Leather

By Year 3, I should've learned my lesson to look ahead at these things. With only a few weeks to go until the big anniversary date, I was STUMPED for leather gift ideas for my husband. Leather should be easy, right? There are tons of things made of leather (Check my Pinterest board for ideas because I seriously came up with a gazillion) but not for my impossibly-difficult-to-buy-for husband.

I like the idea of following the traditional wedding gifts by year, though I'm sure Andi would gladly throw the ritual by the wayside if I offered. But, it's fun and it makes anniversary gifts different than any other event. Plus, somewhere down the line, gifts with jewels and precious medals appear ....

Andi and I decided to exchange gifts before we left on our Vail anniversary trip. Partly because we both had our gifts ready to give and also because neither of us are very patient people. The night before our trip, Andi presented me a beautifully wrapped package with a new Kindle Fire, complete with a trendy green leather case.

I absolutely love it. I had one of the first generation Kindles and upgrading wasn't really on my horizon (my other one works just fine), but it's so convenient having access to internet and full-color magazines on my e-reader. Andi's always good about surprising me with gifts I would normally never buy myself.

I gave him a J Crew leather-wrapped flask for his drinking pleasure. Don't all strapping young men need a flask? I thought so. Surprisingly, he didn't have a flask before, but I know he enjoys a little splash of something-something once and a while. I hope it's a gift he'll use (he tells me he will) although he's yet to pick it up since I gave it to him.

More than anything though, I wanted to give him something meaningful. I considered buying a pre-printed anniversary journal to document our years together or one of those books with lists you complete together, but I couldn't find one that didn't seem like it was intended for an elderly couple. While scouring the internet, I stumbled across this idea and decided to make it my own. I bought a leather bound journal from Barnes and Noble and gifted Andi an empty book with an inscription inside.

My gift to him: For every day during our third wedded year together, I promise to write a journal entry to him about us. It'll take commitment on my part to complete, but at the end of the year we'll have this wonderful book full of thoughts and memories of our third year together. Some days will be full entries about events or happenings, others might be a small note about something he said that made me feel special or loved. I'm excited to see how my gift will turn out and I think Andi liked it, too. I wish I'd thought of the idea a year before our "leather" anniversary as it would've been better to give a completed book instead of an empty one. No matter though, the end result will still be the same and we'll have a wonderful snapshot of our third year together to reference for years to come.

By the way, Year Four is linen/silk, so I've got less than a year to come up with something special.