The Birthday Legacy.

I like to think I'm a wizard with birthday presents. I can have a person in my mind and easily come up with a gift for them that I think they would like. Usually I get a warm and enthusiastic response from the recipient. There is one person, however, that I have incredible trouble with finding them a present. That person just so happens to be my husband.

One of the first birthday gifts I gave him is now an Apples to Apples card in his family's house. I wanted to get him something useful, so I got him a five subject notebook. He accepted the gift graciously, but I still felt bad that it didn't have any bells or whistles or pizzazz. Luckily, he forgot about this gift by the next time his birthday rolled around.

The second birthday gift I got H. was something that I had put a lot of thought into. He was having a sore neck recently, so I got him one of those memory foam pillows. The minute the wrapping paper came off, H. said to me, "Is this a joke?"  I was crestfallen. Apparently he can't get to sleep when using a memory foam pillow. I felt so bad that I wanted to make up for it, and fast. The next time I saw him, I had a variety pack of his favorite kind of beer. As it turns out, one of those new flavors is now his absolute favorite.

The third birthday gift I got H. was actually pretty great. I had noticed his old wallet was literally coming apart at the seams, so I found a nice replacement wallet. He really liked the wallet, but I felt like it was cheating - I didn't exactly come up with a new idea.

This year, I had a good idea. Not great, but pretty good. H.'s headphones had lost their battle with the washing machine (from this day forward I will double check his super deep pockets), so I ordered him a new set that were exactly like mine. I ordered the same model because on our last trip to Texas he borrowed my headphones for the flight. Instead of pink ones, I ordered him white ones. As he was opening up the package, he jokingly asked if these were the same as my crappy pink ones. Turns out he didn't like the way sound came out of my headphones. I cast off the shocked feeling and vowed to find him a better birthday present.

His present arrived yesterday. I painted some colorful stripes on a piece of paper, then wrapped up his gift. Watching him open it was killing me - I just really wanted to make up for the awful gift a week before. He absolutely loved what I got him, and I was so proud of myself for finding something useful and awesome.

Can for perspective.

Up close of the rocks. They feel so smooth!

These are small cubes of granite that come in a velvet pouch. You put them in the freezer, then use them as ice cubes. I learned early on in our marriage that H. does not like adding ice to many (if any) beverages because they dilute the flavor of the substance in the glass. These rocks are easy to rinse off, they dry quickly, and 'freeze' fast to boot. H. said that these rocks are "awesome", and that makes me happier than getting a five subject notebook for my birthday.