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 Kate and I celebrated an anniversary this week.  Not being married, there isn't a set in stone date to celebrate our shared companionship since we both live such independent lives together.  But, since I am such a hopeless romantic sentimentalist, I enjoy honoring certain days that we share as a couple.  (And, Kate loves it, too)  This week, we celebrated the day we met, May 18th, 2010 at Redwood Cafe in Fortuna.  We were introduced by a mutual  business colleague.  Kate was searching for someone to talk to about the whole social and political phenomenon of the local blog world and I, being a former blogger and daily reader of The Humboldt Herald, fit the bill.   Then, life happened and we began dating. Well, actually, we began working on numerous community projects together and somehow ended up watching daily episodes of Married With Children together.  So, I felt that fateful day in May was perfect to celebrate.
(Just to tell stories out of school, I admit I was smitten with Kate from the first "hello.")

Now, the gist of this posting is about what does one give as a gift to celebrate such milestones.  Much different than a birthday or Christmas gift, the anniversary gift is kinda special.   Since this is our 2nd anniversary, the traditional gift would have been made of cotton.  I thought about getting Kate a gallon-sized container of cotton balls or perhaps steal a bath towel from a hotel as a shared memory, but nah.  I gave her a Don Williams CD stemming from our conversations we had on dates at Las Caz Mexican Restaurant.    Oh, Hey!  This is the one time of year I get breakfast in bed.  Folks, that is BIG!  And, I love it.

Kate--I'm more of a celebrate throughout the year kind of gal.  I love giving gifts as I stumble upon them and usually can't wait more than a day after I purchase it to bestow it.  So I was stumped at what to give as an anniversary gift.  Spence is the sentimentalist in this relationship for sure (I USED to think I was until I met Spence.)  My gift:  A jar of Nutella (as a nod to our shared experience with an exchange student from France that we have been feeling nostalgic about lately) and a DVD of My Week With Marilyn I had rented and lost--then found--but not before I had to buy it  from the video store a few months ago.

I''m a terrible gift giver (at least at Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries).  Not because I don't have good ideas or because I don't think about people or because I dread it.  When I find something that I think is perfect for a friend I am unable to wait until the appropriate day.to give it.  Then I'm out of ideas for the day I want to give a gift. 

Spence, Happy Anniversary.
ILYB