the.best.ever.

i kind of love presents. i'm not saying that they have to be expensive, or fancypants. i just like opening gifts, and i like giving gifts. i like the idea of giving and receiving things that, regardless of size or monetary value, are thoughtful additions into the life of the recipient.

this thursday is my birthday.
and i should note, that i also love my birthday.

so, knowing me, and that i love presents AND my birthday, my sweet husband started giving me gifts on january 1st. as in, a gift every day leading up to my birthday. as in, the best ever. as in, this is why i married this man. (well, there are other reasons of course, but two weeks of gift giving is a good reason, am i right?)

today is january 11th, so i have had ten days of presents so far (i am having self-control and waiting to open today's gift until later in the day. look at me and my discipline.)

my camera is broken (hence fewer posts and fewer pics as of late), so you will have to be woo-ed by my words rather than images. so far i have been delighted by:

• a yummy brunch with good friends at camino
• a big bag of supercute straws from ikea. yes, i said straws. i like drinking with straws, ok?
  
• an instyle magazine (a little mental candy for me)
• choose your own adventure present (and i picked to go to my favorite magazine shop in oakland to buy a couple of fun art magazines)
• a pint of salted caramel ice cream from bi-rite creamery in san francisco
• a pretty bamboo bowl for holding cute things
• a jar of preserves. yummy.
• swedish fish
• a gift certificate for a facial at a local place
• fun surprise date night! on the way we stopped in at the jeweler's to see how much it would cost to replace the half of my wedding band that i lost deep in the ocean on our honeymoon (it was a sad, sad day); then we window-shopped, went to see fantastic mr. fox (which was fantastic), and then had a delicious dinner at camino (yes, where we also brunched)

how could you get any better than thoughtful, fun gifts every day?
i should note that matt has done more than his fair share of getting m ready in the morning, which means i get to sleep extra, which in and of itself counts as like a whole week of presents.

did i mention that i love my birthday?