Birthdays

Wednesday was Hubby's birthday so I wanted to surprise him with a treat I thought he'd really enjoy (obviously, right!) His favorite food is Indian cuisine, but I'm not such a fan. So whenever we go out to eat (which is a rare occurrence nowadays anyway), it is never for Indian. He usually only gets it once a year when we go up to Boston to visit our best friends for our annual New Year's get together.

So I picked up all of his favorite dishes from an Indian restaurant near his school—lamb vindaloo, lamb rogan josh, chicken tikka masala (for me), vegetable samosas, several orders of nan bread, and poori, with all the chutneys to go with it. And a six-pack of Harpoon in a cooler. I picked him up right after he taught his last class and we drove to the beach for a mid-afternoon picnic. So relaxing. Though we ended up walking to the nearby park to find relief in the shade, it was amazing to enjoy each other's company and conversation in a beautiful setting without having to entertain our daughter. Just us. Perfect treat. At least I thought so.

But there is always the question of the birthday present. I find it a strange thing to buy birthday presents for your spouse. Not that it is strange to surprise your Hubby with a gift that he would really like, but it weird when you are on a budget and all the money of the household goes into the same pot. Gift buying doesn't really work into that plan. Especially when the only thing Hubby really wants is an iPad. 

Hubby did not get an iPad. And I think part of him was a bit disappointed, even though we are on the same page with the finances. So we are saving up for one. But I was in a conundrum this year—do I buy a couple of smaller things so there are simply items to open, or do I put that money toward the gift he really wants, even if we don't end up getting it for months? I opted for saving. And that's how I ended up with the picnic idea, because I find it more special as an adult to DO something that shows you care, rather than BUY something. I hope he did too.

So needless to say, I have already announced that I do not want a gift for my upcoming birthday. We just bought ourselves a new bed, so that is already a big expensive treat for me. Maybe one of these days we'll be in a place where we can splurge on luxury items on whims, but until then, I think birthdays are going to be "its the thought the counts" day.