Friday, March 21, 2008

Birthday Pressies

I get the best birthday presents ever!!! I know this to be true
coz I now buy them myself. LOL My DH, bless his heart, is
clueless in the gift shopping department. He never seemed
to 'hear' those not so subtle hints of things I lusted after.....
'Ohhh! I just love this, surprise me & get it for my birthday'.
My 40th birthday is a dandy example. Now '40' is a biggie
& I just knew DH would finally knock my socks off that year.
And boy howdy, did he ever!!! I received 4 gifts-one for
each decade. How clever, I thought. The 1st 2 were items
he picked up at the grocery store w/ the Kroger tags still on,
candy of some sort. The next one was in a large box w/ a big
assed ribbon on top. I did the ole shake and sniff test &
tore that puppy open. I was totally speechless......I was now
the proud owner of an asparagus steamer. I like asparagus,
we have it at least 1/2 dozen times a year. The last gift was
in a box that was the perfect shape for either a necklace or
bracelet or..........a meat thermometer. Now this meat
thermometer looked remarkably identical to the one DH
broke just the week before. I was a tad disappointed &
somehow found myself locked in my bedroom muttering
between sobs, 'an asparagus steamer & a meat
thermometer, he gave me a *%#@* meat thermometer
(are you allowed to swear on blogs?) for my 40th birthday'!!!
Wanting to reassure myself that my tears were justified &
I was not over reacting, I spent the next year or so
(make that 14 & still counting) asking every woman I met
in grocery stores, public bathrooms, check out lines,
wedding receptions, what they thought. 9 out of 10
women claimed they would have checked the accuracy of
that ole thermometer on their DH's, & they weren't
talking orally either. Jeez, I hope this isn't considered
X rated material.

2 comments:

Deb said...

Oh, Barbara! I can soooooooo relate to this! After 20 + years of marriage, I have finally come to the conclusion that if I want something decent, I have to ask specifically for it! Yea, it takes all the surprise out - but would you rather have a NO SURPRISES gift you love, or a BAD ASS SURPRISE gift you hate? LOL I really do think most men mean well - they just don't get it. Period. I have to say, though, as much as I hate cooking, if my DH gave me a meat thermometer it would be the last time her ever saw me in the kitchen!
Sigh - don't you envy those women whose husbands surprise them with beautiful jewelry?

Deb

arlene said...

ROFLMAO!!! Too hilarious!! But be careful what you wish for. If my husband even hears a hint that I comment on something in passing, it sometimes lodges in his brain that I can't live without it and he buys it for my next birthday, which may be 6 months later when I have forgotten that I ever saw it. Or commented on it. Or thought it was even remotely interesting.
But a meat thermometer...ya....I can't top that...sorry. Good on ya for taking matters (and plastic) into your own hands!!
And happy birthday countdown!