New toy

There is a certain advantage to being married to a man who hates to shop.
Nine times out of 10 I get to pick out my own presents.
Which is why I am currently blogging on my bed with Peanut sleeping beside me on a pillow. My birthday present was a superfast laptop computer with a lot of bells and whistles (not all of them, mind you - too expensive), As it is this computer is more expensive than my first car. Granted, I bought my first car in 1984 and it was a 1974 VW Super Beetle. I think the battery on this computer is actually stronger than my VW was. Hopefully there is no battery acid associated with my laptop. The battery in the VW actually ate through the floorboard of the car (the battery was located under the backseat of the car).
The Ump does not enjoy any aspect of shopping. He is such a man about it. He parks as close as he can get to whatever store we are going to so that he can quickly escape once the shopping experience is over/ Don't even think about suggesting comparison shopping by going to more than one store before making a purchase.
He just hates shopping.
Our first Christmas together he went shopping with some friends who were shopping for their wives and girlfriends and I got a very interesting collection of gifts (including a heart-shaped diamond necklace that I had actually asked for). But I don't think he enjoyed the shopping experience even with his friends because that has never been repeated.
This weekend was the Edinburg Ole Time Festival. I didn't even bother asking him if he wanted to go. I knew the answer.
He told me later - and I quote - that he would rather have all his teeth pulled than go to that festival. Without Novocaine.
Ouch.
Recently, I forced him to go to a real shoe store where he could get his foot sized and purchase good shoes that acually fit his foot size, arch etc. He was able to find two nice pair of shoes - unfortunately the price of the shoes nearly sent him running out of the store in his sock feet.
In addition to his stance on shopping, he also is - shall we say - frugal.
He gets it naturally. He made me promise to never tell his mother how much we spent on shoes that day. I believe he was worried about being disowned.
So, the moral to this story is that you don't always want to try to change someone. I made several attempts at trying to get the Ump to shop with me and I made two discoveries:
1. I hate to shop with him. I can't enjoy myself at all.
2. I am guaranteed to enjoy my presents if I tell him what I want. (Which was his point all along. I just had to get beyond the "Well, if he really loves me for who I am, he should know what I would enjoy as a present..."
I might not have totally reached that point (the romantic in me refuses to go away), but I am really enjoying my laptop.