I happened to be listening to Kentucky Sports Radio’s pregame show while working on a little chalk paint project on my Saturday. They were talking about Valentine’s Day, and that it happened to fall on a Wednesday — the same night of the UK/Auburn game. The guys were discussing how to handle the two big events on the same evening. Usually my audience is mostly women, but I had to take the opportunity to offer up my two cents on the topic for any of you guys that might be reading. Keeping in mind this is my opinion.

First and foremost, I think it’s important to note I am a UK basketball fan (a real UK fan, Matt, not the people who say they’re a UK fan and abandon our Cats after a few losses in a row. Those folks are fans of winning, not of UK). To show my UK basketball love and dedication, I will share something with you: Kyle Macy was my first crush. It was real, people. I was six-years-old and I still remember watching him shoot free throws, with that sock thing he did before taking the free throw shot. That’s love. At least to a six-year-old. Swoon.

Second, I am a chick, so maybe I can offer up another point of view than the guys at KSR. I think it was Matt who said Valentine’s Day absolutely had to be celebrated on Valentine’s Day. I disagree. And I believe it was Ryan who said because Valentine’s Day fell on a Wednesday, you could theoretically celebrate the weekend before or the weekend after. Also, disagree. Sort of.

By all means — WATCH THE UK BASKETBALL GAME!

That being said, just because you watch the game, doesn’t mean you have to be lame regarding Valentine’s Day. Nobody needs to spend the night in the figurative doghouse. It just requires a little planning ahead on your part. In my opinion, while you don’t have to celebrate Valentine’s Day on the actual day, I recommend celebrating the weekend before. That way it doesn’t look like an afterthought and it shows you cared enough to plan in advance. Things like that mean something to us, fellas. I also don’t recommend the usual card and roses routine, unless there’s something else to go along with that bouquet and card. Take your love out to an amazing dinner. Something nice. Some place that perhaps requires making reservations and that uses cloth napkins. Again, shows you planned ahead and cared enough so you don’t have to wait for a table. Being a Kentucky fan also means supporting locally owned establishments (in my opinion), and I have to agree with Ryan on this — I LOVE Rodney’s on Broadway in Georgetown. I live in Georgetown, love and support Georgetown and there are several really good restaurants and shops here. Ryan talks about Rodney’s all the time and for once, he actually got this one right (bless your heart, Ryan) . Go to Rodney’s. You must. But if you can’t go to Rodney’s, try to go to a nice locally owned restaurant. It’s just a nice thing to do to support those in your community, right?

Now that we’ve covered the flowers, card, and dinner thing, let’s move on to something more adventurous: real gifts. We don’t want coupons for massages, to have you wash the dishes, or do the laundry, okay? If you’re thinking along those lines, just stop it. Stop it right now. I’m going to offer up some suggestions, sticking to my “pro-Kentucky” feelings. Yeah, I’m going to say it — most women like clothes. I get it, guys. We’re hard to shop for and most of us realize that we are. Again, I’ll use my Georgetown go-to’s that I frequent. Two stores I really like are located in downtown Georgetown, em + me and Adorabelles. You might think, “I can’t get to Georgetown!” That’s okay, friend. You can shop online at both stores. I love both of these boutiques because, well, they’re boutiques. They have super cute clothes, a variety of styles, and they aren’t going to be the same clothes you see at other, bigger stores. If you do make it to Georgetown and you have no idea what to buy, I am certain they would be happy to help you pick something out. You could also make a day of it — take your sweetheart to Georgetown and browse the shops for the afternoon and stop by the boutiques and then on to Rodney’s for dinner. She may find a cute top while you’re at em + me or Adorabelles and think it’s too much to spend on herself (even though it’s not) so she won’t purchase it. Buy it for her. Trust me. Or maybe you hit the jackpot with your significant other and she’s as much a Kentucky fan as you are (in which case she is probably going to watch the game with you on Valentine’s Day anyway) she might like some of the Simply Southern/Kentucky-themed gifts at Kentucky Branded.

But perhaps these ideas aren’t enough, maybe you want to go the distance on this. Well, I have another suggestion: How about a romantic weekend at Cumberland Falls? A dear friend when asked said, “I would pick Cumberland Falls. They have lodging there and the park is perfect for romantic walks and picnics. Of course the falls themselves are spectacular and are known for their “moonbow”. What more romantic spot than to be at the falls in the dark with your sweetie?” Yeah. I know. He’s perfect. He sets the bar high for the rest of you. If Cumberland Falls doesn’t float your boat (see what I did there?) there are many other beautiful state parks in Kentucky. You can read up on all of them and see all that each offers on the Kentucky State Park website.

To sum up, my advice is to make plans the weekend before the UK/Auburn game. Whatever you end up doing or buying, put some thought into and make it special. That’s really all we want — to know you cared enough to plan ahead and put thought into whatever you do for us. She’s worth the effort, right?

*This was not a sponsored post. All suggestions and ideas were my own except the Cumberland Falls recommendation from Mr. Perfect. Go BBN!