THOSE people…

It’s official. We’ve become “those” people. Micah and I have officially become the couple where we each pick out our own birthday gifts…

Here’s the thing. Micah hates planning surprises. He doesn’t like the pressure of planning something in advance if he is not sure the recipient will like it. I think I really solidified his hatred that one year he surprised me with tickets to a Kellie Pickler concert when he thought he was giving me tickets to Taylor Swift (this is when she was a newbie and Micah had no idea). Needless to say, I didn’t know who Kellie Pickler was at the time and I was the biggest birthday brat ever. It was ugly. I was ugly.

And that is why I have never been surprised by Micah since.

Actually, that’s not true. He goes with safe, sweet surprises like that one time I was walking into the house from the gym and caught him driving away in my car – to go wash and vacuum it for me. Or that one time last week when he brought me a completely unexpected flower at the start of date night.

But when it comes to birthdays there will be no surprises. I have come to realize that I need to be okay with that… and this year I fully EMBRACED this truth.

So…. let me back track almost TWO months. My sister and I are making our annual visit to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. We are perusing the watches and I fall in love….with a watch. Micah and I have already discussed getting me a watch for my birthday and I know I have found “the one.” After trying it on, I hand it back to the sales lady and mention that I might bring my husband back to look at it later that week. She tells me their supply is low, so I should bring him in immediately since their stock doesn’t get replenished during the sale. I used to work at Nordstrom, so I know she’s not lying. That’s when I get my brilliant idea… I think, “What if I just buy it now for my birthday in, oh, seven weeks, and I can take it back if Micah doesn’t like it?” So I swipe the family debit card and go home with my watch. The more I think about it on the drive home, the more I think Micah is going to LOVE my purchase. I mean, I just made my birthday so painless for him. When he gets home later that day, I start giggling… “I did something funny, but I think you are going to like it.” As soon as I tell him about my purchase, he starts laughing too and then looks at me sheepishly and says “I doooo like it.” I show him the watch and he is sold.

Actually, the watch was sold. And he was the buyer.

So we came home and put the little watch box in his sock drawer and there is sat for seven long weeks. I faithfully wore my old watch every day, getting more and more excited for the new one. Well, finally the day arrived. Allow me to introduce you to my new friend!!!

Trying it on for the first time at Nord… back in JULY!

I love the way this watch ties my ring together with my other jewelry – since I usually wear gold accessories. I used to think mixing silver and gold was ugly and something only old people did, but a few years back I realized that old people have the best fashion sense – and now I TRY to dress like an old person. Hence, my granny chic birthday watch!

So I’ve decided I’m fully on board with the pick-your-own-present thing. You don’t have to deal with
disappointment or returns and your husband doesn’t have to deal with the pressure of gift-buying. It’s a win/win if you ask me. I used to think couples who used this method were lame, but then I went shopping last May with my friend, Lisa, to pick out her Mother’s Day cheeseboard, which her husband told her to go pick out for herself. I started to see the light… she picked out exactly what she wanted and she loves it.

And I love it. This gift-giving method that is.

In fact, I love it so much that when Micah told me last week that he also wanted to get me my long-awaited TCU license plate for my birthday, I had no qualms about gratefully accepting his credit card and ordering it online.

I even wrote myself a gift message when checking out:

Happy Birthday, Jen! I love you, Micah.

Done and done. It was a very merry birthday, indeed. And both Micah and I are happy to be “those people.”

*Oh, and Gussy’s readers, my store of choice would have to be Nordstrom, because you can get EVERYTHING there. Great shoes. A variety of clothes. They have trendy, more affordable stuff in their juniors department but as I get older I find myself exploring other departments and finding cute clothing there as well. And they have great swimsuits and work out clothes. And a great cosmetics section. And the BEST return policy ever. And they are sooo nice. I don’t even buy most of my clothes there (that would be Banana Republic – because everything at BR fits me so well and matches my granny chic style…and their sales are rockin’!) but if I had to choose one store for the rest of my life it would have to be Nordstrom for its variety and great customer service!