Flashback Friday: A good catch

The year was 2000. It was Christmas time and I had just started dating a guy eight years older than me and I was quickly falling in love. I wanted to get him something for Christmas, but knowing what to get was tricky so I decided I would only get him something if he got me something first.

Then one evening he delivers two oddly wrapped and heavily taped presents with the strict direction that they are not to be opened till Christmas morning. Yikes. What if it is something really embarrassing and I open it right in front of my dad? Or worse, what if it is something really serious and all I got him was like a tie or something? So because I promised I wouldn't open the presents till Christmas morning I made my mom and dad peek inside so they could guide me on what to get him in return.

My parents took my gifts into their room and shut the door. I put my ear to the door and heard giggling. Then they emerged holding the re-wrapped gifts and I don't think I've ever seen my dad's face more full of smile and my mom just said something like, "It's really sweet, but not too serious." Okay...

Well, I knew he liked to fish and do stuff outdoorsie so I went to the only outdoorsie store I knew of in town. They sold stuff I didn't know how to use or what it would be used for so I just walked around educating myself on what outdoorsie stores sell, but not really learning anything at all. After I found myself a new fleece sweater I saw just what my new outdoor-loving-sweet-but-not-serious boyfriend would love (or I hoped he would love). A fish pillow wrapped in cellophane. Thoughtful because I was trying to show I knew his likes and hobbies, and unserious because it's a giant fish pillow wrapped in cellophane.

I delivered my oddly wrapped and heavily taped present to his house and made him promise not to open it till Christmas morning. Mostly because I didn't want him to open it in front of me and watch me blush and because I didn't even know what type of fish my pillow was. It's a trout, by the way. I know all my fish pillow species now.

See? He did love it. He said it was his best catch of the year. (He was the good catch...but I didn't say that part yet.) He had one of his room mates take this picture after he opened my gift which was probably five minutes after I drove away.

So do you wanna know what I got? The first gift was a tiny tackle box (my first and only) along with a collapsible fishing pole and a coupon "Good For Five Free Fishing Lessons With A Semi-Pro Bass Angler" (I only cashed in on two of those lessons before I married that Semi-Pro Angler). The second gift was a homemade corn-filled heating bag he purchased from a friend's mom who specialized in grain filled heating bags. I think this last gift was what made my mom and dad giggle because I burst into complete laughter. But you know what, we still use that heating bag (that London calls the "popcorn pillow") all the time and I tell Porter how his daddy gave me that popcorn pillow on our very first Christmas together. Then I tell him it's probably not the best idea to give a girl a heating pad for Christmas unless you're pretty sure she likes you a whole lot.