Shower me with gifts!!! (OK, not really.)

This weekend I had the privilege of helping to host a wedding shower for my good friend Mindy. If you know me well, you know that while I like giving people gifts, I tend to hate showers, especially shower games. I thought this one turned out rather nice, though! It was a good time.

I like the idea of wedding showers, the idea of giving people new stuff to start their new lives together. It’s just nice to be able to carry new stuff into the relationship, a kind of symbolism of a fresh start.

But I also think we should give more showers. Because people getting married or having babies aren’t the only people who need stuff. When you go to college, people give you tons of gifts, but a few years later when you move out on your own, no one gives you very much. Unless it’s old furniture, pots and pans, and other stuff they want to get rid of. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a “moving into your first place” shower? Or what about when you buy a house—because honestly, I’m still using a number of towels I had in college. Meaning they are now 14 years old. Yep.

Anyway, I digress. But in honor of wedding showers and registries, I offer up my suggestions for my “I’m 32, live on my own, and want to live my life to the fullest” registry. (I hope you know by now that this post is in complete jest.)

Items I’d include on my registry: • Money for Mandy’s travel fund: I want to travel. I have a trip I want to take to Boston (or anywhere that’s not work-related) in the near future. I’m turning 35 in a couple of years and would like to mark the milestone with a trip to Europe. And while I’m a big fan of saving your money to get to do what you want, I’d definitely put this on my “registry” if it were real.

• A new Bible. I was looking at mine yesterday and after the terrible coffee accident(s) and a lot of use, it’s looking terrible. Like this one or the one I saw at the LifeWay store that looks like a Moleskine journal.

• A food processor and/or blender

• A new shower curtain (I’m pondering changing my upstairs bathroom to black and white. I think it will work with the crazy blue walls.) Like this one.

• Jeans that actually fit right and are hemmed to my height.

• A couple new lamps

• Covert Affairs DVDs. Can you say obsessed a little?

• New towels

• A new radio/iPod station for work just like the one I have in my kitchen.

I’m sure there’s more I could add, but I’m sure my joke is waning in hilarity by this point. All this to say, congrats to Mindy and Marty!

(And let’s expand the range of reasons to give showers! Come on, it’ll be fun!)