September 21, 2000

One year ago: I try to quit smoking (note use of the word "try") and nearly fall asleep in class. A fairly accurate snapshot of my life one year ago.

Warning: sappy entry ahead! You know, I was just complaining to Jim the other day that we aren't romantic enough as a couple. I mean, we love each other, and we hold hands and stuff (what are we, thirteen?) but we've been together almost seven years, and we've lived together for five, and after a while, the romance part starts to fade. I think it's to be suspected, and in a lot of ways we are more comfortable now, and there's something to be said for comfort. But I also thought we should start acting more like a couple and less like roommates, and I'm not talking about the sex part, so get your minds out of the gutter.

So I'm all blah blah blah romance, and I didn't really know if Jim was listening or not, because let's face it, I talk a lot, and I'm sure he tunes me out sometimes. And then Tuesday was my birthday. Jim is always really anxious about gift-giving -- he never knows if his presents are what I want, or useful, or good enough. He always teases me because he got me this bathrobe for Christmas one year, and I never wear it. Now mind you, I only wear a robe when I first get out of the shower, while I'm drying my hair. And the robe he bought me has this big rolled neckline, which made it impossible to comb my hair, because the roll got in the way. So I really don't wear it, but it's not because I don't like it, or it's bad or something. But he has kind of fixated on that robe as evidence of his inability to give me a good gift, despite the fact that over the years, he has given me plenty of gifts that I do use and enjoy (like my CD player, and numerous snowglobes, and our VCR, and various computer games, and my kimreed.com domain -- see, the list goes on and on!).

After work on Tuesday, Jim went over to his parents' house, where he had stashed my presents, and then came home to deliver them. The first thing I found so incredibly endearing was that he couldn't find any wrapping paper at his parents' house, so he wrapped them all in little brown lunch bags. Isn't that the cutest? The first gift he gave me was a homemade CD. See, back when we first started dating, I made a mix tape that we used to listen to all the time, of all romantic songs. Somewhere in the mists of time and various moves, that tape got lost, but I still have the case. So Jim found all the songs (either on our CDs or Napster) and made a CD for me. And then he took the time to make a cover and labels and all that business, and he covered it in pictures of our cats, and little sayings that have special meaning to the two of us. It's clear he put a lot of thought into it, and I cried a little because I'm a big sap like that. Seriously, if that was the only gift he gave me, that would have been more than enough. You see boys out there, you don't have to spend a lot of money or buy fancy things. It really IS the thought that counts. But that wasn't all.

The next gift was a pound of Borders' Pumpkin Spice coffee, which smells so fantastic. This was meaningful to me not just because I love it, but because we had been in Borders a few weeks earlier and I had mentioned how much I liked it, and it showed me that Jim was really listening to me, even such a throwaway comment. So, that was nice. And I still hadn't even opened the "big present"! Jim presented it, and I opened it, and it was a Harry Potter snowglobe. I collect snowglobes, if you didn't know, and mainly pop culture ones. Most of the good ones I have are from The Disney Store. Not that I'm a huge Disney fan, but they make cool snowglobes. And I had seen this Harry Potter one at the WB Store and exclaimed over how cool it was (instead of snow, it has little stars!) and Jim got it for me. So I thought that was it for the gifts, and I was very, very happy. Of course, Grendel came along and started sniffing the snowglobe box, as she has been known to do. She loves boxes. And Jim said, "I think there's something in there." So I looked, and there was something in there! At the bottom of the box, Jim had put a gift certificate to a local day spa, good for a day of pampering! Jim had bought me something similar for Christmas many years ago, and I loved it! It was just so sweet of him to take the time to think about putting it in the box, so it was an extra surprise for me. I was just speechless at his thoughtfulness and generosity. And boy, did I feel bad for complaining about the lack of romance. I still do.

Then, we went out to dinner at the restaurant where we also celebrated our first anniversary, which has fabulous food. Jim had made a reservation, and even thought to request a smoking table for me, even though he doesn't smoke. And he did all the opening doors for me stuff, and generally made me feel like a princess. I am still floating with happiness on how great a birthday I had, largely due to his efforts. I have tried to let him know how much I appreciate it, and how much I love him, but I thought that writing an entry about it for the world to see might help in that area. Plus, I wanted to record it so that years from now I can look back and remember. So, publicly, thank you Jim for making my birthday so special. I love you. You are sweet like a big bag of sugar.