipe if you’re looking for a good cold-weather meal.

If you read this far, I’m especially grateful for you.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

 

Read more quick takes at Kelly’s blog, This Ain’t the Lyceum!

Print Print

Share
Share on Facebook
Share
Share this
Pin
Pin this
Share
Share on LinkedIn

Primary Sidebar

Rita Buettner

View all posts from this author

| Recent Commentary |

Our faith is not afraid of questions

Artificial Intelligence, wholeism and prayer

Question Corner: Does reception of the Eucharist replace confession?

A butterfly lands on a flowering bush with purple blossoms

A Miracle for a Baby in Rhode Island (and for all of us)

Kids need lots of people who love them

| Recent Local News |

Archdiocese of Baltimore offers resources for parishes to assist migrants

Third annual gun buyback scheduled for Aug. 9

Driver arrested after crashing into entrance of Esperanza Center

Construction underway on new north addition to St. Joseph’s Nursing Home 

Prince of Peace merges with St. Francis de Sales in Harford County

| Catholic Review Radio |

CatholicReview · Catholic Review Radio

Footer

Our Vision

Real Life. Real Faith. 

Catholic Review Media communicates the Gospel and its impact on people’s lives in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and beyond.

Our Mission

Catholic Review Media provides intergenerational communications that inform, teach, inspire and engage Catholics and all of good will in the mission of Christ through diverse forms of media.

Contact

Catholic Review
320 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
443-524-3150
mail@CatholicReview.org

 

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent

  • Warsaw archbishop ‘devastated, crushed’ by priest’s arrest in brutal murder of homeless man
  • Jubilee of Youth chance to celebrate hope, fraternity in world at war, panel says
  • New York archdiocese sees hundreds of responses to ‘Called By Name’ program
  • Can’t afford a Catholic college? Think again. Many offer full tuition options
  • Detroit archbishop fires theologians Ralph Martin, Eduardo Echeverría from seminary
  • LA archbishop, joined by business leaders, starts fund to help families affected by ICE raids
  • FBI surveilled SSPX priest amid probe of suspected neo-Nazi’s plans for violence
  • Poland’s ‘living memorial’ to St. John Paul II marks 25 years of transforming lives
  • Our faith is not afraid of questions

Search

Membership

Catholic Media Assocation

Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association

The Associated Church Press

© 2025 CATHOLIC REVIEW MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

en Englishes Spanish
en en