Adam is a unique gift giver…always has been, always will be. It partially stems from his inability to separate out the gifts HE feels would be amazing, from those the rest of the world would like – or at least me in particular. I will give it to him though…once he gets an idea in his head, he does a ton of research and always finds the BEST one on the market, sparing no expense (even though expense could in fact most often be spared for the same end result). And usually some tiny (but critical) detail is just off in some way.

Take for example that time he bought me a queen-size down comforter and duvet cover over the holidays (he’s really into blankets). Only problem was, I was literally moving in with him a few weeks later and given his love for blankets…he already had his own queen-size down comforter with the identical matching duvet cover in his own apartment. Needless to say, there was no use or space for this extra one for about 5 years until we moved into our house. And we then had identical comforters in our room and our guest room. Only slightly weird.

Then there was the time he got me an iPod Mini. Don’t get me wrong – this was a great gift back then, and I was really excited about it. But after I opened it and thanked him, he told me I didn’t get to the best part yet…that he had gotten it engraved for me! Aww…I couldn’t believe what a sweet gesture that was. It was, after all, our anniversary, and I couldn’t wait to see what sweet little love note he had written up for me. So I anxiously turned it over and there it was in beautiful engraved lettering…my email address. You know, so that if I ever lose it, whoever finds it will be able to let me know and send it back to me. He certainly has a way with romance.

A few years later he told me he had a surprise gift for me – he just saw it and knew he had to get it for me because it’s something I would use ALL the time. I was immediately intrigued. It wasn’t a special occasion, and I loved that he just thought to get me something for no reason – it really warmed my heart. He then proceeded to give me a heavy duty pocket knife. Like I said before, he really knows how to keep the romance alive.

Of course when I questioned why in the world he would get me a pocket knife?? His first response was: “It’s not a pocket knife, it’s a Leatherman.” And then: “The joke is going to be on you every time you take it out to use it.” To which I said – I really think he has a solid misunderstanding of what goes on in my day-to-day life.

But the gift that truly stands out to me is one he never ended up buying. Here’s why…

It was early fall and my birthday was approaching. Now I’m someone who genuinely likes to be surprised with my gifts. I don’t usually offer up ideas or a wish list, and I definitely don’t need to approve a gift before purchase. But this year, Adam had something really big in store. I knew because the moment he thought of this ‘amazing gift’ he literally couldn’t conceal his excitement. He alluded to it often, and really talked it up, saying how it was going to be the “best gift ever!” He kept going on about how much I would “love” it. He may have even used the term “life-changing” at some point. You can imagine how excited I was. He had never hyped up a gift so much before, so I knew this one must really be something special.

But then the hesitation kicked in. He started wondering if maybe he should run it by me first. I said no. He told me it was kind of expensive and he wanted to be sure I would like it. I still said no. But he carried on. He was like 99% sure I would love it, but there would be no way to return it, and now he felt like he really just needed to double check and make absolutely sure I would want it. I mean, how could I not, but still…just to be safe.

Ugh, fine!

So the big reveal was finally upon us, and with a level of deep enthusiasm and wonder in his voice, here is the question he asked:

Adam: How would you feel about…Night Vision Goggles?!?

Aimee: Umm…what?? No, absolutely NOT!

Adam: Wait, what? How could you not want them? It’s an amazing gift!!

Aimee: I’m serious – do NOT buy this for me.

Adam: But they’re military-grade!

Aimee: What could I possibly do with it??

To which he responded with one of my favorite rebuttals of all time…

Adam: What CAN’T you do with it??

And so was the story of the gift that was never gifted. And even at the time of this post…all these years later…he still stands by his conviction that every single person in life would secretly want a pair of their own. #shmadum

P.S. I would be remiss if I didn’t note that I did in fact lose my iPod Mini. On an airplane. And the person who found it did in fact email me to let me know and send it back to me. All thanks to the engraving on the back.