Saul and Chelsia: Over the Moon and Back: An Untraditional Valentine’s Day

Love was in the air in American Samoa on Valentine’s Day. The kids were allowed to alter their uniforms to wear a red or pink shirt instead of the traditional white. Candy Grahams were being sent from student to student throughout the day. I even had Chelsia write a nice Valentine’s Day message to the kids on my whiteboard (my writing is terrible). Chelsia’s students went as far as to all pitch in and get her a nice basket with candy, chips, and other festive treats. Her students really love her! And not to brag, but when the WorldTeach director was here she gave Chelsia the highest praise of any teacher and said that any student ANYWHERE would be lucky to have her. Sorry, enough bragging about my wife.

As with any holiday in American Samoa, absolutely nothing got done during the day in school, so both Chelsia and I let our kids watch movies in class. It was a pretty easy and carefree day at Leone High School.

Valentine’s Day was also the day of American Samoa’s island wide Accounting Competition which I had been gearing my kids up for with tutoring sessions over the past week. The competition was held over in town and I didn’t get to go, but I did have four of my students (out of 6 total from our school) participate. They didn’t come in first place, but they did surprise Chelsia and me with a thank you gift of a nice McDonald’s lunch for tutoring them anyway. It was nice getting to spend lunch on Valentine’s Day in my newly air conditioned room eating McDonald’s with my wife.

We knew that Valentine’s Day at home would be a little different this year since Addie was living with us, so instead of the traditional romantic dinner we decided to cook a ~~Thanksgiving~~ Valentine’s Day Feast! We did the whole works. Turkey (our second that we never cooked after the Turkey Run), stuffing, macaroni and cheese, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy, and even a homemade coconut cream pie for desert.

Chelsia and I have a tradition on Valentine’s Day where we watch the movie Ghost, starring Patrick Swayze and Whoopi Goldberg. This was something that we were able to keep alive here in American Samoa even though our two was three. At the end of the night after our delicious feast, we all crowded around the computer monitor we have set up on our coffee table and watched a romantic love story that transcends time (yes I’m talking about that Ghost).

Our Valentine’s Day fun was extended a bit when we got a package from my family a little after Valentine’s Day (mail takes forever to get to our new P.O. Box!). They sent us a nice son and daughter “in law” card (my mom always finds the perfect cards) and lots of CANDY!! They even sent Addy a card and her own box of candy since they knew she was with us. Lucky for her because she wasn’t getting any of ours ;-)

We couldn’t have asked for a better first Valentine’s Day as a married couple. It may not have included a romantic dinner out on the town or dozens of red roses, but I know it will be one we look back fondly on for the rest of our lives.

-S

McDonald's for lunch. It was a great surprise!

Some of Chels' students with their depiction of us on the board.

Chels' "decorated" chalk board.

Brownie followed Isaac all the way down to school and ended up in Chels' classroom so that our neighbors (also one of Chels' students) could walk her back home.