Monday, February 16, 2009

Mark Did Good

I bet no one thought they'd see a title complimenting Mark! I didn't either. But, I have to give the man credit where credit is due. He actually surprised me with a good gift for Valentine's Day. And no, I didn't find it first, because it really was a surprise. (And no... I am not going to claim it didn't fit just so I can return it tomorrow. I will actually keep it. Which is saying a lot if you know me). If you don't know us, then the idea of a gift a woman likes is no surprise. If you know me, you probably are hoping your cat can dial 911 because the shock has induced cardiac arrest. So, for educational purposes intended for readers who don't know me... let me paint you a picture of some past gifts.

1. My birthday this year. Ok, if you read this blog back then, you know that I wanted pink hair extensions. They were expensive, so I called it my birthday gift from Mark and got them. Perfect, right? What you don't know is that Mark got me something small, just so I could open something on my birthday (Which is a rule of mine. Even if the real gift happened already... people should always get something small and fun the day of). I got Tupperware. Small - check. Cheap - check. Fun - no check.

2. Christmas this year. In November, Mark started panicking about how hard I am to buy for. Which is probably true, except I don't think so. But, I (frustratedly) grabbed a Lillian Vernon catalog (I know... like I couldn't have grabbed a Pottery Barn or something) and pick out a wire shelf to go under the sink, a key hook and a clock. So, Merry Christmas to me. I know, Lori is sitting there saying to herself "you picked it out, idiot," which is true. But, come on... pressuring me to pick my own gift in November just shows you weren't really going to try. And, to make it better, I got mad later (because I am a woman and that is my right) and told Mark that it was a crappy gift. So, he added two Carbon Monoxide detectors. Jealous, aren't you???

3. Birthday last year. Nothing. And, again, its not 100% Mark's fault. He asked me what I wanted, and I couldn't think of anything. So, he got frustrated and I got frustrated. So, I said "just don't bother getting me anything." Girl code - you better come up with something, Buddy, because I don't mean this at all. Lo and behold, Mark doesn't speak girl and therefore I got a nada.

4. This is my favorite. Valentine's Day two years ago (back when we did Valentine's Day gifts). Mark got me a love jar. Yeah... love J-A-R. It was a glass jar, filled with teeny tiny pink fortune cookie slips of paper with love quotes. 365 of them, so that I could read one every day for a year. Eww... I just threw up a little bit at the memory. Some ladies will sit back and say that is sweet. If you know me... you know I don't do sweet (unless it is chocolate or ice cream). The best part is that it was $40! Forty bucks for a jar of fortunes about love! I told him next time to just give me cash. Thus ending our purchasing/recognition of Valentine's Day! Until Saturday.

Mark got me a lovely pendant. It was a total surprise, and while I had pointed out that I thought it was pretty when I saw it on a commercial, I didn't outright say "buy that for me." So, by Valentine's Day, I had forgotten all about it. And Mark didn't just spring it on me randomly either. This is a feat in and of itself. When Mark proposed... we went to dinner and instead of waiting for dessert or some romantic moment, we ordered and he proposed. Kind of lacked that "ta da" thing I was hoping for. Later, when I was pregnant with Will, he got me a Mother's Day gift, but didn't give it to me on Mother's Day... he threw it on the bed on Saturday morning when I had just woken up and was watching Food Network. Kinda takes the romance out of things when you can't decide if he threw a gift or Egg McMuffin. Glad I didn't eat it in my groggy state. This time, he waited until Valentine's Day evening, when I got out the kids' gifts and then placed mine in front of me. Very TV commercial, very thoughtful... very ta da. So, kudos to youdos Mr. Mark for doing a good job.

And, for those of you wondering... I got Mark the nada that he so thoughtfully got me for my birthday last year.

10 comments:

Busy Bee Suz said...

Congrats to Mark. He did good.
We don't go crazy here w/ holidays either...but I do like a nice thoughtful card.

Amie said...

LOL...is Mark enjoying his nada?

Mark said...

Yay me. To be fair we had agreed ahead of time that we weren't going to get each other anything.

Anonymous said...

Go MARK!! I want to see it, wear it Saturday!
Laura

Rachel said...

YAY for Mark ;-) Hubby and I always say we won't get each other anything and then inevitably one of us does it anyway ;-)

Anna Lefler said...

Go Domestic Goddess! The gift thing is fraught with peril...for both parties.

My poor husband freezes in headlights without a very specific list in his hand...and even then it's dicey.

:^) Anna

Lynn C Mama to 3 said...

Suz - I am not much of a card person. Maybe cuz Mark gave me the exact same one two years in a row.

Amie - I think he really likes it. It came with a side order of "I'm sick, so do everything child related while I sit here and whine."

Mark - True. So, I am not a bad person. And in boy speak, "don't get me anything" really means don't get anything.

Laura - I will wear it.

Rachel - Its tricky when you agree to do nothing, because someone does always fold.

Anna - Mark usually needs more than a list, too. I asked for a simple every day bracelet for Christmas one year, and I got something on loan from the Liberace museum. It went back... and the stuffed something it was hooked onto.

Jess said...

Larry and Mark got the same exact thing...nothing. To be fair he always says nothing and I DID good for Christmas (which he asked for nothing as well) and got him an Ipod Touch. But on another note he did good for Valentine's Day too...a massage. Scheduled for the day AFTER I get back from 4 days in Vegas...awesome in my opinion!

betty-NZ said...

You go, Mark!! Strut your stuff, baby!..wait...that's what I'd say to my hub...never mind..anyway,

It's nice that he got it so very right! Be proud and remember it for a loooong time cuz it's worth a few 'oops' to be forgiven in the future!

You have no idea how many wives or gfs are so jealous of you--well, today, anyway.

Lynn C Mama to 3 said...

Jess - A massage for a pregnant woman could be the best gift known to man(or woman)kind. If I ever have another (please God, no) have Larry talk to Mark.

Bettyl - This could be the first time anyone ever said a woman would be jealous of me having Mark. Put that on your calendars, people!