Happy anniversary to us.

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Elysha and I celebrated eleven years of marriage yesterday.

I always tell her that it feels to me like we've only been married a couple years. 

She said it feels like the full eleven.

We went to dinner on Friday night with friends to celebrate. It was an eventful dinner. Amongst the scintillating conversation and good food, the following happened:

The stem on Elysha's glass spontaneously shattered, spilling a nearly full glass  of sangria all over the table. 

I was served a burger with mustard, and I am allergic to mustard. Sadly, I didn't realize there was mustard on the burger (since it wasn't listed on the menu and I specifically asked for cheese and bacon only) until I had already swallowed one bite.  I've been known to break out in hives after eating mustard depending on the amount and type. In this case, I felt slightly sick to my stomach and itchy.

Even worse, I only ordered the burger after my friend ordered one. Planning on the rib eye or the pork chops, I only switched when my friend ordered a burger. Worried that I might experience food envy, I changed my mind and followed suit.

I should've stuck with my first instinct. 

At the end of the meal, Elysha and I decided to exchange anniversary gifts. 

Elysha's gifts to me included:

  1. The promise to finally connect the Apple TV that her mother gave us more than a year ago. 
  2. The promise to design/purchase an organizational system for the kids' shoes, coats, winter gear, etc. 

These are perfect gifts. I've written before that the two gifts I desire above all others are time and knowledge. I'm not a person who wants stuff. Except for the occasional replacement clothing item (I need new snow pants for the football season), there isn't much that I want when it comes to gifts except for time to do what I want and the knowledge to do something I cannot do. 

Elysha's gifts offer me time in abundance. Not only will these two problems be solved without any effort on my part, but having a better system for the kids paraphernalia will mean I don't have to pick up shoes, coats, and mittens nearly as often.

As for the Apple TV, we don't watch much television, but it will be nice to finally be able to stream television programs and movies into our home. 

I'm also a bit of a minimalist and an organizational obsessive. I live in a perpetual state of discontent, staring at bins and boxes in corners of my home that have not moved in months, wondering when they will finally be moved to an more appropriate location. You can't imagine how hard it is for me to live with a family that doesn't care too much about piles and stacks and is more than willing to put something down and for ignore it for months.

Getting the coats and shoes out of my sight will help mitigate this discontent quite a bit.

These are two outstanding presents.  

After Elysha "presented" her gifts to me, I decided to reciprocate. I opened a web browser on my phone and went to ThirdLove.com, a company that customizes bras for women. I heard about the company from a friend who hosts a podcast and is sponsored by Third Love, and she raved about the product. Bras come in half sizes in many shapes and styles, and they are made from memory foam, meaning you can wash them again and again, and they return to their original shape every time. You can also try the bra for 30 days and return it for free if you don't love it. Your slightly used bra will be donated to a charitable organization, and you'll be sent a new one to try for another 30 days. 

I bought Elysha credit on the Third Love website so that she could purchase three new bras and discard her old ones. 

I have to say:

She was very happy and very impressed with the thoughtfulness of the gift. 

I thought it was amusing for our friends to witness this odd act of gift giving. Elysha made two promises, and I showed her a website featuring bras. 

Not exactly ribbons and bows and wrapping paper. 
Not exactly jewelry or a gap wedge.
Not the steel that the traditional eleventh wedding anniversary dictates.
No greeting cards.

Just two people who love each other and know each other very well. Well enough to know that we don't need pretty wrapping paper and golden baubles to make each other happy.