Play hooky

OK, do NOT follow this tip if your job or your partners job is hanging in the balance. But if you have racked up some vacation time, or if your employer allows you to take personal days from time to time, why not see if you can take Friday, Feb. 12 or Monday, Feb. 15 off and turn Valentines Day weekend into a three-day weekend for the two of you? Depending on where you live, the two of you could stroll through a park, walk on a beach, go snow-shoeing, take a rowboat or paddleboat out on a lake, or catch a matinee movie. You also could drive to a small town near your home or through neighborhoods you have never visited before and search for small, out-of-the-way places to eat or find public parks and open spaces for walks. You could do this at home, of course, or you could plan a short getaway that isnt prohibitively expensive. For ideas on how to line up reasonably priced accommodations and find other travel deals,